From excellence in agricultural production to digital innovation and community development, Seriti Institute’s agricultural work has been recognised across three categories at the 2026 South African Agricultural Awards.
Seriti’s work has been recognised across six award categories at the 2026 South
African Agricultural Awards, including the Farm Worker Excellence Award, Agri-
Tech Innovation Award, Agricultural Development and Community Empowerment Award, Best Provincial Farmer, Young Farmer of the Year and Young Upcoming Farmer categories.
The three nominations reflect different but interconnected elements of Seriti’s approach to agricultural development: the people who make production possible, the technology that can connect producers to markets, and the broader systems needed to build sustainable agricultural livelihoods and enterprises. The nominees are:
- Olivah Molete, based at Seriti’s Deelpan Multi-Functional Agri-Node, for the Farm Worker Excellence Award;
- Phomolo Sewedi, a former participant in various Seriti programmes and now a field supervisor at Seriti’s Social Employment Fund sites in North West, for the Best Provincial Farmer, Young Farmer of the Year, and Young Upcoming Farmer awards;
- Seriti’s Community Fresh digital marketplace, for the Agri-Tech Innovation Award; and
- Deelpan Multi Functional Agri-Node, for the Agricultural Development and Community Empowerment Award.
The winners will be announced on 16 October 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg during the annual South African Agricultural Awards, which recognise excellence and innovation across the agricultural value chain. For Seriti, however, the nominations are about more than individual recognition. They reflect a broader approach to agriculture as a pathway to livelihoods, enterprise development, food security and stronger local economies.
“At Seriti, we see agriculture as much more than growing crops. It is about growing people, enterprises, opportunities and stronger communities,” says Wanga Pholi, Seriti’s Agricultural Lead.
Seriti works alongside farmers, farm workers and communities to strengthen agricultural production while addressing some of the barriers that prevent smallscale and emerging farmers from participating more fully in markets and building sustainable enterprises.
Agricultural Development and Community Empowerment reflects the broader development model behind Seriti’s Multi-Functional Agri-Nodes (MFANs), Seriti is working to connect agricultural production, skills development, seedling production, technical support, aggregation, enterprise development, technology and market access within local agricultural economies.
The Farm Worker Excellence nomination recognises the people at the centre of this work.
At the Deelpan MFAN, Olivah Molete has contributed to agricultural and seedling production activities that support both the node and surrounding agricultural initiatives. Her nomination places a spotlight on the skills, commitment and practical work required behind the scenes to make agricultural development possible.
Through programmes such as the Social Employment Fund and initiatives supported by the Citi Foundation, Seriti creates opportunities for skills development, work experience and pathways into agriculture.
Phomolo Sewedi’s progression from programme participant to field supervisor at Seriti’s SEF sites in North West reflects this approach, demonstrating how employment and development programmes can support growth within the agricultural sector.
Community Fresh: connecting farmers, buyers and markets
The Community Fresh digital marketplace, which forms the basis of Seriti’s AgriTech Innovation nomination, was developed to strengthen connections between small-scale farmers and buyers and create more direct pathways into agricultural markets.
Its ambition, however, extends beyond simply listing produce for sale.
Community Fresh is being developed as a digital marketplace where relationships, transactions, and reputation can be built over time. The platform is designed to allow farmers to showcase what they produce, connect with prospective buyers and build greater visibility around their participation in the market.
“For many small-scale farmers, the challenge is not only producing good-quality food. It is being visible to buyers, establishing trust, building a track record and developing relationships that can lead to repeat business,” says Seriti Institute COO Alwyn Esterhuizen.
“Community Fresh is our attempt to bring those pieces together. We want farmers to be able to showcase what they produce, connect directly with potential buyers and gradually build a digital reputation based on real interactions and successful transactions. For buyers, it creates a way to discover producers, engage with them and build confidence in the relationship.”
The longer-term vision is for Community Fresh to develop beyond a conventional marketplace into a broader digital ecosystem that can support market access, farmer reputation, transaction history and other services that strengthen the commercial participation of emerging farmers.
For Seriti, technology is not the destination. It is a tool for helping farmers overcome real barriers to participation in the economy.
“The nominations represent more than individual achievements. They reflect the collective work of Seriti teams, farmers, farm workers, partners and communities who are working together to strengthen agricultural value chains,” says Pholi. Looking ahead, Seriti’s focus is on strengthening agricultural systems that are productive, commercially sustainable, technology-enabled and better connected to markets.
“We want farmers and communities to be active participants in creating sustainable economic opportunities, rather than simply beneficiaries of development,” says Pholi.
The three nominations place a national spotlight on that ambition and on the people, partnerships and innovations working to turn the potential of agriculture into real economic opportunity.
