The up-and-coming farmers of Mzansi are poised to take it to the next level: business growth and commercialisation on an unprecedented scale.
Barely an hour after the first ever Mzansi Young Farmers Indaba kicked off in Sandton this morning, this message is creating a sense of excitement among indaba speakers and guests at the iconic Hotel Sky.
Future prosperity rides on inclusivity, national agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza told the 300-strong audience in her opening keynote address moments ago. “The sector needs to become more inclusive, not only in terms of gender and youth but also inclusive of race and class.”
Her central message to the farmers, agripreneurs, and business leaders in the room was that sector role players actively need to create the mechanisms to help the new generation of farmers succeed. The puzzle pieces that need to lock into place are changes in land ownership, fair access to water, mechanisation, technology, access to markets, mentorship and, particularly, apt financing packages for young food producers.
She highlighted policy and regulatory issues as key to an enabling environment and urged young farmers to insert themselves into the conversation and to actively engage with politicians and decision makers.
She poignantly underscored what Food For Mzansi co-founder, editor-in-chief, and indaba initiator Ivor Price describes as the purpose of the historic event.
“We actively co-create a world where all farmers, regardless of the colour of their skin, their age or the size of their farms, can work alongside each other in the greater interest of our nation and food security,” he said.
“Of course, we are not blind to the fact that a lot of work still has to be done to accelerate the commercialisation of particularly black farmers in Mzansi [but] we celebrate the many organisations, enterprises and individuals who extend a hand of partnerships to move the country forward.”
Price believes that the next two days’ discussions will be a catalyst for the new faces of South African agriculture to fast-track the upscaling of their businesses, much like Food For Mzansi has been central since its inception in breaking down old stereotypes.
“The conversation has changed,” he says. “Black farmer businesses are coming of age in a sense, and this meeting of the top new food producers and business leaders in the country will hopefully ignite a bigger transformation movement than ever before.”
WATCH: Follow this link to see a livestream of the indaba programme
Farmer needs are front and centre
Powered by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), John Deere, Corteva Agriscience, PANNAR, the Beer Association of South Africa, Laeveld Agrochem and YehBaby Digital, the Mzansi Young Farmers Indaba is an historic first for the new cohort of farmers in South Africa.
Speakers and panellists were strategically recruited to include not only rising farmers and agripreneurs themselves, but also the forward thinkers and decision makers of some of South Africa’s leading agricultural institutions.
They include Land Bank chair Thabi Nkosi, Agbiz chief economist Wandile Sihlobo, Agri SA executive director Christo van der Rheede, IDC head of agro-processing and agriculture Kgampi Bapela, and NAMC chief economist Dr Sifiso Ntombela, as well as representatives from the business sector and farmers themselves.
The high-level nature of the event, some of the guests say, is exactly why they decided to attend.
“For me it is about gaining more knowledge and expanding my horizon in the farming sector,” says Khulufelo Monama, a poultry farmer from the Vaal. “I am here to listen and make contacts regarding my farming journey. I believe knowledge is powerful and I think this is the place I will get it.”
“Knowledge can never be enough,” says another farmer, Junior Ntlhane from Fourways in Johannesburg. “I have been farming for the past two years and I believe being here will expose me to what I have been doing wrong and how to improve that. I want to listen to the speakers who I think have been in the industry for many years and their insight will go a long way in my farming journey.”
Food For Mzansi co-founder and strategy director Kobus Louwrens says the team is extremely proud to have brought together so many changemakers in the country.
“We believe that commercialisation on an unprecedented scale will and should be the next frontier for the new generation of Mzansi’s farmers. It is an incredible privilege to shine the spotlight on the South Africans who will make it happen in the years to come.”
ALSO READ: Young farmers in SA: ‘Madiba would be proud’
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