Graphics designer quits job, rediscovers passion for farming

KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 -- Having a stable career with steady income may be the choice of many youths out there, however, it's not the case with Nuraishah Shamsuddin, 27.

The native of Teluk Intan, Perak, took a leap of faith by quitting her job as a graphics designer seven months ago in exchange for a simpler life of looking after a farm, and the Art History and Cultural Management Masters degree holder has not looked back since.

“The reason I quit my job was to live a stress-free life…I am at peace with what I am doing now, (it feels) better than anything I have ever done before,” she said when contacted by Bernama today.

The former UiTM Shah Alam student who hails from a family of farmers currently owns a half-acre plot located some two kilometres from her house.

She has so far managed to produce many kinds of international and local fruits and vegetables, such as avocados, mulberries, eggplant, lettuce, spinach, kale, tomatoes, coriander and parsley.

Nuraishah said she had been exposed to gardening and the farming industry from a young age.

“I remember I used to follow my late grandfather to his fruit farm and palm oil plantation in the mornings, and to my late father’s goat pen in the evenings. 

“But for vegetables, I learned to do things by myself slowly from Youtube, reading and through my past experience... it’s my hobby,” she added.

Besides farming for her own family’s consumption, she also sells some of her produce online.

“The thought of selling my own produce never crossed my mind until one day, a good friend of mine wanted to buy my vegetables. It started from there, and my business is now continuously growing,” she said, adding that she managed to earn roughly about RM300 per month in sales.

“I have no debt or other commitments. I feed my family and other people’s families with healthy vegetables. I am proud of what I am doing for the good of this world.

“For the time being, I will occupy every minute that I have for my farm…who knows, one day, I will have my own workers,” said Nuraishah, whose inspirational tweets about her journey as a farmer on Thursday blew up on Twitter, and has garnered almost 30,000 retweets and 54,000 likes as of press time.

-- BERNAMA