Collaboration and localising service providers have been hinted at as some of the aspects that could make a government-led initiative such as the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative (Pesi) programme a success. Many leaders in the agricultural space cited that it is a good initiative, however, it needed to be managed well.
Igshaan Carstens, founder of Strandfontein Agricultural, AquaMarine and Boating Association and national deputy secretary of the Progressive Farmers Group, said on paper the initiative by the government was ideal, but how it was implemented did not work and more improvement needed to be done.
The Pesi initiative that was started in December 2020, has posed significant challenges for subsistence and small-scale farmers, as well as input suppliers, Food For Mzansi had previously reported.
Bring it closer to farmers
“From my experience with the first run, it was exceptionally helpful in assisting us with the basic requirements needed in covering some very important bases.
“Alternative methods for government to look at would be to tie in with existing community-based structures and thus utilise those networks to the benefit of realising their departmental mandates, goals and objectives,” he said.
According to Carstens, based on their observations some of the service providers that were allocated were not based in the localities of the food gardeners and urban farmers.
“So we had to travel out of our regions to purchase our products, so it handicapped us. A farmer could not have access to a limited list of products and be expected to produce,” he said.
Carstens explained that ensuring local producers and suppliers have an open line of communication and understand each other, is going to be the best element to ensure government programmes become a success. He stressed that localising suppliers was key to the smooth implementation of programmes.
Train beneficiaries
Commercial manager at Free State Agriculture Jack Armour said there is a great need to invest in the training of farmers who are beneficiaries of such government funding programmes.
Armour said they were worried about claims that rightful beneficiaries did not receive what was due to them and a lot of mismanagement occurred surrounding the Pesi vouchers.
“Unfortunately, any government programme where there are handouts involved gets abused because beneficiaries are not properly vetted. There should be an organic growth process whereby a level of basic training and evaluation of practical implementation first needs to be achieved before any basic help is given.
“The results of the basic help should guide further assistance, those that were diligent and relatively successful get drafted into the next level of training and assistance, because help comes to those who help themselves. This is a motto I live by,” he said.
Meanwhile, African Farmers Association of South Africa (Afasa) national chairperson Keatlegile Mnguni said the programme was a great initiative, however, the turnaround time for the vouchers to be received by farmers was of critical importance.
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Programmes should be aligned to farmers’ needs
“For those who are crop farming, it is extremely important that before planting season they should have received their vouchers, and for those who are in livestock [it] also needs to be according to their specific needs and time. The initiative needed to be very much aligned with the programmes of farmers.
“The tracking system of those who were receiving the Pesi vouchers was highly crucial because we do not want the situation where farmers who do need such vouchers have them. So a highly monitored process needs to take place by government,” she said.
Mnguni said monitoring and evaluation are key to ensure that those who are in need receive it and also seeing through that farmers buy what they said they need.
“This will ensure that we do not have a situation where people are reselling the vouchers as that will disadvantage those who are in dire need of those vouchers,” she said.
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