I believe that Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the economy of the Western Cape. This is not only true in respect of its contribution to export earnings, but also with regard to its contribution to job creation and rural development. We also believe that agriculture provides many opportunities in the development of our human capital in the Province.

In order to fulfil its real role in the socio-economic development of the province and the country as a whole, there is however a number of challenges that we are facing. These challenges, which need to be addressed by all-inclusive strategies, include the following:

• Land reform and black economic empowerment in Agriculture (Agri-BEE);
• The challenge of integrated food security at household level and the production of safe, nutritious as well as environmentally and socially responsible food;
• The increased national and international sensitivity on the safety of food from animal and plant origin has placed additional demands on the Department to deliver the sanitary standards required for export certification of these products and for distribution for national household use;
• Utilisation of the opportunities and minimise the threats presented by trade reform;
• Facing the challenge of the quasi-competitiveness of some of our competitors as a result of agricultural support and non-tariff barriers;
• Enhancing the competitiveness of the agricultural sector in the 21st Century knowledge economy;
• Constructive engagement in the achievement of the political, economic and social goals of South Africa in general and the Western Cape in particular;
• Effectively identify and implement technologies that will determine the competitive edge in the next decade;
  · The empowerment of farm workers;
• Enhancing the sustainability of farming practices;
• Promotion of novel agricultural products by means of cutting-edge technology and introduction of new crops and value-adding through processing;
• Exploitation of niche markets and production of agricultural products of high nutritional value;
• Producing optimally against the background of increasing climatic changes;
• The establishment of successful farmers through different processes, with specific emphasis on LRAD and taking the proposed targets of Agri-BEE framework into consideration;
• Support services remain the most crucial element of the agricultural development process, and the skills’ capacity of staff must reflect the ability to deliver on the expected outcomes;
• Communities and farmers need support with organisational development at grass roots level to give a voice and to lay the foundation for future interventions, such as the pro-active protection of our scarce agricultural resources from urbanisation.

To successfully address these and a multitude of other challenges, people with a mindset conducive to change and transformation, and equipped with a relevant skills and knowledge base, is a necessity. I have said it at various occasions in the past, and I will repeat it again: Having a piece of land and simply wanting to farm are not enough to ensure success. It is only when people - in addition to access to farmable agricultural land and suitable equipment - are equipped with the right mindset and knowledge and entrepreneurial / technical skills base, that we can hope to secure agriculture’s role in job and wealth creation, in transforming society in the whole, and empowerment of those people marginalised due to past discriminate laws and practices.

Dit is veral vanweë die voorgenoemde, dat ons jaloers moet waak oor die behoud en uitbouing van al ons opleidingsinstellings, maar veral landbou-opleidingsinstellings, in die provinsie. Dit kan sonder twyfel gesê word dat ons van die beste landbou-opleidingsinstellings in die land het. In hierdie verband sluit ek in ons Landbouskole, Landbou-kollege (ook VOO-Kolleges), en Landboufakulteite by ons Universiteite en Universiteite van Tegnologie.

Ek kan met groot trots sê dat die Kaapse Instituut vir Landbou-opleiding by Elsenburg die toonaangewende Landboukollege in die land is. Die Elsenburg landbou-Opleidingsinstituut speel reeds ‘n kern rol in die transformasieproses van die sektor in die Provinsie, en hierdie rol sal net in die toekoms toeneem.

Kundige en toegewyde landboukundiges en -produsente word nie oornag geskep nie. Dit is dus van uiterste belang dat ons toekomstige landbouprodusente en landboukundiges soos Veeartse, Grondkundiges, Plantpatoloë, Landbou-ingenieurs, Wynmakers, Landbounavorsers, -Voorligters en Landboudosente reeds op ‘n baie vroeë stadium geidentifiseer en ondersteun moet word. Dit is hier waar ook die Landbouskole in die Provinsie ‘n kritieke belangrike rol het om te speel. Indien ons die landbousektor volhoubaar wil transformeer, is dit dus noodsaaklik dat die toekomstige swart boere en landboukundiges reeds op ‘n vroeë stadium geïdentifiseer word en, soos in die ou dae, deur die Landbouskole moet sit. Dit sal dus beteken dat Landbouskole daadwerklik sal moet probeer om die aantal leerders uit die histories benadeelde gemeenskappe drasties sal moet verhoog. Ons sal nie maar enkele van hierdie leerders in Landbouskole moet het nie, maar letterlik honderde van hulle. Dit op sigself sal beteken dat GROOT transformasie van Landbouskole sal MOET plaasvind.

The primary target group for the structured training programmes offered by the Department is the approximately 8 500 emerging farmers, 7 500 commercial farmers and 200 000 farm workers, the youth, unemployed and marginalized groups in the province. The implementation of the LRAD programme and AgriBEE results in a significant increase in the demand (especially from the disadvantaged communities and individuals) for the skills based training, short courses and learnerships provided by the Department.

