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November 2017
‘The imbewu empowerment programme is not a business imperative box that Monsanto has ticked, but it is rather a social contribution to help the various initiatives participate in order to fulfil certain morale imperatives.’
This is how Mr Kobus Steenekamp (commercial lead, Monsanto South Africa) describes this dedicated Monsanto development programme to drive inclusive growth. It all starts with a small seed leading to‘ seeding success’, as the slogan of the programme states.
‘All the empowerment programmes Monsanto is involved in are really changing lives. Some of the programmes are creating jobs as well, to alleviate poverty which will lead to other social benefits. Through the Grain SA Farmer Development Programme we have assisted more than 4 000 farmers to increase their yields,’ he said.
Ms Parusha Pillay (manager, Government Affairs and BBBEE Transformation, Monsanto) who unveiled the imbewu brand at the launch on 4 August in Randburg, said the imbewu empowerment programme undertakes to improve the lives of South Africans by focusing on enterprise and supplier development, skills capacity building, education, staff volunteerism and caring for vulnerable communities.
‘imbewu, meaning seed in Zulu, has three main themes: To empower communities for a sense of self-worth to enable them to ultimately make their own decisions regarding their destiny, contribute to sustainability and discourage perpetual dependence on funding and lastly to inspire others to do the same,’ Pillay summed up the objectives of this programme.
Monsanto decided to start a competition internally for employees to come up with a name for this empowerment programme and also assisted with the design process with regards to the logo.
Part of this umbrella empowerment programme is Monsanto’s internship programme as well as business students who cannot afford to go to university.
Although there is a constant debate about agricultural technology and ethics in the media, the bottom line is that we all need food to survive. ‘While we are still waiting to eat meat that is grown in a Petri dish, we have to grow food to keep up with our growing population,’ Ms Annette Steyn, DA Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, who was the guest speaker at the launch, said.
For Steyn it is important to thank companies like Monsanto that deal with innovation and technology for their dedication and passion. ‘This does not mean that we as politicians must give them a free hand, but we need to strengthen the monitoring and the programmes to ensure there is a balance between technology and ethics.’ She believes South Africa is following this strategy, but says more could be done to educate and debate the topic.
She added that the impact of smallholder farmers has not yet been determined in South Africa. ‘The latest crop estimate report indicates that smallholder farmers planted almost 370 000 ha during the past production season. DAFF reported to have inspected and validated only 41 000 ha. This is a massive difference and shows that government support is nowhere near reaching our farmers,’ she said.
According to Steyn the Grain SA Farmer Development Programme has shown what can be achieved when farmers receive proper support. She concluded, ‘Rural and communal farmers increased their yields from 2,3 t/ha to 8,9 t/ha. Just imagine if the 370 000 ha received the same support. It is clear that any assistance towards improving the lives of our rural people could go a long way to ensure that we move nearer to achieving the dream of a free and equal South Africa.’
Publication: November 2017
Section: Relevant
