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Jaarverslag 2018
annual report 2018
farmers, get to know their circumstances and challenges and build
relationships of trust. This is also where we find the opportunity to
do the strongest networking with the farmers. Through consistently
pitching up and being present with an attentive ear, a word of advice
and sharing our passion for using what they have at their disposal
as effectively and sustainably as possible, the farmers have learned
that the team can be trusted to help. The meetings are dynamic
and varied and are conducted indoors, where DVD and PowerPoint
displays inspire them, and outdoors, where our development officers
and mentors get down and dirty in the fields demonstrating, fixing, and
teaching in very practical hands-on fashion. It is in this way that the
farmers have learned that we care and can be counted on!
At present there are 212 active Grain SA study groups with a
total membership of 13 841 active farmers.
Comment
The need for continuous farmer development is great. The ripple
effect that occurs from one season to the next is not insignificant
as neighbours to active Grain SA farmer members are awakened to
the possibilities that grain growing with best practices and readily
available support systems offer them too.
So far in preparation for
the 2018/2019 new season, there have been 2 000 new farmers
signing up to study groups in the Eastern Cape region alone.
Demonstration trials
‘Unless Africa uses modern technologies, our farmers’ output
will remain low and we will remain dependent on others to feed
us.’
– Akinwumi Adesina, 2017 World Food prize winner
Trials are a wonderful way of showing farmers the right thing to
do. The development managers in the various regions make contact
with the input supply companies and involve them in the trials. We are
grateful to be able to network with so many companies eager to make a
contribution to the demonstration plots. Every effort is made to plant and
manage the trials in a way that is both progressive and technologically
advanced, while at the same time within the reach of the developing
farmers. Farmers are able to monitor the progress of the trial plots and
see for themselves how successful the strategies are.
Trials have been planted in the rural areas serviced by this
programme and the results are excellent. These trials show the im-
portance of good farming practices and are also useful to introduce
farmers to climate smart farming adaptations such as soil health,
conservation agriculture and no-till farming methods and efficient
weed control.
We have successfully created an awareness of modern farming
methods, new cultivars, new technologies, conservation agriculture (CA)
and climate-smart agriculture (CSA), among other things amongst the
farmers. These practical demonstrations afford both trainers and
mentors opportunities to show farmers that since dry-land farming is
dependent on rain and soil moisture content, changes have to be made
to the traditional farming methods to meet the challenges of climate
change and climate variability. The good rains which have fallen in this
past season ensured ‘bumper crops’ and yet farmers were still able to
compare lands and learn that there are only optimal yields where best
practices have been implemented diligently.
Farmers days
‘Education is not the filling of a pot, but the lighting of a fire.’
– WB Yeats
Demonstration trials, whether planted by Grain SA or other industry
stakeholders, are invaluable for developing farmers to see many
aspects and possibilities of farming maize. The farmers days provide
en uitdagings leer ken en vertrouensverhoudings opbou. Dit is ook waar
ons die geleentheid kry om die sterkste netwerking met die boere te doen.
Deur konsekwent op te daag en aandagtig te luister, advies te gee en
ons passie te deel om wat hulle tot hulle beskikking het, so doeltreffend en
volhoubaar as moontlik te gebruik, het die boere geleer dat die span
vertrou kan word om hulle te help. Die vergaderings is dinamies en uiteen-
lopend en word binnenshuis gehou waar DVD’s en PowerPoint-aanbie
dings hulle inspireer, en buitenshuis, waar ons ontwikkelingsbeamptes
en mentors saam met hulle op die landerye demonstreer, herstel en op
’n praktiese manier onderrig. Op hierdie manier het boere geleer dat ons
omgee en daar op ons staatgemaak kan word.
Daar is tans 212 aktiewe Graan SA-studiegroepe met ’n totale
lidmaatskap van 13 841 aktiewe boere.
Kommentaar
Daar is ’n groot behoefte aan deurlopende landbou-ontwikkeling.
Die rimpeleffek wat van een seisoen tot die volgende voorkom, is nie
onbeduidend nie, aangesien die bure van aktiewe Graan SA-boere
bewus word van die moontlikhede wat graanproduksie met die beste
praktyke en geredelik beskikbare steunstelsels ook aan hulle bied.
Tot
dusver het 2 000 nuwe boere in aanloop tot die 2018/2019-seisoen
nét in die Oos-Kaap-streek by studiegroepe aangesluit.
Demonstrasieproewe
“Tensy Afrika moderne tegnologie gebruik, sal ons boere
se uitset laag bly en sal ons van ander afhanklik bly om ons te
voed.”
– Akinwumi Adesina, 2017 World Food-pryswenner
Proewe is ’n wonderlike manier om aan boere die regte ding te wys
om te doen. Die ontwikkelingsbestuurders in die onderskeie streke maak
kontak met die insetverskaffingsmaatskappye en betrek hulle by die
proewe. Ons is dankbaar dat ons kan netwerk met soveel maatskappye
wat gretig is om ’n bydrae tot die demonstrasieproewe te maak. Alles
moontlik word gedoen om die proewe op so ’n manier te plant en bestuur
dat dit progressief en tegnologies gevorderd is, terwyl dit terselfdertyd
binne bereik van die ontwikkelende boere is. Boere kan die vordering
van die demonstrasieproewe moniteer en self ervaar hoe suksesvol
die strategieë is.
Proewe is geplant in die landelike gebiede wat deur hierdie program
gediens word, en die resultate is uitstekend. Hierdie boere toon hoe
belangrik goeie boerderypraktyke is en is ook nuttig om boere aan
klimaat-slim-aanpassings soos grondgesondheid, bewaringslandbou
en geenbewerking-boerderymetodes en doeltreffende onkruidbeheer
bekend te stel.
Ons het met sukses ’n bewustheid geskep van moderne boerdery-
metodes, nuwe kultivars, nuwe tegnologieë, bewaringslandbou (BL) en
klimaat-slim-landbou (KSL), onder andere onder die boere. Hierdie
praktiese demonstrasies gee aan opleiers en mentors geleenthede om
aan boere te wys dat aangesien droëland-boerdery van reën en grondvog
afhanklik is, veranderinge aan tradisionele boerderymetodes gemaak
moes word om die uitdagings van klimaatverandering en klimaatveran
derlikheid die hoof te bied. Die goeie reën wat die afgelope seisoen geval
het, het uitstekende oeste verseker, en tog kon boere steeds landerye
vergelyk en leer dat optimale opbrengste slegs behaal word waar beste
praktyke noulettend geïmplementeer word.
Boeredae
“Opvoeding is nie net om ’n pot vol te maak nie, maar om ’n
vuur aan te steek.”
– WB Yeats
Demonstrasieproewe – of dit deur Graan SA of deur ander belangheb-
bendes in die bedryf geplant word – is uiters waardevol vir ontwikkelende
boere om talle aspekte en moontlikhede van die aanplant van mielies te