YOU STARTED WORKING AT CASIDRA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. COULD YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?
I’ve always been passionate about agriculture, so was delighted when Casidra offered me the CEO position. I’m a chartered accountant, but have spent most of my career working in development and impact financing. I’ve worked in the wine, citrus and fishing industries, at a development finance institution, and at a South African investment bank.
Agriculture is such an underrated field, with a considerable developmental impact on rural communities.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY AND CURRENT STATUS OF CASIDRA?
Casidra is an acronym for Cape Agency for Sustainable Integrated Development in Rural Areas. It’s a provincial business enterprise public entity, developed in the 1980s out of the old Landelike Ontwikkelingsmaatskappy, to manage and facilitate the transfer of government-owned farms to communities.
Of the six farms that Casidra administered, only two, Waaikraal and Amaleinstein, are still under its management. Its latest success is the transfer of the 75ha pome fruit farm, Anhalt, to the Haarlem community [in the Langkloof].
HOW HAS THE SCOPE OF THE AGENCY EXPANDED SINCE THEN?
In this financial year, Casidra is managing R500 million in grant funding for various government departments on a ring-fenced basis for the implementation of various projects. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture is our core partner; it has a programme for support, development and transformation, targeting emerging farmers across a range of commodities. Casidra manages these funds and implements the projects.
Denne historien er fra September 20, 2019-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra September 20, 2019-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
