Nufarmer Africa
ARC : Revitalising Agricultural Education and training In S . A .
Dr Shadrack R . Moephuli , CEO Agricultural Research Council .
Dr . Shadrack R . Moephuli ,
CEO said South Africa ’ s agriculture success lies in the effective agriculture research and innovations by scientists and interactive exchanges with farmers ( including large commercial producers ), with targeted focus on smallholder and resource poor farm enterprises . Food and nutrition security is an essential element of a peaceful , developmental
society that depends on ensuring increased agricultural production . The role of science and technology in that regard as well as the skills required for its implementation are critical ingredients . This informs the mandate of the Agricultural Research Council .
The ARC draws its mandate from the Agricultural Research Act , 1990 ( Act no 86 of 1990 as amended by Act no . 27 of 2001 ). In terms of the Act , the ARC is mandated to promote the agricultural and related sectors through Research , Technology Development and Technology Transfer . The Act further defines : > Research as the furtherance , accumulation and improvement of knowledge in the agricultural and related sciences through original and other investigations and methods of a scientific nature with the advancement of agriculture as its object ;
> Development as activities by which knowledge acquired through research is translated into products and utilized ; and ,
> Technology transfer as the transfer of knowledge , techniques and processes for the application thereof . In a nutshell , the objects of the ARC outlined in the Act are to drive research and development , drive technology development and facilitating the transfer ( dissemination ) of these technologies and associated information .
Agricultural Education and Training Unfortunately , the ARC Act is silent on the mandate to provide education and training .
However , in order to achieve its objectives , the ARC
Act mandates the organization to “ co-operate with educational authorities and scientific or technical societies in the Republic for the promotion of :
( i ) the instruction of potential researchers in schools , technikons , colleges and universities ; and
( ii ) the training of researchers and technical experts ; promote the training of research workers by means of the granting of bursaries or grants in-aid for research , development and technology transfer and the making of monetary contributions for research , development and technology transfer programmes ”. As an organization , the ARC has recognized the importance of human resource development as a critical enabler for sustainable growth , both internally for succession planning and to ensure available capabilities for South Africa ’ s agricultural sector .
Accordingly , the ARC has implemented a special purpose – training vehicle , the Professional Development Programme ( PDP ) and the Employee Development Programme . These programmes are aimed at developing and improving skills among employees as well as training young scientists for careers in the ARC and the sector in general .
Such training and development includes formal training at higher education institutions that includes the use of National Research Foundation , Technology for Human Resources Industry Programme ( THRIP ) and Agri-SETA support .
“ Our recent analysis indicates that interventions implemented in the last ten years for capacity building , particularly the Professional Development Programme ( PDP ) and employee development have significantly changed . During this period , the PDP has increased from less than 50 postgraduate students in 2007 / 08 to more than 340 in 2016 / 17 ,” Moephuli reported .
Similar analysis indicates that employees enrolled for postgraduate degrees beyond bachelor of honours have increased from less than 60 to more than 190 in 2016 / 17 . The effect has been that ARC has contributed to attainment of more than 50 MSc and PhD degrees awarded respectively during the same period . In particular , during financial year 2016 / 17 at least 40 PDP students obtained masters degrees and at least 10 were awarded PhD degrees . Simultaneously , no less than 20 employees obtained postgraduate degrees ( MSc and PhD ). These achievements represent significant contribution of the ARC towards skills development , especially as more than 60 percent of the graduates were classified as black and no less than 70 percent were female .
Unfortunately many educational systems on this African continent fail to provide teaching that enables agricultural innovation – that is , the ability of students to utilize the knowledge to generate innovations within their own communities or environment that in turn generate products and income . The results have been inability to harness and increase agricultural production and productivity as well as lack of skilled human resources .
The ARC appreciates the work of the ASSAf Consensus Study Panel on Agricultural Education and Training in South Africa .
“ As an organization , we will study the report , make recommendations to the ARC Council ( board ) and engage with all relevant stakeholders that need to take necessary action . The ARC plans therefore to engage with the various government departments on this matter to bring particular focus and attention towards transforming our system of Agricultural Education and Training ,” Dr Moephuli concluded .
6 Nufarmer Africa | November / December 2017