The Citrus Growers Association (CGA) of South Africa has announced a groundbreaking initiative that will see local schools taking a different shape by offering a qualification in citrus production. This new project is expected to reach 16 schools across Mzansi with over 400 learners being exposed to the programme this year.
According to CGA, the citrus secondary programme, pioneered by the Citrus Academy, provides an opportunity for learners to achieve a recognised plant production qualification while at school.
Groundwork initiative
The programme is currently being offered by schools in citrus-producing regions. The 16 schools will implement the programme in Bonnievale and Riversdal in the Western Cape, Patensie, Kirkwood and Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape, Umzimkulu in KwaZulu-Natal, Kakamas in the Northern Cape, and Hoedspruit, N’wamitwa and Tzaneen in Limpopo.
Jacomien de Klerk, general manager of the Citrus Academy, said the initiative opens a path into an industry that can offer many opportunities.
“It addresses a challenge that many school leavers unfortunately face: having few marketable skills while not having access to tertiary education,” she said.
De Klerk said citrus secondary supports their goals to continue the transformation of the citrus industry, and creating a whole new, passionate generation of entrants into the sector.
“This educational opportunity is facilitated over two years and is aimed at grade 10 and 11 learners. The modules are timed to coincide with the citrus production cycle. Learners are introduced to topics such as enterprise planning, irrigation, financial management, pest management, and plant manipulation,” she said.
The programme is fully curriculum-aligned and can be used as part of the school subject agricultural management practices, or it can be implemented as an extramural activity through which learners can attain a valuable qualification.
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Numbers increase
Theo Bezuidenhout, a community development coordinator from the Sundays River Valley Collaborative, a non-profit company, said that last year the programme was piloted in two schools in Sunday’s River Valley as well as in Humansdorp and they learned a lot.
“We have learned so much about how to make the programme work practically during the pilot phase. But what we really found out was that there is an immense interest in and need for this type of qualification. In one school, registrations doubled as things progressed.
“This is about re-calibrating the current education system, working with the local community and local government so that the system can have a systemic effect on things like employment prospects,” he said.
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Access to learning at the touch of a button
Meanwhile, CGA said the Citrus Academy would provide the programme’s content, assessment and administration, utilising the academy’s e-learning platform. Through it, learners can also access supporting information, videos and sound clips, and engage with interactive material.
“The citrus industry in South Africa exported 165.1 million (15kg) cartons for delivery to global markets in 2023. It sustains 140 000 livelihoods on farm level and brings in over R30 billion a year in export revenue. Projections indicate the industry can grow with a further 100 000 jobs in the next eight years if all role-players work together to secure increased market access and improved export logistics.
“The citrus secondary programme has the potential to make a significant contribution to growing local skills pools to meet the demand for skilled workers,” CGA said in a statement.
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