- The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) drives the transfer of new and improved technologies through training and advisory services. Professional and Extension officer training is done to enhance capacities for production decision support, post-harvest management, and general skills enhancement, thus contributing to the competitiveness of the sector. The support from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has facilitated the wider reach of the ARC training, hence the larger than-targeted achievement. Effectiveness is measured through follow-up assessments conducted by the ARC and partners over time, including independent studies.
- Yes. Follow-up assessments are conducted to determine the impact and productivity improvements. A few cases indicating the impact of ARC training are listed below:
KAONAFATSO YA DIKGOMO (KYD)
ARC capacitates officials on the Kaonafatso Ya Dikgomo (KYD) regarding quality improvements in cattle, translating into economic returns and better performance as follows:
- Prior to the training, farmers supported through KYD were getting less than the actual market price when selling. The training assisted in achieving sale prices closer to or equal to the market price. The modus operandi is that ARC trains farmers and extension, hosts auction sales and coordinates the sale.
- In Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal for example, the ARC facilitated farmers' entry at auctions, helping them to be more market-savvy and achieve higher prices. Increased market information and training improved outcomes over time. Farmers’ progress can be observed through participation in various auctions. The example below shows the impact of two (2) auctions.
- Furthermore, the calving rate of the trained farmers’ herd improved after the ARC’s intervention.
- An independent study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of the programme and farmers’ perception of the usefulness of the programme. It found that KYD’s provision of continuous after-care and advisory support to farmers, as requested by provincial departments, is appreciated by farmers. The study further found that the program provided farmers with the necessary skills to progress to a financially viable stage.
SWEET POTATO TRAINING AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
Food and Nutrition Security is a serious challenge in South Africa. The ARC develops new sweet potato cultivars and products geared and contributing towards the mitigation of food and nutrition security in South Africa. Through training in sweet potato production and agro-processing, there are subsistence farmers and producers who have benefited and were able to generate income from sweet potatoes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bHSxxi_WzU&t=153s
Training includes farmer participation in cultivar evaluation trials which take into consideration farmer’s needs when selecting best-performing varieties. This initiative allows farmers to identify their preferred varieties and subsequently improves the adoption of newly released sweet potato cultivars. As a result of these interventions.
- Sweet potato production is improving, with more farmers growing the crop commercially, and developing related products. This is supported by an increase in the number of vines requested by farmers annually.
- Sweet potato product development training capacitated participants and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on how to produce nutrient-rich meals and snacks from orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. These products are now available to consumers and the market is growing.
POTATO ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
The ARC partnered with the Gauteng and North West Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development in Potato Enterprise Development to afford smallholder farmers the opportunity to contribute to the potato industry. Training includes theoretical, practical, and on-farm training. Functional literacy is enhanced through mentorship, monitoring, and evaluation for a 6-month period, equivalent to the potato production season. The two (2) provincial departments committed to supporting this training for five years per farmer cohort as the minimum period required for a producer to effectively produce the commodity.
