Prof Frikkie Maré, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS), recently walked away with the Agricultural Writers SA’s Agriculturalist of the Year award for the Free State.
“I feel really honoured. Although I do not work to get recognition, it is a very satisfying feeling to know that someone has noticed what you are doing and feels that your work is important enough to be recognised,” he says.
Bringing theory and practice together
This year, Agricultural Writers SA focused on agricultural economists for the Agriculturalist of the Year award. Agricultural economists from all over South Africa were eligible for nomination. In the end, three candidates were named Agriculturalist of the Year for different regions: Prof Maré for the Free State, Corné Louw (also a former Kovsie, currently working for Grain SA) for Gauteng, and Dr Dirk Troskie (Western Cape Department of Agriculture) for the Western Cape.
Besides being involved with the UFS – where he teaches and conducts research to benefit the red meat industry – Prof Mare supports a number of organisations with his work, which impacts the livestock and red meat sectors in both South Africa and Namibia. Furthermore, he serves as the editor for the agricultural magazine, Veeplaas.
He believes that his work in terms of research, popular publications, and as speaker at industry days has made a positive and significant contribution to the agricultural sector.
Prof Maré enjoys what he is doing, especially the engaged scholarship part of his work. “Once I start to interact with farmers, I am bringing theory and practice together. Writing for popular agricultural publications is another love of mine, especially when I receive feedback on the articles (positive or negative). It is then that I know that people actually read my work,” he says.
The resilience of farmers
In the field of agricultural economics, Prof Maré believes that – despite opportunities and challenges – pursuing a career in agricultural economics is a good choice. He states, “Agricultural economists play a vital role in ensuring that enough food and fibre is produced and distributed among the growing population.”
He is of the opinion that South African farmers are facing numerous challenges, including droughts, floods, high input costs, weak rand, high interest rates, stock theft, predation, farm attacks, load shedding, a weak economy with low demand for expensive food, and many more. “Despite these obstacles, they display remarkable resilience, which is not necessarily true for all countries. They still manage to pull through most of these challenges with very little assistance or incentives from government or private businesses. If you can be profitable over the long term while doing one of the riskiest jobs in the world, you certainly should be classified as resilient,” he says.
Passion, dedication, and determination
Lindi Botha, chairperson of Agricultural Writers SA North, sees the award ceremony as an opportunity to honour everyone who plays a role in ensuring food security in the country –from producers to economists, input suppliers and industry organisations – for their contribution.
She congratulated the finalists, saying they were the embodiment of passion, dedication, and determination. The winner of the Agricultural Writers SA’s Agriculturalist of the Year for South Africa will be selected by an independent panel of judges. The national award function will take place on 17 November 2023.
