A fresh pair of eyes have been overseeing the Western Cape department of agriculture’s service delivery system. This, following the appointment of Dr Hlami Ngwenya as the new chief director for agricultural producer services and development at the department.
Ngwenya, who has worked in the broader agricultural food system space for more than 25 years and in over 50 countries, says she feels honoured to be in this “very critical” role.
Working at national, regional, continental and global levels, Ngwenya has been instrumental in the different aspects of the sector. These include policy making, education, research, extension, advisory services and more.
In an exclusive interview with Food For Mzansi, Ngwenya says she hopes to use her years of experience in the agricultural industry to contribute to the development of the agricultural service delivery system in the Western Cape.
Duncan Masiwa: Congratulations on your appointment as chief director for agricultural producer services and development at Western Cape department of agriculture. What does this role mean to you?
Hlami Ngwenya: It is an open secret that agriculture is one of the important sectors, not only in South Africa, but globally. So this is a very critical role and I feel honoured to be part of the team that is tasked with the responsibility to steer it.
Other than the administrative responsibilities that come with such a position, I particularly oversee subprograms that deal with producer support services, extension and advisory services, food security as well as land reform-related activities.
What is at the top of your to-do list?
I have joined a department that is not new but has ongoing activities, so I needed to be prepared for a moving wagon and to hit the ground running. I also think it’s very important to connect with my team [members] as people.
I took some time to meet with some of my management team members individually just to get a feel of who they are at personal level. But also, to understand their skill sets, their different portfolio, what they are working on, how they are doing with meeting their targets, etc.
It was very encouraging to see that I have a very strong and positive-minded team, and together we are greater.
You’re a major role player in agricultural policy, research, extension as well as agricultural education. How will you use your experience and knowledge to develop agri-businesses and manage the delivery of agricultural services within the province?
I have worked in the broader agricultural food system space for over 25 years now and [had been] doing assignments in over 50 countries worldwide.
I’ve been very instrumental in the different aspects of the sector including the policy space, education, research, farming and finance, extension and advisory services, communication, knowledge management and monitoring and evaluation, as well as issues of technologies and trade, working at national, regional, continental and global levels.
These broad experiences gave me a perfect opportunity to understand the sector from a wider perspective and how the different parts of the system are webbed together.
I am hoping to use [my] experience to contribute to the development of the agricultural service delivery system in the province. I am also open to learning new things from my team and partners, and looking forward to growing further as a person and a professional.
It’s Women’s Month. How well do you think Mzansi is faring in ensuring that women are well-represented within corporate boardrooms of agriculture and contributing to the growth and development of the sector?
As we celebrate women, we appreciate the effort that we are [putting in] as a country to address and to recognise the contribution to the liberation of this country. However, we should also acknowledge that we are not there yet.
There is a still a long way to go to have most of the women benefit from that liberation from a socio-political and economic perspective.
While policy development in favour of women and youth is important, do you believe that Mzansi has been able to effectively go beyond policy initiates and place more focus on ground action? And what’s your advice to decision-makers in the agricultural sector?
Closing the gender gap in the agri space is crucial. Evidence shows that the number of women working in the agriculture space [as] labourers is big; however very few hold good quality positions.
While women’s empowerment [policies] are great, I think that it’s not enough. For me empowerment is about giving power and space to act, but that does not guarantee one’s capabilities to utilise that power and space.
I advocate for more emancipatory power, which is about the inner capacities and skills that women need to use their power and space effectively and productively. We need to continue to find ways of levelling the agriculture playing field for women by addressing all the gender-specific challenges in a rigorous and systemic manner.
There is a need to tackle all the inherent gender bias that exist in our economic system head-on. It should go beyond just tick-box exercises, but genuinely create quality and quantity of jobs for women in the sector.
We need to strengthen their ability to access resources, equip them with necessary skills and instil their entrepreneurial minds; close the digital divide and ultimately assist them to achieve their highest economic potential.
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