The requirements for agricultural success are multiplying on an almost-daily basis and without the best possible support, producers cannot keep up with the new demands. This is why a new development programme for Crop Advisors is good news.
A recent analysis by Futuregrowth Asset Management describes agriculture in South Africa as having three significant challenges, namely: volatility, complexity, and scrutiny.
Volatility includes climate change and unpredictable weather conditions, local and global politics, and shifts in consumer preferences. Complexity refers to the many different crops and food types, each with their own unique and fragmented supply chains, as well as the variables that influence production of individual crops. Finally, scrutiny highlights the reality of players in the agriculture and food value chain being under pressure to improve the traceability of the food we eat, along with the environmental and social impacts of how it is produced.
It is therefore fair to say that producers in South Africa have much to deal with – even before they get out into their fields and start the business of food production. As a result, expert and holistic crop advice is an input producers cannot do without.
InteliGro is stepping up to meet this demand with its Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) programme.
“Our Crop Advisors are well known in the industry, given our long-standing focus on solid technical training and support,” says Ernest Myburgh, Regional Director (South) from InteliGro. “However, given the far-reaching shifts in the agro-chemicals market, combined with the volatility, complexity, and scrutiny evident throughout the agricultural sector, it is clear that access to products and technical knowledge are no longer enough. Realising that producers need more, we developed the CCA programme.”
This future-driven programme puts Crop Advisors through an intensive evaluation to determine their existing knowledge and competence levels. Based on the assessments, a training and development programme is designed for each person, the outcome of which is crop experts that will make a difference in various aspects of our customers’ business.
The programme includes:
- Regular technical and business assessments
- Formal technical and business training programmes
- Personality and workstyle assessments
- Soft-skills training
- Personal development programmes
- Ensuring that all crop advisors meet industry standards and requirements
- Distinct career phases, with clear requirements for each phase
- Sustainability and benchmark analyses
The CCA courses are a perpetual work in progress, given that they are based on the latest research results, as well as the practical knowledge and experience of the experts compiling them. The emphasis is on relevance and practicality, and on topics that are not covered at the usual crop and technical training events.
“We have every confidence that our CCAs will be far more than Crop Advisors,” says Gideon Hefer, InteliGro Managing Director. “They will develop into trusted business advisors, capable of providing input into our clients’ businesses at various levels. Their contributions will make a noteworthy difference on the farm and will further enable producers to deal with the complexities they face.”
The first cohort of CCAs are due to receive their certification at the end of November, and the objective is for all InteliGro’s Crop Advisors to eventually achieve, and maintain, CCA status.
“The programme will deliver significant benefits for all involved,” says Myburgh. “Producers get professional, expert support; the advisors receive invaluable professional and personal development; and InteliGro builds its reputation on advice and services that are unparalleled in the industry.”
Mostly, however, it is agriculture and all its stakeholders that stand to gain. When producers receive the best available support, sustainability and food security become attainable objectives, regardless of volatility, complexity, and scrutiny. Because it all starts on the farm.
