11 February 2009
The Department of Agriculture will hand over about 400 laptops and cell
phones to its extension and advisory services officials in a bid to improve
their communications methods.
The handover will take place during the last day of the Extension Indaba
which kicks off today (11 February 2009) in East London where provincial
extension and advisory officials will gather to craft ways to improve their
image and capacity with special emphasis on professionalism.
The Indaba comes in the wake of the launch of an extension and advisory
services recovery plan, which has recruitment, training and capacitating,
salary adjustments and information and communications technology (ICT) skills
and resources as its pillars.
The aim of the Indaba is not only to hand over laptops but to ensure that
these essential officials who work with farmers on the ground were workshoped
and encouraged to continue their good job.
The laptops and cell phones will enable these officials to communicate and
capture data while they are on the field and be able to provide farmers with
immediate answers thereby minimising the risks of livestock or plant losses in
event of breakouts.
It is the departmentâs policy to ensure that officials are developed and
capacitated so that there can be a smooth service delivery with the aim of
developing peri-rural and rural areas to realise the agrarian transformation
that will lead to poverty free society.
Extension and advisory services is one of the most essential weapons of the
department to mobilise society to go back to the fields and the department has
committed itself to ensure officials are equipped to better services. Members
of the media are hereby asked to attend this august event, especially on the
second, which will feature the historic hand over.
Details of the event:
Venue: Latimus Landing (E.L)
Date: 11 and 12 February 2009
Times: 18h00 and 8h30
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Eastern Cape Provincial
Government
11 February 2009
