Developing farmers receive recognition for their excellence

ELMARIE SCHOEMAN, SA GRAAN/GRAIN CONTRIBUTOR

On a beautiful “almost spring” morning in Bloemfontein, developing farmers received the recognition they deserve for contributing to the country’s agriculture. “The harvest day” as some of the role-players in the programme called it, was a day when Grain SA, as part of their Farmer Development Programme, stopped for a moment to honour the farmers that they work with and to celebrate their hard earned yield.

Mr Jannie de Villiers (CEO, Grain SA) said the vision for developing farmers in South Africa is to make them part of the mainstream economy. “They need to become commercial farmers who can produce for the country and the continent on a sustainable budget.” He also acknowledged the farmers for taking the risks that goes with the industry.

“Excellence inspires people and it honours God. These upcoming farmers are inspiring the country by showing how diligently you can work the land and deliver something,” he said. He also mentioned that it was sad that after 17 years of democracy, they haven’t been able to unite agriculture yet. “Grain SA will keep on working very hard on achieving just that,” he said.

Mrs Jenny Mathews (executive member: Grain SA) recognised that there have been challenges, “Yes there are days when we feel like we are losing the battle, but today is a day to celebrate. There are successes, there are farms that have grown from producing 1 ton per hectare to 4 tons per hectare, people whose lives are changing through agriculture; not only their own lives, but they have also impacted and changed the lives of others for the better.”

Mrs Jane McPherson (programme manager: Farmer Development, Grain SA) said South Africa needs a strong agricultural sector and a common and united voice. “We can’t have a divided voice in agriculture. We need to have national food security; nobody is going to feed us but the farmers. Agriculture is the cornerstone of our economy and it is an important employer.”

According to McPherson agricultural development is a crucial part in the agricultural sector. She highlighted the importance of developing the farmers as individuals. “To get a united and prosperous sector we must focus on human development. It is not just about money or things, it is about you. We all have needs and agriculture can contribute to some of those needs.”

She stressed the fact that they want to establish a sense of belonging in these farmers. “It is a process of positive change in a human life. We want to achieve self-reliance and improve on the quality of life.”

McPherson encouraged the farmers to share their mistakes. “Behind failures, valuable lessons can be learnt. When something goes wrong and we don’t tell anybody, we all end up making the same mistakes instead of learning from each other.”

The ultimate aim of the programme is to develop capacitated, sustainable, black commercial farmers. Through this programme, Grain SA is trying to develop commercial grain farmers and to contribute to household and national food security through optimal use of the natural resources available to each farmer.

“If you can use your land optimally, you can contribute to food security in our country. It is not only about land, machines, markets, money or skills; it is all of these things. It’s a process not a leap – you don’t jump into being a farmer, you grow into being a farmer,” McPherson said.

The farmers who received awards this year were categorised under the following:

• Subsistence farmers (those who farm on 1 ha - 10 ha)
• Small holder farmers (those who farm on 10 ha to producing up to 250 tons)

The members of the 250 Ton club (producing more than 250 tons of grain annually) and the 500 Ton club (producing more than 500 tons of grain annually) were also recognised during the function.