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chapter 5
The Grain Academy group, facilitators and lecturers of Syngenta 2013.
The programme facilitators of the Syngenta Grain Academy in 2013.
• Theo Ferreira, Harrismith
• Tony da Costa, Nigel
Male and female candidates from diverse circumstances and cultural backgrounds
can attend the course. The content of the programme addresses topical matters
like land reform, the use of communal land, empowerment and the development
of emerging farmers, labour issues, job security and employee benefits for farm-
workers. However, the focus is on the development of the candidates’ leadership
and business skills.
The aim of the Grain Academy’s programme is to develop candidates on a
personal and professional level to the extent that they are not just able to
make a difference at farm level, but can also add value to the broader agricul-
tural community.
In addition to its contribution to the establishment of the Grain Academy,
Grain SA, in collaboration with Santam Agri, established the Young Leaders Labo-
ratory to create a platform where young agricultural leaders from different back-
grounds meet under the guidance of experienced mentors. Young leaders from
government departments and the private sector, as well as young producers, are
invited to the annual event. Candidates are encouraged to network outside the for-
mal sessions to get to know each other better and develop a better understanding
of everybody’s background and views. Candidates are allowed to communicate
their views freely and the discussion leaders encourage open debate.
‘The extremely positive feedback from the participants in this conversation em-
phasises the need of young leaders to build bridges that can take the grain industry
into the future,’ De Villiers said.