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CHAPTER 8
extended 1) to developing a set of management guides about the different crops
and 2) running courses on farm management; but the NAMPO personnel was
finding itself under pressure to respond to the need. The desire was there to
assist developing maize farmers but the challenge was to find sufficient capacity
to manage this development project.
AMALGAMATION: THE BIRTH OF GRAIN SA’S
FARMER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Transformation was happening in the world of organised agriculture. The different
producer organisations of NAMPO, NOPO, SPO and WPO were amalgamated in
1999 to form a single grain producer organisation which we know as Grain SA. As
far as the farmer development initiatives already implemented in the old structures
were concerned, the mood in the new organisation remained positive. Farmers were
enthusiastic about becoming more involved with farmer development activities
and the combined forces of the different commodity groups had already gathered
considerable insight and expertise.
Following presentations about the potential of a farmer development programme
within Grain SA, support from the various trusts – formed after the country’s
deregulation of agricultural marketing – was encouraging and from the outset
of Grain SA’s FDP this support has been a vital component in the rollout and
dynamic expansion of the programme. Grain SA still had the support of the ARC-
Grain Crops Institute and now they had also found valuable partners in the trusts.
SUPPORT FROM THE TRUSTS: THEN AND NOW
The different trust funds, namely the Maize Trust, Winter Cereal Trust, OPDT and
Sorghum Trust have all played a critical role in the growth of Grain SA’s farmer
development programme and formed the bedrock for its success providing a firm
foundation on which it could be built. They were involved from the outset and are
still involved today to a greater or lesser degree.
The Maize Trust has been by far the greatest contributor and has been instrumental
in the expansion of the programme so that it is in a position to support farmers in
most of the primary grain growing regions of the country. ’Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much.‛ Mr Leon du Plessis, Administrator of the Maize Trust,
explains that the Trust looks for partners who will assist them to serve the maize
industry and fulfil its mission to facilitate the continuous improvement of the entire
maize industry in South Africa. As a result the Maize Trust has collaborated with
Grain SA’s programme since its formation. This investment has paid dividends as
the numbers of successful commercial farmers was growing annually.
The main objective of the OPDT is the promotion and development of the Oil Seeds
Industry in South Africa. The objectives were to address household and national food
security, improve rural prosperity and focus on empowering the individual farmer to
become independent. Course material such as an introduction to sunflower pro-
duction, advanced sunflower production and marketing, skills development aspects
such as settings and calibrations and an introduction to soya production was devel-
oped, whilst demonstration trials showed best practice. OPDT also contributed to
farmers days as well as four pages every quarter in the
Pula Imvula
magazine.
The Sorghum Trust contribution has seen the funding of demonstration trial
plots, farmers days, manual development and a training course.