19 April 2024
The Hortgro Legacy Foundation was launched in Paarl on April 16, aiming to unlock funding to look after workers in the fruit industry, drive social upliftment and invest in innovative technology that can mitigate the impact of climate change.
Prof William Gumede is the patron of the foundation, in which Hortgro has invested seed capital of R100 000.
According to Angelo Petersen, non-executive director of Hortgro, industry leaders have begun to worry that there is “so much to do, but so few resources and funds to carry it out”.
He referred to humanitarian welfare actions, crises due to climate change, dwindling natural resources such as water and biodiversity, and the need for social upliftment to create job opportunities. This could ultimately play a role in solving the crime problem.
Anton Rabe, executive director of Hortgro, said until now it has relied on levies, grant funding and user-paid services to fund these needs.
“However, the era of grants is over, user-paid services can only take you so far, and we have reached a ceiling with levies. Therefore, we had to be innovative and look at how we could unlock a fourth income stream.”
Petersen said the Hortgro Legacy Foundation would fulfil this role. “Something like this has never been done before, but we also won’t allow it to fail.”
Through the foundation, they want to find “impact investors”, allow people to bequeath legacies to the foundation, and give people the opportunity to make donations.
“I have already held discussions with several investors,” said Petersen. “It’s clear that you can get funding if you can prove that you spend money responsibly and in a way that makes an impact. Hortgro and its industry partners have a good track record of this.
“The legacy of our industry extends far beyond our lifetimes to future generations. Therefore, we want to allow people to bequeath legacies to the industry. The other aspect is personal donations. Many people want to be part of the industry, but they are city dwellers. Through the Hortgro Legacy Foundation, they can now make donations to the industry.”
According to Petersen, the foundation will also work with other organisations and institutions with the same mindset to make a significant impact.
“We will have a hall of fame so that the people who invest in our industry are not forgotten and their contributions to future generations will be evident.”
According to Nic Dicey, chairperson of Hortgro and a fruit farmer from Wolseley, everyone in agriculture is aware of the issues facing the industry and the fact that resources are dwindling.
“We have a lot of confidence in such a programme; therefore, Hortgro donated the initial seed capital of R100 000 to the Hortgro Legacy Foundation.”
