As the agriculture industry is called upon to produce more with fewer resources, the Cullinan campus of Agri Skills Transfer is continuing to grow the skills necessary for sustainable agriculture and future rural development in South Africa.
By Mkhululi Chimoio
Agri Skills Transfer has carved out an identity for itself as more than simply a training institution. It is the nexus of theory and practice, innovation and implementation, aspiration and opportunity. Today, there is an increasing understanding that agriculture is no longer simply about agriculture – it is about skills, systems and stories that can help improve the state of agriculture in South Africa and on the African continent as a whole.
Agri Skills Transfer offers two-year diplomas, artisan development programmes and skills programmes designed to equip students with the skills necessary for the agriculture industry. Whether the student is fresh out of high school and trying to find their path or is an experienced professional looking for a career shift, there is something for everyone. The programmes have one primary focus: hands-on learning that matches the demands of the agriculture industry.
Also read: Growing the future: Agri Skills Transfer draws hundreds to transformative Mega Open Day at Cullinan campus
From Almost Failing School to Leading Agriculture’s Narrative
One person who has found his purpose in the agriculture industry through non-traditional means is Duncan Masiwa, the head of Brand, Marketing and Communications for the Agricultural Development Agency (AGDA).
For Masiwa, the journey into the agriculture industry was not something that he had planned or envisioned in any way.
“I was not a great student,” he says.
Mathematics was his worst subject and he just managed to pass matric. At that time, agriculture was nowhere on his radar. With limited career choices, he took up a course in hotel management. He worked hard and established himself. Then came a major turning point in his life when he quit his job. The decision to quit was a risky and impulsive one. He had little money and no clear idea of what to do. The only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to write.
He accepted a freelance assignment for a community newspaper, which led to a career in journalism, which led to a career in agriculture. At that stage he knew very little about the field. All he knew was that farmworkers left his village early in the morning to go to work on farms.
His foray into journalism, covering the agricultural sector, changed his perception. Covering the sector exposed him to the land reform issues in South Africa and the inequalities in the field.
He became the youngest editor of an agricultural publication when he was just 27 years old. Later on, he was recognised as one of the best agricultural journalists in the world.
Today, he works for AGDA and is at the intersection of agriculture and development.
“Agriculture is not glamorous. It is hard work,” he says. “You have to be willing to inconvenience yourself.”
His message to aspiring professionals is clear: agriculture is an ecosystem. It needs engineers, veterinarians, researchers, data specialists, communicators, marketers and entrepreneurs, not just farmers in the field.
Aquaponics: Farming Smarter with Less Water
A practical innovation that has been traced to the Agri Skills Transfer training ecosystem is aquaponics. This is an innovation that is increasingly being viewed as part of Africa’s climate-smart farming toolkit.
Aquaponics is an integrated form of fish farming combined with vegetable farming. The waste produced by the fish in the form of ammonia is converted to nitrate by beneficial bacteria. The nitrate is absorbed by plants. As plants consume nitrate, they purify the water, which is recirculated to the fish.
Since fish are very sensitive to toxins, no use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides is allowed in this form of farming.
“Aquaponics is not about taking shortcuts or finding quick fixes. It’s about working with biology instead of against it,” says Annemarie Bremner, director and co-owner of Kleinskuur Aquaponics near Pretoria.
The heart of aquaponics is biology. The balance of biology in this form of farming has to be precise. The ratio of ammonia to plants has to be just right. The ratio of plants to water has to be just right. The ratio of fish to food has to be just right.
“Aquaponics is based on numbers,” Bremner says. “If you guess, you will probably fail.”
A Water-smart Solution for a Dry Continent
South Africa is still a water-scarce country, and climate fluctuations have continued to amplify production risks. In this regard, aquaponics presents an advantage that is hard to beat.
For example, field-grown tomatoes could require as much as 220 litres of water per kilogram produced. In the case of an aquaponics system, the water requirement is less than two litres per kilogram produced, considering that the water is recycled in the system.
“In a dry country like South Africa, that’s a huge difference,” Bremner says.
Another advantage of the system is the ability to establish it in marginal or peri-urban areas, bringing the produce closer to the end consumer.
Although the system requires the use of electricity in pumping the water and controlling the water temperature, the use of fertilisers and pesticides is eliminated in the system, thus saving the farmers the cost of both products. In addition, the production costs in the system can be predicted.
Skills: The Missing Link
Although the system presents many advantages, the use of it is not straightforward. The system requires knowledge of fish health, water chemistry, plant physiology and system design. Farmers need to have the skills required in the system, or else the whole system will fail.
“Just having the technology does not fix anything,” Bremner emphasises. “Africa needs to learn how to do this.”
At this point, institutions like Agri Skills Transfer play a crucial role in the discussion. In collaboration with key industry players like Kleinskuur Aquaponics, the campus offers short courses that combine theory with practical experience on farms.
The students learn to manage water parameters, feed fish, harvest crops and troubleshoot problems. The idea is to give them experience that mimics real-world scenarios.
Hundreds of trainees have completed these courses, learning skills that can be immediately applied to gainful employment or starting their own businesses. Today, however, the interest in these courses is not only coming from young school leavers.
Career changers, retrenched workers and would-be agripreneurs are looking for training that can give them an edge in uncertain economic times.
Also read: How 7 visionaries turned a 35m² yard into Limpopo’s aquaponics tourism and education hub
What the Future Holds for the Agricultural Sector in Africa
The agricultural sector is no longer defined simply in terms of ploughs and tractors. Today’s sector includes biotechnology, precision farming, controlled environment agriculture, digital data systems, policy development, logistics, communications and finance.
For a continent in the grip of climate change, water scarcity and food insecurity, the agricultural sector’s future is no longer dependent simply upon the land and the rains.
“Aquaponics cannot feed the whole continent by itself,” says Bremner. “But in the right places, with the right skills, it can really help with food security.”
But the agricultural sector also needs leaders and communicators who can clearly define the sector’s challenges and opportunities.
As Masiwa says to young people aspiring to join the sector, “There is always some level of risk, some level of reinvention.”
Masiwa’s story, from being a poor-performing student to becoming a leader in the agricultural sector, is testament to the many varied roles within the agricultural sector.
From classrooms in Cullinan to fish tanks and greenhouse systems, the one constant is that the agricultural sector’s future in Africa is dependent upon the people who understand the sector, the people who are prepared to innovate and the people who are prepared to learn.
In an agricultural sector under pressure to achieve more with less, the one resource the sector can ill afford to lose is skills.
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