In an effort to boost the manpower and bridge the gap in extension services for Mpumalanga farmers, 100 newly appointed assistant agricultural practitioners (AAPs) have been appointed in the province.
This forms part of a national initiative by the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development to appoint 10 000 AAPs. This move by the department was driven by minister Thoko Didiza in her 2021-2022 department budget speech. The AAPs are all agricultural graduates.
In media statement, the Mpumalanga department of agriculture, rural development, land and environmental affairs (Dardlea) said the graduates will provide farmer support, extension and advisory services in Nkangala, Ehlanzeni, Bohlabela and Gert Sibande district municipalities.
“The graduates, under the employ of the national department of agriculture, land reform and rural development, will also give all farmers access to advisory and technical services, from subsistence, smallholder and even commercial level,” the media statement said.
“Their induction concentrated on various Dardlea programmes, including fundamental employee conduct especially on extension and advisory norms and standards.”
Importance of extension services
The agricultural graduates, deployed in other provinces as well, underwent capacity building workshop training in Polokwane on 25 – 27 January 2022 where requirements for the AAPs were discussed intensely.
According to Didiza, the importance of extension services in agricultural development cannot be underplayed.
“In the seminars that I conducted in the nine provinces in April and May 2021, I was able to meet over 2 000 farmers and agribusiness people, and in all these seminars, there was an emphasis on the importance of extension services and the visibility of these officers. As committed by the minister of finance, the department and the provinces have crafted a strategy on the employment of extension eficers,” she said.
How North West benefitted
In a previous article publiished on Food Foor Mzansi, the North West department of agriculture and rural development said it would appoint 443 assistant agricultural advisors as extension officers on a three-year contract to bolster its extension and advisory services.
According to North West agriculture MEC Desbo Mohono, extension and advisory services are the coalface platform for the department’s interaction, liaison and support to farmers and communities.
“Agricultural advisory through this service is at the forefront of service delivery and is the face of the sector to clients and the public,” she said.
“[Extension officers] play an important role as information intermediaries between scientists and farmers, translating and adding value to agronomic and economic information for use in agricultural management decision making.”
ALSO READ: North West to appoint more agri extension officers
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