By Michelle van der Spuy
The quality of agricultural student training plays a significant role in the sector’s future. Therefore, it is essential that obstacles in the country’s agricultural colleges are removed.
This was said by John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, in a joint discussion session his department hosted with representatives of the country’s 11 agricultural colleges last week at the Elsenburg Agricultural College outside Stellenbosch.
Moriti Moloto, chairperson of the Association of Students of Agricultural Training Institutions (Asati), and Dr. Karabo Mabe, head of the Potchefstroom Agricultural College and chairperson of the Association of Principals of Agricultural Colleges (Apac), spoke in their presentations about the problems experienced by students and principals of agricultural colleges. The students and principals are jointly concerned about the inadequate infrastructure, maintenance and funding, as well as the resulting impact that these issues have on the quality of training at the agricultural colleges.
Mabe said agricultural colleges sometimes have to wait months for approval to replace even a single light bulb. Meanwhile, students are expected to study in the dark.
“The total budget for the country’s agricultural colleges is R100 million. This has to be divided between 11 colleges. What is a college supposed to do with a budget of about R8 million?”
Moloto said there are problems with the colleges’ curricula, specifically that they are too theoretical and not practical enough. According to him, they also do not keep up with modern farming techniques and technology. He also believes there is insufficient support for graduates who have to find their feet in the agricultural sector with few resources. He said another obstacle to the quality of training is the migration of agricultural colleges from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Higher Education and Training. The aim of this process, which has been ongoing since 2014, is, among other things, to bring agricultural colleges’ qualifications in line with higher education standards and improve funding.
‘Investment in students is an investment in the future’
In his response to the submissions, Steenhuisen underlined the importance of the local agricultural sector. He pointed out that the sector, through its contribution to food and social security, also makes an important contribution to the economy and to national security.
“It is therefore important to ensure the sustainability and growth of the sector. Part of the sector’s growth is in the new generation of farmers entering the sector. If we do not have new farmers to replace farmers who leave the sector – for example due to retirement – there will be no more farmers. Then we will also have no more food and big problems. An investment in agricultural students is therefore an investment in the future of the sector.”
Steenhuisen said the renovation of agricultural colleges has been on his agenda since the beginning of his term as Minister of Agriculture. There are major differences between the quality of training offered by the various colleges, he said. “The aim is to bring all the colleges’ training to the same standard so that students can receive proper training, regardless of which college they study at.”
According to him, the funding and renovation of the infrastructure, especially since some colleges do not even have access to running water, is also already in his department’s sights.
He said the problem for the department is to solve as many of these problems as possible, especially infrastructure, as quickly as possible. Steenhuisen believes partnerships with, among others, commodity organisations in the agricultural sector can help improve colleges’ curricula.
“This will benefit the transfer of skills and the creation of opportunities for graduates. It is also in the interest of these organisations that students who leave agricultural colleges can immediately start farming in a sustainable and profitable way,” he said. “We want farms and agricultural projects to work. And for that, you need to have the necessary knowledge. Many people are under the impression that farming is easy. It’s not. It’s very difficult. It requires hard work. You need to have knowledge of things like the economy, how to run a business, the weather, geography. All of these things have to work together for a farm to be successful.”
Steenhuisen said one of the problems with graduates’ access to finance is that commercial banks still struggle to understand the concept of patient capital. Farms do not start earning an income immediately and therefore debt servicing cannot begin immediately. “It takes two to three years for a farm to become profitable. Banks and financial institutions need to understand this. Our department is always looking for sources of patient capital to fund agricultural projects, among other things.”
However, according to Steenhuisen, students should also consider agro-processing as a possible option. “For example, we sell avocados to Japan, where they are used to manufacture beauty products, among other things, which are sold at a higher price. I think there is a big opportunity for South Africa to look at how we can process our primary agricultural products in a more sustainable and efficient way.”
Although the department has many ideas about how to help students find their feet in the agricultural sector, he also indicated that the department’s goal is to get students back on their feet as quickly as possible so that the department can help other students. “We can’t keep helping year after year.”
Eating the elephant one bite at a time
Steenhuisen admitted there are clearly many problems in South Africa’s agricultural colleges, but that these problems need to be solved in an organised way. According to him, the migration is just such a starting point. “Without this process being completed, it becomes very difficult to pay attention to the other problems.”
Shrinking budgets are something the entire government is struggling with and every year more has to be done with less. “There is a saying that a farmer makes a plan, and I am sure we can come up with a plan if we work together. I don’t want to make empty promises, so we will have to make a plan on how to eat the elephant one bite at a time and determine which bites are the biggest priorities. We will already be in a better position by just starting to solve the problems.”
