📍 African Farming Workshop | Empowering the Future of Agriculturalists and Farmers

The Landbouweekblad African Farming Workshop, held in Wellington on 7 August 2025, was a well-attended event designed to unlock the farming potential of emerging smallholder farmers and equip the next generation of agricultural youth with essential financial knowledge. 🌿

From access to markets and funding opportunities to infrastructure and the importance of saving for retirement, the workshop sparked impactful conversations around sustainability and farmer development. A team of specialists and experts from various entities—including Casidra, Mafube Fresh, Land Bank, Afgri, Cape Winelands District Municipality, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and many others, led these discussions.

The programme addressed a wide range of financial and production matters for farmers. Emmaculate Malashe from Mafube Fresh set the tone with an inspiring testimonial on market access for smallholder farmers and community garden growers.

“Mafube Fresh sources its produce from a large network of growers across the country to cover different seasons all year round. We achieve quality through a rigorous selection of farms and partner suppliers who share our vision of excellence, as well as by maintaining a short supply chain and an efficient logistics system,” said Malashe.

Her presentation was one of the highlights of the day, touching the audience’s hearts and receiving enthusiastic applause.

As funding remains a key concern for most farmers, Angelo Plaatjies and Mario Ruiters from Land Bank presented their blended finance funding programme. This was followed by the Cape Winelands District Municipality, which shared details about its Small Farmer Support Programme.

Mzwanele Lingani from the WCDoA spoke about the importance of succession planning in farming, emphasising agricultural accounting and highlighting the department’s farmer support programmes.

Casidra’s PR & Communications Manager, Experience Matshediso, outlined Casidra SOC Ltd’s significant role in agriculture and economic development as a project management company in the Western Cape.

“Over the past year, Casidra implemented agricultural projects worth R200 million across the Western Cape. Furthermore, we have rolled out approximately 36,000 food security projects over the past five years,” said Matshediso.

Land access, another major challenge for farmers, was addressed by Le Fras Nortje of the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, who offered guidance to farmers facing land and title deed issues. There was a strong response from attendees from Gouda, Saron, and other areas, where cooperatives are struggling to secure land for farming.

Sylvester Lubambo from Afgri highlighted the importance of being a well-trained farmer, outlining the organisation’s four pillars to unlock farmer potential: training, mentorship, access to finance, and access to markets.

The workshop concluded with Johan Smith from Allan Gray, who explained the importance of saving for retirement as a member of a farm business. He shared practical guidance on how much to contribute towards retirement to achieve a sustainable income and invest wisely in financial markets.

In his closing remarks, workshop organiser Appollo Bomvana thanked all sponsors and attendees for making the event a success.

“Together, we’re building a stronger, more sustainable future for agriculture. We look forward to more partnerships and collaborations for future events like this,” said Bomvana. 🌱

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