In this edition of Farmer’s Inside Track, Shivan Bezuidenhout, research analyst at Agri Enterprises, shares more about what led her to pursue a career in agriculture and what excites her most about working in the industry. She also imparts some words of inspiration for others who wish to follow in her footsteps.
Bezuidenhout recalls that as a toddler, she always wanted to be an educator because she loves sharing knowledge. “Thinking about my career now, I love taking information and passing it on and making it easy to understand.”
In 2019 she graduated with a dual major in biochemistry and microbiology. Though she never really knew what role she’d have in agriculture, she says she loves what she does.
“I always think that I didn’t look for agriculture, but agriculture found me,” she says in the podcast. “It kept finding me in my undergraduate studies and in my postgraduate studies. But I think to a degree, I have always wanted to do meaningful work.”
What her job as an analyst entails
As a research analyst, a typical day is never the same and what excites her is the fact that work feels like an adventure with travels and new projects.
“The one project I am working on is basically trying to solve the plastic problem in South Africa. As a country and even in the world, we need to start finding new ways to remove plastic and to protect the environment,” she says.
Bezuidenhout also talks about her exciting new project on biodegradable plastic that can be composted industrially to help with waste problems and align with sustainable development goals.
In this episode, Bezuidenhout also discusses:
- Lockdown experience and projects; and
- Addressing Mzansi’s waste problem.
Want to know more? Listen to the full episode of Farmer’s Inside Track.
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Option 3: Click here to listen on Google Podcast.
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