African agriculture |
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Sprinklers are also a favourite in Africa for outfall areas around pivots or areas which are unsuitable for pivots. A constant and important proviso though is that“ a system needs to be welldesigned, properly installed, adequately maintained and impeccably managed.”
African acceleration
Vermaak, who is also the chairman for SABI’ s Mpumalanga branch, overall agrees wholly with the positive viewpoint that Africa is a fertile ground for agriculture, and would like to see some acceleration in certain aspects of Africa’ s agriculture growth.
He calls for both governments and the private sector to both becoming more proactive about developing agriculture in Africa.“ There are too many brilliant developments out there,” observes Vermaak,“ that are not getting off the ground due to various factors – for instance, incorrect planning and implementation or sub-standard quality of design or systems.”
“ I would love to see Governments becoming more proactive about developing agriculture. We need more investment for capital intensive projects that have long pay-back periods. These include dams, canals and providing infrastructure such as roads and power. We also need Governments to see the power of education. However, it is not all up to governments, the private sector
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also needs to do its bit,” he says.
Vermaak says the following are pertinent areas that we need to address on our continent, in terms of agriculture and irrigation development: ``Access to infrastructure( roads, railways, power etc) is always a challenge. Notably, the best areas to develop are not necessarily close to major cities or towns.
``Finance – Most investors see Africa as a high-risk investment. Thus, getting capital investment is always a challenge. There is also a huge risk for contractors if clients do not pay. Courts and legal systems that are not the same as South Africa and repossessing of equipment is almost impossible.
``Corruption can make contracting in these countries especially daunting.
``Local agricultural conditions – Some of the areas in West Africa, for instance, have seen very little agriculture. Little is known about which varieties work best and how to deal with local pests etc.
``Education – generally, more people urgently need to be trained in the agricultural and engineering sectors
``Culture – commercial farming as compared with subsistence farming. Africa’ s subsistence farmers historically have not produced crops for“ others”/ financial gains and cannot see the purpose of commercialising farming.
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Perch, Yam and Mozambique prawns
Looking to the short-term, Vermaak says the year ahead in Africa poses some challenges. However, mechanisation and new technologies for more efficient farming – and water conservation – feature high on the programme.
“ The drought is a definite factor that must be taken into consideration. Farmers are short of cash and therefore major developments are scarce. Instead, farmers are spending money on optimizing the systems they currently have. The introduction of new technologies such as Automation, Remote Monitoring and Control, and the use of Variable Speed Drives are high on most farmer’ s agendas.”
We asked Vermaak about what has been his greatest joys when it comes to working in Africa.
“ Where do I even begin? Africa is a funny place, it can be your best friend and your worst enemy in one. I enjoy the people I meet.
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People become your friends, some of them for life. I get to see places on earth that the normal guy in the street will never even consider seeing. The different foods and cultures are also fascinating. From eating Perch on the banks of the Niger River, to eating Yam Balls in Ghana and Mozambique, so famous for its seafood and chicken.
“ It is great to walk away from a project, look at all the difficulties that were faced along the way, and know you have left a project that has the potential to change lives, and operate for many years to come.”
And long may Vermaak and his team at Inyoni Africa – and indeed all of us – find great joy and beauty in Africa!
For more information: Info @ inyoniafrica. co. za and www. inyoniafrica. co. za
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