Gedurende die afgelope jaar, het my Departement, deur die Kaapse Instituut vir Landbou-Opleiding, vaardigheidsopleiding verskaf aan meer as 2 000 plaaswerkers en opkomende/kleinskaalse boere. In aanvullng hiervan, was 5 vroue-kaasmakers gestuur vir opleiding in Dijon, Frankryk, 10 Plaaswerkers was gestuur vir opleiding in wingerdbou- en wynmaak praktyke in Boergondië, 5 Kelderwerkers was gestuur vir opleiding in “die bestuur en instandhouding van wynvate” en 5 studente was gestuur vir opleiding in die wyngasvryheidsbedryf. Ook het 17 studente hul Leerlingskap-opleiding suksesvol voltooi die Nasionale Sertifikaat in Plantproduksie: NKR vlak 1 is aan hulle toegeken, terwyl 11 studente die Nasionale Sertifikaat in Plantproduksie: NKR vlak 4 verwerf het. Dit dien ook gemeld te word dat 11 van hierdie leerders wel ook toegang tot hoër onderwys verkry het gemeet aan die kennis en vaardighede wat aan hulle blootgestel was gedurende die leerlingskap programme.

The Farmer-to-Farmer project with Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU project) continued this year in its third year of implementation. In the past year, a total of 17 American volunteers provided training to approximately 650 beneficiaries of the LRAD-programme, mainly in the areas of farm management, financial management, marketing and entrepreneurial development. This joint initiative will now be broaden to include institutional capacity building for Elsenburg lecturing staff, as well as a more focused approach on sustainable and economical AgriBEE farming initiatives.

Op hoër onderwysvlak, was opleiding gegee aan 380 studente, wie meeste van hulle in die koshuise op die kampus gehuisves was. Aan die einde van 2006 is die 3-jarige Diploma in Landbou Ervaringsonderrig aan 45 studente toegeken, 11 studente het die Diploma in Landbou: Keldertegnologie verwerf, en 69 studente verwerf die 3-jarige graad B.Agric. - 3 studente, Elsabe Conradie, Sameul Jelander en Adriaan Neethling verwerf die graad B.Agric. Cum Laude. Die toekenning van die eerste graadkwalifikasies, in samewerking met die Fakulteit Agri-wetenskappe van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, is voorwaar ʼn prestasie waarop ons geweldig trots is.

The Nuffic-funded programme for Extension development entered into the implementation phase. Modules for the in-service training of extension staff was developed and presented to officials in the Departments of the Western-, Eastern- and Northern Cape provinces. The current modules of the Diploma in Agriculture (Extension) were revised and updated and a new curriculum for Extension Science in the B.Agric. program was developed and implemented with the start of this academic year.

Die Landbou Sektor Plan vir die Wes-Kaap wat verlede jaar deur die vennote in landbou aanvaar is, het sekere leemtes in die sfeer van menslike hulpbronontwikkeling in die landbousektor uitgewys wat dringende aandag verg. Hierdie sektorplan het ‘n duidelike rigting aangedui vir die ontwikkeling van ‘n omvattende Menslike Kapitaal Ontwikkelingstrategie wat tans op ‘n inklusiewe manier deur my Departement ontwikkel word. Die begroting van Gestruktureerde landbou-Opleiding, word primêr aangewend word om hierdie strategie wat tans ontwikkel word, te implementeer. Van die R 29,5m wat aan Opleiding toegeken is, word:

• Ten minste R 11,2m (38,3%) aan aanbieding van Hoër Onderwys opleiding aangewend, wat ten minste 400 studente in die Hoër Onderwysprogramme sal bevoordeel,
• Ten minste R 12,6m (42,6%) word aan Voortgesette Onderwys en Opleiding (wat in total hoofsaaklik 2 500 opkomende boere en plaaswerkers sal bevoordeel) gespandeer en,
• R 5,5m is toegeken vir Opleidingsondersteuningsdienste, wat ook insluit die bedryf van praktiese fasiliteite en koshuise.

The overall objective of the Training Programme is to provide the youth, with specific reference to youth from the previously marginalized groups in the Province - with opportunities to venture into a career in agriculture. A strong emphasis is placed on study fields where a scarcity or high skills demand is experienced.

The integration of training, with a strong focus on scarce and critical skills in the sector, must therefore focus on training initiatives that would ultimately support land reform, the land reform beneficiaries themselves and promoting agriculture as a career to the youth. A range of interventions, namely Learnerships, internships and bursaries are provided in order to secure sustainable employment opportunities and small business opportunities in agriculture.

The additional R 6m funding promised to my Department form the National Skills Fund (NSF) will enable us to provide Learnership training to an additional 100 learners (National Farming Certificate / NQF 4), to award and additional 50 bursaries for the PDI’s, and to give and additional 50 unemployed youth the opportunity to gain work experience and exposure to agriculture through internships. This funding will primarily benefit students from previously marginalized groups.

Programdirekteur u sien dus dat Landbouopleiding oor ʼn breë front, ʼn belangrike rol speel in die uitbouing van die sektor in die Provinsie. Ek wil u dus alle voorspoed toewens met die forum en die hoop uitspreek dat u bydrae in hierdie verband sal help om Landbou se bydrae binne die tuiste vir almal in die Wes-Kaap nog groter te maak.

Enquiries:

Alie van Jaarsveld
Spokesperson
Ministry of Agriculture: Western Cape
Tel: 021 483 4930
Fax: 021 483 3890
Cell: 084 604 6701
Email: avjaarsv@pgwc.gov.za

A Home for All ~ 'n Tuiste vir Almal ~ iKaya Lethu Sonke
http://www.capegateway.gov.za/agriculture