Agri-leaders that are ready to own the future

The Syngenta Leadership in Agriculture Academy programme, in its ninth year, held their annual graduation event for the 43 candidates.

The Syngenta Leadership in Agriculture Academy programme in 2020 completed their programme at the end of 2020, but Covid-19 restrictions prevented the students from receiving their certificates and to graduate at the time. Last year’s combined graduation event was attended by 43 candidates as well as partners of the programme and industry stakeholders.

Now in its ninth year, the Academy is hosted by Syngenta. The programme is presented by Thinking Fusion Africa in partnership with the Northwest University Business School and with the support of Grain SA.

In his address, Anthony Delport, MD Syngenta, asserted that farmers in Africa are in the right place at the right time. He noted that around 40% of Africans are employed in agriculture and the continent is home to 60% of the world’s arable land. Yet, Africa imports about 60% of its food needs, at a cost of approximately R607 billion per year. What is more, the average African farmer performs at only around 40% of his or her potential. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the amount of maize and other cereal crops harvested per hectare in Africa is less than half the global average.

“These are not the hallmarks of a sustainable food system,” Delport rightly commented as he urged the Leadership Academy graduates to step up to the challenge of transforming agriculture in South Arica and the continent. “Technology, partnerships and effective leadership are the trio that will advance our industry,” he said.

The impact of Syngenta’s leadership development programme was illustrated in a short address by Jan Teubes, a wine farmer from Vredendal in the Western Cape. In addition to three examples of mutually beneficial contracts he negotiated in the last year by implementing effective communication and systems thinking principles, Teubes emphasised the improved personal and professional relationships that resulted from his newly acquired skills and insights. “Thanks to this programme, the farming business I run with my brother is thriving despite challenging times for the wine industry,” he says.

“Leadership development is a personal journey, and the portfolios of evidence that the candidates submitted show that they have not only internalised the learning, but went back and applied it,” said Professor René Uys from Thinking Fusion Africa. “Judging from their portfolios, we can expect tremendous impact from these young leaders.”

Over the past nine years, 193 commercial and emerging farmers and people in agri-related professions – ranging from economists and analysts to entrepreneurs and academics – have completed the Leadership Academy programme.

Class of 2021 who completed the Leadership Academy for Agriculture Programme