Sowing the seeds for the future

The South African National Seed Organisation is determined to build capacity in the seed industry to ensure that its members acquire the best talent to take the industry forward.

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The South African National Seed Organisation (SANSOR) recently conducted research at six South African universities to gauge students’ perceptions of agriculture and the career opportunities it holds.

Some 65% of respondents who were not studying agriculture said they thought agriculture was one of the most important industries in the country.

These students were then asked if they considered studying agriculture and, if not, why. Some of the responses were:

• It is an archaic industry with limited future opportunities;

• Not many females are involved in agriculture;

• Their parents felt that a medical or engineering degree would bring more financial stability.

People involved in agriculture know that the foregoing statements are not true, and it is their responsibility to expose young people to opportunities in the industry. To this end, SANSOR has embarked on a number of capacity-development programmes.

POSTGRADUATE BURSARIES

One of these programmes offers bursaries to postgraduate students studying topics related to the seed industry. Unlike many other bursary schemes, this programme exposes students to the industry while they are busy with their academic studies.

SANSOR also hosts two workshops a year where students visit seed companies to learn about the seed industry. The organisation also gives the students training in project management, business ethics, time management and CV-writing skills to help make them more employable. In addition, the students have to work in a seed company for a week to gain hands-on experience.

TRAINING