The Changing Face Of Agri Education And Training

Agricultural education and training (AET) in South Africa are facing several challenges in its attempts to meet the requirements of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the South African National Development Plan (NDP).

- Carin Venter

In September 2017 the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) released a consensus study to identify ways in which these challenges could be addressed. It concluded that the country can meet national food requirements, but that the current system of managing education and training is fragmented and in serious need of substantial reform.

Chaired by Prof Frans Swanepoel from the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa initiative, the study recommended improving the quality of AET by identifying three key areas in need of urgent attention:

Bringing about substantial institutional reform.

Stimulating a more effective agricultural innovation system.

Developing a shared vision for the role of AET in national development and prosperity.

How to support reform

It is interesting to note that agricultural colleges are governed at provincial level and are therefore not formally part of the national higher education system.

Since AET is split between research councils and several government departments, it may well prove beneficial to establish a national council for AET to support reform and coordinate integration, cooperation and accountability regarding the various policies and programmes.

FarmBiz spoke to a few less traditional South African agricultural training institutions to find out how training methods have changed over time and what new study options are available nowadays.

AGRICOLLEGES international

Wynand Espach, chief operating officer of AGRICOLLEGES international, says it is important to ask what agriculture will look like in future, so that training at colleges and universities in South Africa can cater to the demands of the continuously changing technological era.