As Free State Agriculture (FSA) celebrates 120 years, chief executive officer Gernie Botha said the success of the organisation is because of its members who had stood by FSA throughout the years and ensured that the interests of farmers were addressed without fail.
Tiisetso Manoko spoke to Botha about the successes, challenges and vision of the organisation, importantly looking back at what FSA has achieved and how it intends to navigate through the local challenges and speak for its members.
Tiisetso Manoko: What has been the greatest milestone for Free State Agriculture since the inception of the organisation?
Gernie Botha: There are so many milestones, to single one out would be problematic. One of the several milestones would be the fact that the organisation, purely due to its members, managed to reach the age of 120 years.
This in itself in a very difficult economic environment should be the biggest achievement. The organisation is only as good as its members and it is the members that made this possible.
What have been the greatest challenges the organisation has faced and how did the organisation solve it?
After the Anglo Boer War of 1899 – 1902, the province, especially in the rural areas, was almost destroyed and to rebuild what was left took exceptional skills. Somehow the affected people started anew and managed to get on their feet again. A little more recent we had the Covid pandemic.
During this time the agricultural sector continued putting food on the table. It was during these challenging times that inter alia the organisation was formed, which is speaking for itself that through determination and perseverance, significant strides can be made. This is perhaps what has kept the organisation going and should be regarded as principles that will today, still be applicable.
What is FSA’s vision for the coming years – say another 120 years?
The vision is really to always strive to maintain a safe and sustainable agricultural sector in the Free State that will be able to put food on the table despite (or as our slogan reads – ONGEAG/ REGARDLESS) many challenges facing the sector. Collaboration is a key to success if we really want to see growth in agriculture.
As the country goes into elections in a significant year of 30 years of democracy, what will be your message to your members and the public in general taking into consideration the state of the economy in the country?
The circumstances at the inception of the organisation were not always favourable. The fact that difficult situations are part of agriculture did not prevent people in those times to make something from very limited resources. The economy would also probably not be at the highest levels at that stage.
Despite these and other challenges, the bull was figuratively tackled by the horns and things were made to work. Only through sheer determination and perseverance the challenges we are faced with can be taken on. It is not always easy to stay focused and in many instances, the magnitude of problems we are faced with seems overwhelming. We will, however, need to manage through hard work and faith to eventually succeed in addressing some of the challenges.
What are the plans to celebrate your success of over a century?
The budget remains a priority consideration and therefore we are inter alia going to celebrate the occasion at our annual congress in August 2024. The public can follow us on social media, as we will share a few interesting facts about the organisation.
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