Programme Director, Dr Mantoa Kgaphola,
MEC’s of Economic Investment and Employment Cluster,
MMC C. Maseko representing the Mayor for Mbombela Local Municipality,
HOD’s of Economic Investment and Employment Cluster,
Senior Managers,
Extension and agricultural advisors,
Invited guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
I stand before you tonight, choosing to remind our Agricultural extension officers of their role. You are intermediaries between research and farmers. You must operate as facilitators and communicators, helping our farmers in their decision-making and ensuring that appropriate knowledge is implemented in order to obtain the best results. Farmers need agricultural information on natural resources, animals, crops, and on how to utilise the farmland, and how to construct proper irrigation schemes, economic use and storage of water, combat animal disease, and save on the cost of farming equipment and procedures.
You need to communicate all of these to them. You need to ensure that farmers understand this information and use it on their farms in order to obtain the best production. I would like you to take time and reflect on whether this is what you do, as you go about doing what’s expected of you on a day-to-day basis. As a department we rely on you, our Extension Officers, often to disseminate new farming methods. Remember this always takes place in conjunction with the farmers, who make the final decision.
You are expected to assist our small scale cattle farmers; guide and assist veterinary surgeons in the treatment of different animal diseases. Our farmers also need to be encouraged to adopt new and improved methods of farming. Whose responsibility is this? Whose responsibility is it to use a variety of methods to reach farmers, be it organising study groups for farmers, 'farmer days', demonstrations and lectures.
Who else could it be besides you, our Extension Officers? Let me remind you though that the best method in interacting with the farmers is through personal contact with them on their farms. Let us propagate farming and development programmes aimed at reaching marginalised farmers or those who have little access to information and extension services. We can do this in collaboration with farming communities, helping them to help themselves to become more self-reliant and independent.
Let us keep in mind that Extension Officers and small scale farmers, not just in Mpumalanga but in South Africa, are at the fore front of food production. So we need to play our role in addressing the gap between scientific literatures in Agriculture, Extension Officers and low educational levels of our small scale farmers.
Agricultural research continues to be conducted, and that information needs to be transferred to farmers through extension officers. In Tanzania for example, about 77.5 per cent of the people there are farmers, but agriculture has been growing at a dismal rate of 4.2 per cent instead of the projected 6 per cent. This means that a big number of Tanzanians are engaged in a sector which does not help in the country’s development.
The government has been quick to blame agricultural extension officers for poor performance. This report is disturbing because agriculture in Tanzania contributes only 24 per cent to the GDP, and agricultural extension officers and experts are to blame. This after it was found that the officers frustrate the country’s efforts to produce enough food, as they spend most of their time in offices, leaving farmers in the field without assistance. We do not want that to happen with us here.
Let us make sure we avoid anything that may hamper this country’s efforts to increase production, and hence recurring food security.
Ladies and Gentleman, of importance to this summit is as we go out of it we need to ensure that services that we render to our farmers are of the highest standards. The summit should further be aimed to foster professionalism in the way in which extension officers render services to farmers. The summit will ensure that our farmers get the best information advice since agriculture is a very dynamic sector with changes happening at a fast pace. We need to have extension officers who are ever so eager to improve their knowledge base and this summit will go a long way in doing that.
Again ladies and gentlemen, your role as extension services is crucial in giving advice to farmers and assisting them in whatever way to ensure that land is used maximally and productive. With the Masibuyele Emasimini and Esibayeni programmes, the department is committed in contributing towards the Zero hunger national policy directive through the massification of both crop and livestock production. Your commitment as extension services will ensure that we sustain these programmes.
Programme Director, all of us here are aware by now of the award ceremony taking place tonight, that are aimed at motivating officials to go an extra mile, commit to working harder and getting the necessary recognition for that. Those who do not make it, should use this as an opportunity to improve on how they do their work, and commit to seeking advice where they don’t understand. It is important to share best practices, innovations, challenges, and constraints thus creating linkages.
The merit awards will be used as a way of measuring the impact the extension services is making in improving the farming community, adding that agricultural advisors are a vital bridge between the department and the farmers. Extension advisers provide a significant bridge between the department’s information and the farmers who use this information for the success of their projects. If we don’t have committed extension services it means the department will go down.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is a need for officials under extension and advisory service to improve their knowledge in order to respond appropriately to the dynamic needs of the farmers. We need to ensure that both the extension officers and the farmers, especially the emerging farmers, walk together along the path of development as partners. By so doing ladies and gentlemen a positive influence on relations between extension officers and the farmers in light of greater sense of urgency about delivering a quality service.
Programme Director, I am aware that when the HOD was addressing this gathering last night, she did not leave out reminding you of the prioritised deliverables of the department moving onto the new financial year which are: Masibuyele Emasimini and Esibayeni programmes; Land and agrarian reform, Agribusiness and Development, Skill development, Investment in research and development and Land administration.
I would like to thank you HOD as we sometimes think our officials are aware of the priorities and vision of the department whereas they do not, it is therefore crucial to always remind them. You as extension officers, are in the cold face of the department, if you are not committed it means the department will go down. Thank you HOD for creating the widespread awareness of the importance of the priorities of the department.
I know some officials will possibly have question as to how some of the colleagues become winners. There was a criteria agreed upon and officials made a power point presentation before an adjudicating panel that was nominated by the HOD.
The panel had been mandated to choose the best officials that have excelled in rendering services in the past eleven months. Officials have been judged on their innovation, problem solving, communication strategy, stakeholder involvement, extension approaches and project impact on rural development.
Districts had to nominate two officials per category namely:
- Successful land Reform Farm
- Successful Infrastructure Project
- Masibuyele Emasimi
- Masibuyele Esibayeni
- Land Care Project
- CRDP Project
May I take this opportunity to congratulate our winners!!!
I thank you!
