African Farming recently congratulated Phenias Gumede on his appointment as the new President of the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) and asked him about his strategic plans for advancing agricultural development across the region.
By Maile Matsimela, Digital Editor at African Farming
As a former Deputy President of AgriSA and Vice Chairperson of SACAU, Gumede brings extensive experience to this pivotal role representing farmers across 12 Southern African countries. In this exclusive interview, he shares his vision for strengthening farmers’ voices, addressing regional challenges and fostering sustainable agricultural growth.
Q&A with SACAU President Phenias Gumede
Q: As the new President of SACAU, what is your primary vision for strengthening the voice of farmers across the 12 Southern African countries that SACAU serves, and how do you plan to build on your experience as former Deputy President of AgriSA and Vice Chairperson of SACAU?
A: My primary vision is to foster a vibrant and sustainable farming sector that not only ensures food security but also propels economic growth and development across the entire Southern Africa. Strengthening the voice of farmers needs to be done in collaboration with national farmers’ organisations, governments and other relevant stakeholders within the sector.
Q: What do you see as the most pressing challenges facing Southern African agriculture today, and how can SACAU’s 19 member associations work together more effectively to address issues like food security, climate change and market access across the region?
A: I can classify the main pressing challenge into a minimum of five limiting factors:
• Lack of funding (access to funding).
• Inadequate land to produce commercially.
• Skills training in business administration.
• Access to market within their countries and across the region.
• Lack of government support throughout the value chain.
I think SACAU should work closely with its members, partners, governments and private sectors to address issues of food security, climate change, etc.
Q: SACAU plays a crucial role in engaging with regional bodies like the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). What are your priorities for policy advocacy, and how do you plan to ensure that farmers’ voices are heard more effectively in regional and continental policy-making processes?
A: With regard to policy issues in the SADC region, I think farmers must be part of and play a role in any policy formation, development, decision-making and implementation thereof.
Q: SACAU represents farmers of all scales, from smallholders to large-scale operations. How do you plan to balance and address the diverse needs of these different farming communities while promoting the “harmonious agricultural systems” that SACAU advocates for?
A: Entry and exit points are some things that are unavoidable but need to be addressed very carefully. Both small-scale and commercial farmers need the same services based on their specific requirements to ensure full compliance with farming practices. Small-scale farmers need to be supported to grow into commercial farmers, and commercial farmers need to be encouraged to play a role in value chain practices that open up market space within the region and beyond.
Q: One of SACAU’s key functions is strengthening member farmers’ organisations. What specific capacity-building initiatives do you envision implementing to enhance the effectiveness of national farmers’ associations across the region?
A: First is encouraging them to erase independence syndrome by training them to become self-reliant – to be trained in farming management, administration and business practices.
Q: Given SACAU’s role as a founding member of the Pan African Farmers’ Organization (PAFO), how do you plan to leverage continental and global partnerships to benefit Southern African farmers, particularly in areas such as technology transfer, market access and climate-smart agriculture?
A: Building strong relationships with global partners, relevant stakeholders, governments, private sectors, businesses, individuals, institutions and industries in entire agricultural sectors could be the key success factors in areas mentioned in this question.
Q: Looking ahead to your tenure as President, what are the top transformative changes you hope to achieve for SACAU and Southern African agriculture, and how will you measure success in advancing the confederation’s mission of promoting “transformative, growth-oriented and enterprise-driven” agricultural development?
A: Besides building strong relationships and partnerships with other institutions, I believe in transforming ourselves with the national farmers’ organisations and making sure that our secretariat staff are working under the best conditions and in the best environment for the best possible outcomes that are expected from them on a day-to-day basis. Consultation with our members is more than important to me. They need to be developed into big business leaders and farmers.
