More than 100 farmers from provinces including Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and Free State attended the recent African Farming Farmers’ Day at the Vleissentraal Auction Centre in Ermelo, Mpumalanga.
The event lived up to the African Farming Farmers’ Day experience by providing valuable insights and advice for farmers on various topics. It illustrated how small changes to farming operations can significantly impact a farmer’s profitability.
Sylvester Lubambo, the training and development manager at AFGRI Farmer Development (formerly Lemang Agricultural Development Services), said AFGRI has been deeply involved in farming for 101 years. Throughout these years, it has been dedicated to empowering first-generation farmers through training, mentorship, and access to finance and markets to help them establish sustainable and successful farming businesses for future generations.
Sylvester outlined the four pillars of AFGRI’s farmer development programme:
• The programme provides a blend of theoretical education and practical, hands-on experience to equip farmers with the necessary skills to meet market demands, manage resources effectively, and achieve profitable investment returns.
• Mentorship is a key component of the programme, especially for first-generation farmers who may lack experience. AFGRI Farmer Development connects farmers with industry experts across various disciplines, including grain production, livestock management and financial planning, to help them avoid costly mistakes and make informed decisions crucial for their success.
• To address financial challenges, particularly through traditional financial services such as commercial banks, AFGRI Farmer Development assists farmers in developing actionable business plans and using innovative financial strategies to secure the capital needed to grow their businesses.
• AFGRI Farmer Development also helps farmers overcome market access challenges by connecting them with input suppliers, commodity traders and export channels, thus enabling them to capitalise on available opportunities. Additionally, AFGRI assists in the logistics, particularly the transportation and storage of grains before marketing, as navigating transportation and logistics can be complex for new-generation farmers.
