In this week’s episode of African Farming (Honey, channel 173, Tuesdays at 17:00) experts from AFGRI’s Lemang talk about the ideal time to send your staff for training.
Technology and research are constantly evolving which is why it is important for a farmer and his workers to have ongoing training so that they can stay on top of their game.
Sylvester Lubambo, AFGRI: Lemang’s Training and Development Manager, says that ongoing training is important for a farming operation to keep up to date with the latest developments.
“Training your staff is key for the sustainability of your farming enterprise.”
However, it is important to know what skills your staff require, and how to give it to them.
“Every business, especially a farming business, operates on short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans. When you have these plans in place, you will know what set of skills your workforce need so that you can train them accordingly.
“For instance, if you want to move from conventional farming to sustainable agriculture, plan how you want to do it and determine a time frame. Once that is done, you need to align the training with that. Only then you will be able to determine the best time to send them for training.”
It is important to realise that training is a key element of your business, so create time for it. However, you don’t want to disrupt your farm too much by not having enough workers at a certain time.
“Of course, it depends on what commodities the farmer produces,” says Lubambo. “A grain farmer in the highveld area’s busiest times is from August to May. So that will perhaps not be the right time for staff to be off site attending training.”
This does not mean training is impossible, it only means the farmer needs to plan well.
For more information, visit afgri.co.za
