When David Mwanaka moved to the UK from Zimbabwe more than 20 years ago, he couldn’t find white maize, a staple crop he had eaten growing up. So he started growing it in addition to other traditional Zimbabwean vegetables on an allotment, he told the BBC.
Later, he was able to acquire 500 acres of land in Landbeach, Cambridgeshire, as demand for his produce went up. People began traveling from across the UK to visit his farm.
“I was the first farmer to grow white maize in the country, for a single reason, because I wanted to eat white maize,” Mwanaka said to the BBC.
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He noted that white maize could not be imported because it had a short shelf life.
“[White maize corn] has a very short shelf life, just one day, so you can’t import it from another country,” he stressed. “That’s why I started growing it in this country.”
“We have people come from all over for white maize, as far down as Bournemouth and some from Scotland. We also do a delivery service.”
On his almost 500 acres of land, Mwanaka grows white maize and other exotic crops like horned melon and pumpkin leaves, after securing a farm tenancy with Cambridgeshire County Council in 2022.
Perpetual Gumbo, who drove to the farm shop from Chatham in Kent, said it took her about two hours to get there. “White maize is so iconic and I can’t get it like this anywhere else… straight from the farm,” the 19-year-old told BBC.
“It feels like you’re in Zimbabwe, it takes you straight home.”
For his work in helping to feed the nation, Princess Anne visited Mwanaka’s farm on September 19 and toured the farm’s operations, expressing interest in the crops and farming methods.
“Your work here is truly feeding the nation,” Princess Anne, who is passionate about supporting farmers in the UK, told Mwanaka.
“I am at a loss for words. I am so emotional right now,” the 60-year-old farmer also noted and thanked the royal family for recognizing him. He further described the visit as “a dream come true”, according to a report by Diaspora Insurance.
“It was really a highlight of my career to have her come to encourage, support and watch,” he said.
Princess Anne planted a peach tree to celebrate the occasion, while Mwanaka urged young people to enter farming.
