One of the mandates of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture of strengthening the collaboration between the University of Venda and local farmers in addressing food, water and energy security and contributing to the sustainable development goals of ending hunger was taken to another level during the annual farmers day. Over 480 Crop and livestock farmers from Collins Chabane, Musina, Makhado, and Thulamela local municipalities within the Vhembe District Municipality gathered to attend the 2024 third annual Faculty farmers day, organised by Ms Thifheli Kutama, the Experimental Farm Manager in collaboration with Professor Eric Maluta, the Director of Green Technology Confucius Institute at the University of Venda.
The theme for this year’s Farmers Day was “Smart Agriculture for Food Security”. The day was intended to serve as an information hub for the local farmers to receive valuable insights to improve their farming practices and enhance production. Climate change and food security are closely intertwined and significantly threaten global food production. Climate change affects water availability due to higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns. As a faculty, we wanted to make a change in 2024. The faculty realised that one day workshops was not enough to train and assist the local farmers. Therefore, Ms Kutama and Prof Maluta extended the programme and developed workshops to delve more deeply into different subject areas.
The dignitaries and the speakers of the third annual farmers day
The programme was divided into two sessions. The first session involved different motivational speakers and was directed by Dr Takalani Dzaga, the Director of Marketing Branding and Communication.
Prof Natasha Potgieter, Executive Dean Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture
The Executive Dean of the FSEA, Prof Natasha Potgieter, explained the purpose of the day and stated that the faculty is dedicated to advancing sustainable and innovative agricultural practices that can help tackle the challenges of climate change and food insecurity in South Africa and beyond the borders.
Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Bernard Nthambeleni
The Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Bernard Nthambeleni, officially opened the first session. In his opening remarks, The Vice-Chancelor and Principal explained that the Strategic Plan 2021-2025 is anchored on community engagement as one of its pillars. This strategy provides the basis for efficient and effective implementation of the university’s community-based academic projects, primarily focusing on enhancing community engagement as a cornerstone of student learning experiences. This includes high-impact research output, promoting entrepreneurial development, and establishing partnerships with various strategic partners, including farmers. He further ex-plained that the University has placed partnerships at the centre of what we do through our ed-ucation and research programmes, which aim to transfer the knowledge, skills, and technologies needed to improve food production in a way that is resilient to climate change.
The day was also graced by the presence of the Mayor of Thulamela Local Municipality, Cllr Sarah Rambuda (on the left photo above), who spoke on behalf of the government. In her speech, the Mayor thanked the University of Venda for opening doors to share knowledge and assist farmers in overcoming challenges related to climate change. In her conclusion, she congratulated farmers for their hard work in ensuring food security and encouraged them to make the most of opportunities such as Farmers Day to ask all their questions.
Different speakers delivered presentations on climate change and food security. Prof Khangwelo Musetsho, CEO and Principal Environmental Scientist Naledzi Environmental Consultants (pictured on the right photo in the previous page), emphasised that we are currently facing the unprecedented challenge of climate change, which is no longer a distant concern and cannot be ignored. The unpredictable weather patterns, severe droughts, floods, heatwaves, and extreme colds are negatively affecting farmers. He also stressed that one of the solutions is to adopt climate-smart agriculture, which involves embracing technologies and practices that make farming systems more resilient. In conclusion, he encouraged farmers to accept this change and make use of the knowledge offered by the university.
Dr Brilliant Petja, Research Manager at the Water Research Commission (pictured above on the left side), began his talk by highlighting the vulnerability of farmers in South Africa to the impacts of climate change. He emphasised that climate change has a negative impact on water resources, development, and agriculture, and these sectors are among the most susceptible. Dr Petja stated that the agricultural sector needs to enhance its adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change. He concluded by stating that changes and shifts in climate have consequences on livelihoods and development. Therefore, proactive planning is essential to reduce risk and implement responsive operations.
In her address, Professor Vhonani Netshandama, from the Directorate of Community Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Inclusive Innovation, and Commercialisation (pictured on the right side), emphasised the need for an integrated approach to address the socio-economic needs of farmers and the role of the university in bridging the gap. It is essential for the engagement between the university and farmers to be a two-way process, where experts listen to farmers and respond to their needs. She also reiterated what was said by Dr Petja; the university recognises farmers as knowledge holders with skills passed down through generations. She further mentioned that the office promotes entrepreneurship skills for different categories of farmers and small businesses in general, as well as the success of rural communities.
Dr Florence Murungweni, Head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, delivered the vote of thanks.
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