By Lebogang Mashala
The year 2025 marks a century of Extension and Advisory Services (EAS) in South Africa. The conference aims to advance the field of agricultural extension by fostering collaboration, innovation and knowledge sharing among professionals, researchers and practitioners.
The 58th Conference of the South African Society for Agricultural Extension (SASAE) marked 100 years of formal extension services in South Africa, which were established in 1925. The event also marked the launch of the inaugural South African Agricultural Extension Week. The conference started on Monday at the Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng, and will conclude on Friday.
In his opening address, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen stated that the event not only celebrates the centenary of agricultural extension and advisory services but also renews the commitment to ensuring that agricultural extension remains central to inclusive rural development, food security and knowledge transfer in the country.
Japan Partnership and New Practitioner Recruitment
The minister highlighted two major initiatives aimed at strengthening extension and advisory services. The first is a capacity-building initiative in partnership with the Japanese government.
“To better assist producers, particularly smallholders, we are implementing the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) approach in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This ‘market-oriented agriculture’ model is already showing results, with 18 extension officers trained in Japan last year and another 20 set to depart this October,” Minister Steenhuisen announced.
The second initiative involves the department employing 260 assistant agricultural practitioners this year, enhancing its capacity to deliver extension services. Additionally, the department’s Farmer Field School (FFS) initiative, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will be expanded beyond its current locations in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the Northern Cape.
How Extension Services Drive Economic Growth
Steenhuisen reaffirmed the government’s commitment to agricultural extension services, emphasising their crucial role in promoting inclusive rural development, ensuring food security and facilitating vital knowledge transfer.
“Agriculture is the foundation of South Africa’s economy and society. It ensures food security, supports rural livelihoods and drives employment. However, it is the work of our extension practitioners that truly unlocks the potential of our producers, particularly smallholders who rely on support, advice and innovation,” he stated.
He explained that extension practitioners provide practical, tailored advice that enables producers to enhance productivity, adopt sustainable practices, manage risks and access markets. Their role underpins the entire agricultural value chain, which contributes about 12% to the national gross domestic product (GDP).
The department will also prioritise assistance to women, youth and persons with disabilities in the agricultural sector, as these groups often face the most significant barriers. “Let us make agriculture a career of choice for young people by showcasing its diversity, from agritech and agro-processing to entrepreneurship and policy,” the minister added.
Extension Officers’ Critical Role In in Agricultural Success
According to Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, MEC for the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, extension officers are often invisible, yet they are absolutely essential.
“When crises occur, such as a drought destroying yields or pests threatening harvests, it is not the policy document or the decision made in a boardroom that arrives first; it is the extension officer,” Ramokgopa stated.
She emphasised that extension officers serve as the bridge between research and rural realities. “As technology continues to redefine agriculture worldwide, it is our responsibility to ensure that innovation and technology start with people,” she added.
“Leveraging innovation and technology is vital to enhancing extension and advisory services, which ultimately lead to sustainable agriculture, improved livelihoods and greater security.”
Ramokgopa explained that innovation goes beyond drones, apps or data; it truly begins with people. “Innovation exists in every effort that brings knowledge closer to the soil, in every initiative that empowers our communities, and in every idea that connects science to everyday farming. Technology may enhance your work, but it does not replace your role.”
Balancing Innovation with Human Touch
She stressed the importance of investing more in the training, tools and technologies available to extension officers.
Gauteng is committed to strengthening its extension workforce, modernising its systems, supporting practitioners and building partnerships with academic institutions, research bodies and innovators.
“We must ensure knowledge is not confined to institutions but instead flows to the farmers who feed our nation,” concluded Ramokgopa.
