Question NW3757 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
13 December 2023 - NW3757
Matiase, Mr NS to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What measures has her department put in place to employ persons who will service farmers that were left in the cold following the termination of Assistant Agricultural Practitioners’ contracts?
Reply:
The role of Assistant Agricultural Practitioners was to assist the current Extension Practitioners who are trained to provide technical assistance to farmers. As at April 2023 there were 2 077 Extension Practitioners employed across all provinces who are continuing with the frontline service of providing technical support to farmers.
The existing practitioners are also trained on new extension approaches such as the Smallholder Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP), Farmer Field School (FFS) and Commodity-Based Extension (CBEA) approaches to improve their efficiency when supporting farmers.
The Department will continue to implement the Extension Recovery Plan (ERP) which is part of the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP). The ERP funds are transferred to the Provincial Departments of Agriculture (PDAs) to support Extension and Advisory Services. As part of ERP, PDAs employ Extension Practitioners on contract. Currently, due to fiscal constraints, PDAs will continue to maintain the existing contracts and will only recruit if there is a vacancy.