The DARD calls for participation in the agriculture female entrepreneur of the year awards

Mahikeng – As part of its purposeful efforts to ensure that women involved in the agriculture activities get recognition and support from government, the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development calls on all female farmers to submit applications for participation in this year’s Female Entrepreneur of the year awards. The closing date for submission of application forms is Friday, 30 September 2011.

Female Entrepreneur of the Year Awards is a project designed to advocate and enhance women development agenda in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors with the main focus on food security programme. It also seeks to celebrate women’s outstanding role and ability in contributing meaningfully towards the province’s food security, job creation and economic development programmes.

The MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Mr Boitumelo Tshwene says through this project, women get encouraged to remain persistent in spite of the hardships often encountered in this field stereotyped as a man’s domain, saying “their contribution in the fight against poverty has proved their ability to help win the battle against unemployment and hunger”. 

Tshwene says since the inception of this initiative more than ten years ago, this awards project has ensured sound exposure of the qualifying projects; the process which he says paved the way for improvement, prosperity and sustainability of many women led agriculture projects.

Members of the public are also encouraged to nominate women in their areas who have demonstrated some level of passion and commitment in the farming business, for them to participate in this year’s prestigious awards. 

In selecting qualifying projects for entry, adjudicators who comprise of competition sponsors, agribusiness and municipality representatives amongst others, will look for farmers whom without direct assistance from the Department, managed to successfully pull through to higher echelons in the farming sector.

In doing so, the farmers must demonstrate innovation and excellent farming method applications, creation of jobs and notable selling of products to various markets. Through stringent application of the competition rules, final nominees will be confirmed after a direct or physical assessment of all projects has been conducted.

The competition categories are as follows:

1. Best Performing Female Farm Worker
2. Best Subsistence Producer
3. Best Aspirant Young Female Entrepreneur
4. Top Entrepreneur Smallholder Producer
5. Top Entrepreneur Commercial Producer
6. Top Entrepreneur Export Markets

For applicants to be eligible to enter for either of the above categories they need to be farmers or entrepreneurs in a registered enterprise consisting of 80% women and that enterprise should have been operating for more than a year. Nominees will be judged and winners rewarded during the provincial event to be held later in the year.

Interested parties are encouraged to liaise with their respective district coordinators to access the application forms. Further enquiries can be directed to the provincial project coordinator, Ms Thandiwe Moripe-Thabethe who can be contacted on 018 389 5337.

Contact Person:
Bonolo Mohlakoana
Tel: 018 389 5719
Cell: 082 901 2435
E-mail: bmohlakoana@nwpg.gov.za