Page 105 - GSA Annual Report / Jaarverslag 2013

ONTWIKKELENDE LANDBOU
FARMER DEVELOPMENT
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farmers with the knowledge of how to apply modern technology on their scale – this could be a hand
planter with a knap sack sprayer, or it could be a large tractor, with a no-till commercial planter and a
large boom sprayer. For every category of farmer, there is appropriate technology and mechanisation
available to ensure that everyone can adopt modern, productive practices.
In the light of the purpose of “commercialising” the farmers, we have had to come up with a measure that
suits the conditions in Africa where many people only have access to a small piece of land. We believe that
the measure of success must be the comparison between the target yield for the area and the achieved yield
– irrespective of the number of hectares. For example, if the potential for the area is four tons of maize per
hectare and a farmer on five hectares produces 20 tons, they have done as well as can be expected. If we
continue to measure farmers on the number of hectares, then we lose all those farming on small lands, while
they are in fact making a huge contribution to household and national food security.
Once the farmer has access to land, has become skilled and has gained access to appropriate
mechanisation, the next hurdle is access to production inputs. The very small farmers are usually able
to source the money out of their own pockets and buy locally. Not all the products are always available
in the deep rural areas though, but they can be assisted to form buying groups in order to access the
correct products at good prices and have them delivered. For the larger farmers, access to the inputs is
not the challenge, the challenge is to finance it. Most of these farmers do not qualify for production loans
from the “commercial sector” or even the Land Bank and so they face a very serious problem.
’n groot balkspuit wees. Vir elke kategorie boer is daar toepaslike tegnologie en meganisering
beskikbaar om te verseker dat almal moderne, produktiewe praktyke kan inspan.
In die lig van die doel met die “kommersialisering” van die boere moes ons ’n maatstaf ontwikkel wat
pas by die toestande in Afrika, waar talle mense tot slegs ’n klein stukkie grond toegang het. Ons glo
dat die maatstaf van sukses moet wees die vergelyking tussen die teikenopbrengs vir die gebied en die
opbrengs wat behaal word – ongeag die getal hektare. As die potensiaal vir die gebied byvoorbeeld vier
ton mielies per hektaar is en ’n boer produseer 20 ton op vyf hektaar, het hulle so goed gevaar as wat
’n mens kan verwag. As ons voortgaan om boere aan die hand van die getal hektare te meet, verloor
ons almal wat op klein stukke grond boer, terwyl hulle eintlik ’n geweldige bydrae tot huishoudelike en
nasionale voedselsekerheid maak.
Wanneer ’n boer toegang tot grond het, vaardighede verwerf het en toegang tot toepaslike meganisering
verkry het, is die volgende hekkie om toegang tot produksie-insette te verkry. Dit is gewoonlik moontlik vir
die heel klein boere om die geld uit hulle eie sakke te kry en plaaslik aankope te doen. Nie al die produkte
is altyd in die afgeleë landelike gebiede beskikbaar nie, maar hulle kan bygestaan word om koopgroepe te
vorm sodat hulle toegang kan verkry tot die regte produkte teen goeie pryse en dit te laat aflewer. Vir die
groter boere is toegang tot die insette nie die uitdaging nie – die uitdaging is om dit te befonds. Die meeste
van hierdie boere kwalifiseer nie vir produksielenings van die “kommersiële sektor”, of selfs van die Land
Bank nie en hulle het dus ’n baie ernstige probleem.
WHAT ARE WE DOING AND WHY?
WAT DOEN ONS EN WAAROM?
In order to empower farmers, we interact with them on many different levels, which include study groups,
farmers days, the Developing Grain Producer of the Year competition and on farm support to individual
farmers. We also provide various training courses and publish our newsletter Pula Imvula in seven
different languages. Over the past two years we have been involved in the recapitalisation programmes
for the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and during this year, also for the
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in the North West Province.
Ten einde boere te bemagtig, werk ons op verskillende vlakke met hulle saam, insluitend in
studiegroepe, op boeredae, deur die Ontwikkelende Graanprodusent van die Jaar-kompetisie en
deur middel van ondersteuning op plase aan individuele boere. Ons verskaf ook talle verskillende
opleidingskursusse en publiseer ons nuusbrief, Pula Imvula , in sewe verskillende tale. Die afgelope
twee jaar was ons betrokke by die herkapitaliseringsprogramme vir die Departement van Landelike
Ontwikkeling en Grondhervorming (DLOGH) en die afgelope jaar ook vir die Departement van Landbou
en Landelike Ontwikkeling (DLLO) in die Noordwes Provinsie.
RONEL VAN ROOYEN
Financial and Administrative
Support Clerk
Finansiële en Administratiewe
Ondersteuningsklerk
MADELEEN STEYN
Financial and Administrative
Support Clerk
Finansiële en Administratiewe
Ondersteuningsklerk
SAM RUITERS
Training Administrator
Opleidingsadministreerder
NONHLANHLA SITHOLE
Office Assistant: Nelspruit
Kantoorassistent: Nelspruit
LEBOGANG MOGATLANYANE
Office Assistant: Lichtenburg
Kantoorassistent: Lichtenburg
Absent:
Afwesig:
LIANA STROEBEL
Development Coordinator:
Western Cape
Ontwikkelingskoördineerder:
Wes-Kaap
From the top:
Van bo: