C Dowry: Launch of Provincial Agricultural Education and Training Forum
(PAETF)

5 October 2007

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 Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (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 opleidingsinstansies, maar veral
landbou-opleidingsinstansies, in die provinsie. Daar kan sonder twyfel gesê
word dat ons van die beste landbou-opleidingsinstansies in die land het. In
hierdie verband sluit ek in ons landbouskole, landboukollege (ook volwasse
opleiding- en onderrig-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 marginalised 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, is vyf
vroue-kaasmakers gestuur vir opleiding in Dijon, Frankryk, 10 plaaswerkers is
gestuur vir opleiding in wingerdbou- en wynmaakpraktyke in Boergondië, vyf
kelderwerkers is gestuur vir opleiding in die bestuur en instandhouding van
wynvate en vyf studente is gestuur vir opleiding in die wyngasvryheidsbedryf.
Ook het 17 studente hul leerlingskap-opleiding suksesvol voltooi vir die
Nasionale Sertifikaat in Plantproduksie: Nasionale Kwalifikasieraamwerk (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 waaraan hulle blootgestel was gedurende die
leerlingskapprogramme.

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, waarvan die
meeste in die koshuise op die kampus gehuisves was. Aan die einde van 2006 is
die 3-jaar Diploma in Landbou-ervaringsonderrig aan 45 studente toegeken, 11
studente het die Diploma in Landbou: Keldertegnologie verwerf, en 69 studente
verwerf die 3-jaar graad B.Agric.Drie 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 'n
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 programme was developed and implemented with
the start of this academic year.

Die Landbou Sektorplan 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 R29,5 miljoen wat aan Opleiding
toegeken is, word:

* ten minste R11,2 miljoen (38,3%) aan aanbieding van Hoër
Onderwys-opleiding aangewend, wat ten minste 400 studente in die Hoër
Onderwysprogramme sal bevoordeel,
* ten minste R12,6 miljoen (42,6%) word aan Voortgesette Onderwys en Opleiding
(wat in total hoofsaaklik 2 500 opkomende boere en plaaswerkers sal bevoordeel)
bestee en,
* R5,5 miljoen 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 marginalised 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 R6 million 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 orevisouly disadvantaged individuals (PDIs),
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 marginalised groups.

Programdirekteur, u sien dus dat landbouopleiding oor 'n breë front 'n
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.

Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Western Cape Provincial
Government
5 October 2007
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government (http://www.capegateway.gov.za)