CropLife SA urges farmers to close critical training gaps

As crop protection options evolve and regulatory requirements change, farmers need more than experience to use agricultural remedies safely. CropLife South Africa explains why training, stewardship and shared responsibility matter.

Agricultural remedies play a vital role in protecting crops, safeguarding yields and supporting food production. As crop protection technologies, regulations and safety requirements continue to evolve, ongoing training helps farmers and their teams stay informed, strengthen responsible practices and protect the long-term availability of these essential tools.

For Quade Sing Jam, stewardship lead at CropLife South Africa, responsible use is a shared responsibility that extends across the entire farm. From selecting and storing products to applying them safely and disposing of containers correctly, every step presents an opportunity to protect people, crops and the environment.

“Many people have worked with agricultural remedies for years but never have received formal training,” he explains.

This can leave gaps in their understanding of hazard communication, label interpretation, personal protective equipment (PPE), emergency procedures and container disposal.

Speaking on Food For Mzansi’s Farmer’s Inside Track podcast, Sing Jam and Elriza Theron, CropLife South Africa’s strategic partnerships and operations manager, highlighted why responsible use must extend across the entire farm, from the selection and storage of products to their application and eventual disposal.

For Sing Jam, responsible use is about protecting people, crops and the environment while preserving the future effectiveness of crop protection tools.

“It means ensuring that agricultural remedies are correctly selected, handled and stored, and that every subsequent step, from mixing and application to disposal, is managed responsibly throughout the product’s life cycle,” he says.

That responsibility extends beyond the person mixing or spraying a product. Everyone involved in receiving, storing, transporting, applying or disposing of agricultural remedies has a role to play.

The label is more than fine print

One of the most important tools available to farmers and farmworkers is already on every product container: the label.

“The label is one of the most important tools available to everyone handling an agricultural remedy,” Sing Jam says. “And, you know, as we always preach, the label is the law.”

The label contains legally important information, including application rates, safety precautions, first aid measures, environmental warnings and PPE requirements. Yet familiarity can breed complacency, particularly when someone has used the same product for years.

Sing Jam warns that labels and formulations can change, even when a product retains the same name. A new formulation may affect dosage rates, while updated regulatory requirements or safety information may alter application instructions.

“If you are not reading the label, you cannot be relying on outdated information rather than the most current guidelines that are available to you on the label,” he says.

Farmers and workers should pay particular attention to hazard warnings and symbols, directions for use, application rates and timing, protective equipment requirements, first aid instructions, environmental precautions and storage conditions.

Safe storage and container disposal also deserve attention, particularly where children, animals and the surrounding environment could be exposed to risks.

PPE is not a tick-box exercise

Personal protective equipment is another area where simply having the right equipment is not enough. Workers need to understand what is required for a particular product, when to wear it, how it should fit and how to maintain it.

“PPE is much more than just a tick-box exercise of a compliance list,” Sing Jam says.

Farmers and supervisors must ensure that workers have appropriate-quality equipment and understand how to inspect, clean and store it. Damaged gloves, torn overalls or contaminated equipment may no longer provide the protection they were designed to offer.

Replacement equipment must also be available when needed.

Training is therefore essential to ensure that workers know how to use protective equipment correctly, rather than treating it as another requirement to satisfy on paper.

Prepare for emergencies before they happen

Responsible use also means knowing what to do when something goes wrong.

Sing Jam says every farm should have an emergency preparedness plan that workers understand. This includes knowing where to find emergency information, where first aid kits are kept, who the first responders are and how to manage spills, accidental exposure and decontamination.

Spill kits are only useful if people know how to use them. Likewise, emergency procedures need to be accessible, and workers should know whom to contact when assistance is required.

Farmers should also identify local emergency responders and ensure they understand the activities taking place on the farm.

“Emergencies are not the time for learning,” Sing Jam cautions. “When something goes wrong, people need to act quickly and confidently.”

That confidence comes from preparation and practice. Knowing the correct response before an incident can help workers act more effectively and reduce the consequences of an accident.

Responsible use does not end when spraying is complete, either. Empty containers, leftover materials and other waste must be managed according to applicable requirements. Treating containers as ordinary rubbish or failing to follow proper disposal procedures can create environmental risks and opportunities for inappropriate reuse.

Theron and Sing Jam emphasise that stewardship must cover the entire life cycle of an agricultural remedy, from selection to disposal.

Training the trainer: Taking knowledge back to the farm

To help close these knowledge gaps, CropLife South Africa offers its “Responsible Use of Agricultural Remedies: Train the Trainer” course. The programme is designed to equip participants with practical knowledge they can share with colleagues, helping responsible practices become part of everyday farm operations.

Theron says the idea is to ensure that training does not stop with the person who attends the course.

“On a farm there may be several people involved in receiving or storing, mixing, applying and disposing of these products, and it’s not enough just for one person to understand the requirements if the rest of the team does not have the same knowledge,” she explains.

The course covers the regulatory framework, hazard communication, safe handling, PPE, emergency response, waste management and container disposal. Participants who successfully complete it receive access to the training resources, which they can use to share the information with their teams.

The course costs R400 excluding VAT, with the fee intended to cover hosting costs.

Recognising the time pressures facing farmers, CropLife South Africa has made the course available online and self-paced. Participants have three months to complete the modules, although those who prefer can finish in a shorter period. Assessments follow the modules, and successful participants receive a certificate valid for three years.

Theron encourages farmers to view responsible use as a team responsibility rather than something that concerns only the person applying a product. Managers and supervisors influence work procedures, equipment availability, instruction and supervision. Employees involved in storage, transport and waste management also need training relevant to their roles.

The train-the-trainer model offers a practical way to spread that knowledge across a workplace.

Stewardship is a mark of professionalism

There is a broader reason to take responsible use seriously: the future availability of crop protection tools.

Theron points out that developing and registering new crop protection solutions is a complex process that takes time. If products are used irresponsibly and risks to human health and the environment are not properly managed, those products could face restrictions or potentially lose their place in the market.

“If we lose an important tool, we cannot assume that another one will be available to replace it tomorrow,” she says.

Responsible use, therefore, is not only about individual compliance. It also supports the sustainability and resilience of the agricultural sector.

Sing Jam leaves farmers with a reminder that knowledge must keep pace with changing products, regulations and safety expectations.

“Responsible use starts with knowledge,” he says, before sharing a familiar saying: “I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand.”

Theron agrees that experience should never be confused with being up to date. Misuse can affect colleagues, families, the surrounding environment, the farm business and the future availability of important crop protection tools.

“Training should not be viewed as a box to tick or an unnecessary interruption to the working day,” she says. “It really is an investment in people and in the sustainability of the business itself and the future of our industry.”

As the agricultural toolbox changes, the message is clear: having access to crop protection products is only part of the equation. Farmers also need people who understand the risks, know the correct procedures and can put that knowledge into practice.

CropLife South Africa’s “Responsible Use of Agricultural Remedies: Train the Trainer” course is available online throughout the year. Click here for more information and to sign up.