and sector capacity development , were some of the main discussion points .
CHALLENGES FACED WITHIN ORGANISED AGRI- CULTURE The tendency of government ’ s farming policies to focus much more on land reform and redistribution than on agriculture and commercial farming is not the preferred route for sustainability in agriculture . Then , the role and impact of organised agriculture , as promoted by government , is largely ineffective in building a common vision for the sector and in unifying divergent stakeholders to develop the sector as the future powerhouse of economic growth .
HANDING OVER CONTROL TO THE NEXT GENERA- TION The father handing over to son ( s ) relationships , as well as the broader set of relationships at farm level are complex , particularly when more than one generation is active in farming . Many , if not most , large commercial farms are run by more than one generation or have more than one generation actively involved . This complex structure causes relationship challenges not only within the family structure , but also with the employees on the farm . This might further cause farming principle clashes and younger growers to leave farming or conflict about the subdivision of land .
INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION SHARING BETWEEN PRODUCERS While much of the knowledge needed to improve global agriculture already exists , including within remote indigenous communities , it often does not reach those growers that could benefit most . Growers are individualistic , competitive and entrepreneurial . In a world where there is an increasing risk to food security , a lack of water , limited skilled resources , high cost technologies , land reform and many other challenges , there is insufficient sharing of information and knowledge . What ’ s more , provision needs to be made for access to scalable information technologies for growers to receive weather , crop and market alerts , as well as other early warning systems to help them make the right decisions for sustainability and productivity .
Syngenta wishes the 2016 Grain Academy class only the best . Our aim , as yours should be , is to develop South Africa ’ s agricultural industry into something that not only Africa , but the rest of the world can use as a model in especially trying times . You are our future . Let ’ s now stand together and ensure the success of that future .