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What are you doing to help emerging farmers in our country? Prof Eckart Kassier does not beat about the bush when discussing the future of agriculture. "Other sectors in the economy, such as mining and services, have made a fair amount of progress on the road towards empowerment, but agriculture is repeatedly singled out as lagging behind. And it is the sector which can least afford to do so." It is early morning and on the elevated veranda of his house in Stellenbosch, this former professor of agricultural economics at the University of Stellenbosch does not mince words. He considers poverty, the lack of self-esteem and insufficient business experience to be major impediments to progress.
"eMali is a non-profit organisation resting on two pillars," explains Prof Kassier, one of the key figures behind this initiative. The emphasis falls on the spiritual well-being of people on the one hand, and their financial prosperity on the other. Both issues must be addressed to bring about incisive, viable change and upliftment. The Order of Dignity, an initiative of the Methodist Church, is currently the main patron of e-Mali. According to Prof Kassier, this infrastructure is in the process of being extended to other denominations, and the Dutch Reformed Church has already appointed a trustee on the e-Mali board, namely Prof Piet Naudé of Port Elizabeth.
At the core of e-Mali lies the Twinning Programme. This is aimed at twinning the commercial farmer with an emerging farmer and by so doing bring about skills transfer. Each twinning project will obviously be unique, and in each case both the commercial and the emerging farmer will determine the particular aid required, the amount of time that can be devoted to the project, and the output anticipated by each party. Commercial farmers cannot in any way be nonchalant about other farmers or communities who struggle and require assistance. The aid may range from accounting to machinery and economic expertise, and where additional spiritual help and support are required, the church may become involved as a third party. e-Mali serves as the home base and administrator of such programmes. One of the Trust's goals is to publish annual reports about each individual project on its website, not only to show the world what is happening at ground level in the agricultural sector, but also to share problems, celebrate successes and establish role models. "Farmers should realise that they are an asset to the country. The government should realise it as well. South Africa has some of the best and most successful commercial farmers in the world." The website of e-Mali (www.e-mali.org.za) houses a list of volunteers and a list of those in need, in order to co-ordinate potential partnerships. To this end, Prof Kassier implores the wine industry - any interested party, from co-operatives to estate farmers and any emerging or new farmers - to provide him (in writing, telephonically or by e-mail) with contact details and specifics of skills or needs. Although the Trust considers it a function to introduce partners, Prof Kassier shrugs, smiling. "In the end each farmer knows much better than the Trust who in his immediate vicinity requires help and assistance." He explains furthermore that the twinning programmes do not have to operate on an individual level only, but that farmers' associations may also enter into supporting partnerships with other groups, and that the church also plays a role in the identification of needs and the bringing together of people. e-Mali also offers the opportunity to add value to existing projects. Projects in the wine industry that already enjoy funding, and instances where previously disadvantaged communities have already established farming activities, can also benefit from the additional support, skills and training opportunities offered by a twinning programme. "The government has made available funds to assist such mentoring projects," adds Prof Kassier. Existing projects can also find a home in the e-Mali domain, notably under "NGO Programmes", where project managers are requested to list their enterprise. "Each emerging farmer who fails, and each agricultural upliftment project that is aborted, is a nail in the coffin of the commercial farmer," warns Prof Kassier. "We must be aware of the gravity and the urgency of the situation. We must stop saying that we MUST, but instead that we WANT to establish a new agricultural dispensation." Interested parties may obtain more information on the website www.e-mali.org.za. Contact Prof Eckart Kassier on tel/fax (021) 886 6826 or on kassier@e-mali.com. His postal address is 38 Rhodes Avenue South, Stellenbosch, 7600.
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It is a problem that will have to be addressed by the government, admittedly, but it affects each farmer in South Africa. This almost overwhelming realisation prompted a group of people from the church, agriculture and business to get together and found e-Mali Trust.
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