SUBTROPICAL FRUIT
Dr Frikkie Maré, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS)
Relief to farmers in need A new non-profit organisation established by a number of businesses focus on helping individual agricultural producers in need.
T
he agricultural sector is used to facing events of abnormal impact, including floods, droughts, veld fires and disease outbreaks. Even if it is possible to prepare against any of these risks by taking proper measures, for instance, by having a farm emergency plan in place or by securing property proper ly, there are times when it is not possible or practical for the modern-day South African farmer to manage all the risks they are facing proactively. In times like these, the newly established non-profit organisation, the Agri Relief Foundation (ARF), provides an invaluable service to the agricultural sector. This initiative is the brainchild of a number of businesses in the agricultural sector. Dr Frikkie Maré, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS), is one of the directors of the organisation, which focuses on assisting agricultural producers in need. Although there are many institutions in South Africa assisting farmers, most of the current initiatives are geared towards large-scale disasters, such as severe droughts, floods, unpreventable pests, diseases and veld fires that affect many producers. According to Dr Maré, the ARF will focus on helping indivi dual agricultural producers in need, both financially and other wise. This may include elements such as the loss of grazing due to brown locusts, assistance after a farm attack or murder to ensure the day-to-day running of the farm, and localised
10
natural disasters such as floods, hail, severe cold or fire. The group of directors plays a key role in screening the applications for assistance and deciding who they can assist based on merit and the availability of resources. Besides the direct benefit to the farmer, this initiative also adds value to the wider society. “When the sustainability of an agricultural producer is under threat, it also threatens the livelihoods of his/her workers and their families, the rural economy of the nearest town where they purchase production inputs and general groceries, as well as society at large, as less food and/or fibre will be produced,” explains Dr Maré. “The assistance of the ARF will therefore ripple out to a much larger level than only the agricultural producer.” There is also a benefit for the university. In the classroom, Dr Maré will be able to share any knowledge he is gaining in this process with his students. “Agricultural economics is fundamentally about ensuring the long-term sustainability of agricultural production through concepts, including but not limited to production economics, natural resource economics, agricultural management and marketing. My involvement in the ARF will provide examples of what can go wrong in terms of primary production that threatens the sustainability of the enterprise and what can be done to assist,” he says.
VEGETABLES & FRUIT | NOVEMBER • DECEMBER 2021
