By Khumo Makame
The Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform; Lebogang Motlhaping, opened the 4th Annual Northern Cape Provincial Extension Conference and MEC’s Extension Awards, which is currently underway at Bontjieskraal.
The three-day conference will focus on the future of agricultural extension services under the theme, ‘Towards Redesigning the Agricultural Extension Services in South Africa.’
It will expose practitioners to new ideas, emerging technologies, and the best practices in agriculture extension.
Agricultural extension services play a key role in supporting farmers with technical advice, training and access to information aimed at improving productivity, food security and sustainable farming practices.
The conference forms part of national Extension and Recovery Plan framework, which encourages provinces to create platforms for knowledge-sharing and professional development.
Attendees consists of extension practitioners, researchers, academics and stakeholders from across the country to form part of discussions on challenges affecting the sector and possible solutions to improve service delivery.
Presenters from institutions such as North West University, the University of the Free State, Veterinary Services and SACNASP are also expected to contribute.
Topics to be discussed include climate smart agriculture, natural disaster risk reduction, air quality and health, Foot and Mouth Disease in the Northern Cape, and the use of Information and Communication Technology among extension practitioners.
The program will conclude with MECs Extension awards, where outstanding practitioners will recognised for excellence commitment and innovation in supporting province.
Comments are closed.