South Africa has an urgent need for agricultural training at all levels. The Hoedspruit Hub Agricultural Training Centre provides commercial skills training programmes, practical courses to assist small-scale farmers, and funding for education of the unemployed in surrounding communities. Lindi Botha reports.
Hoedspruit Hub Agricultural Training Centre in Mpumalanga is a social enterprise that provides training courses for commercial farms, as well as community upliftment and poverty alleviation programmes.
Carien Taute, the business manager, says: “We apply commercial strategies to improve the financial, social and environmental well-being of the communities we’re in. We thus aim to maximise social impact alongside profits for our external shareholders.”
Anri Manderson, the social enterprise manager, adds that the difference between an NGO and a social enterprise is that the latter must be run as a profitable business that can sustain all the projects. “The commercial side of the business that trains farmworkers ensures that we can carry on with our social development side.”
Social development activities include a youth programme to introduce people between the ages of 14 and 35 to the agriculture sector and address their skills gaps; a scholarship and mentoring programme for high school pupils; and a variety of agroecology programmes.
The aim of the commercial training programmes is to increase the resilience of farming operations through high-quality, sector-appropriate, customised training that develops people and invests in local communities and economies through skills development.
The Hub is housed in a former farm school started by the previous owners of Bavaria Fruit Estates in Hoedspruit. When the Department of Basic Education announced that the school would be closed, some farmers had the vision to establish a training centre to serve the area’s farmers and simultaneously develop small-scale farmers. The Hub was started in 2016 by three commercial farm enterprises: the Landman Group, Blydevallei Boerdery, and Bavaria Fruit Estates. These own 49% of the enterprise, while 51% is held by the Hoedspruit Hub Trust.
This story is from the August 24, 2018 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 24, 2018 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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.
