Having grown up in a small rural village in the Western Cape where most families are involved in farming to supplement their household income, Joyene Isaacs, chairperson of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) board, carries with her a deep empathy for resource-limited farmers in South Africa.
With farming in her DNA and a BSc Honours degree in plant pathology and protection, Joyene has enjoyed an efficacious career in agricultural development that spans over 35 years. Following her retirement in 2020, she was encouraged by the premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, to accept a nomination as member of the ARC board. On 1 July 2020 she was informed that the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, appointed her as chairperson.
SA Graan/Grain engaged with Joyene to find out how her career in agriculture evolved and what she envisions for the future of agricultural research.
An unintended move towards agriculture
In 1982, when time came for her to study, Joyene reluctantly decided on a BSc degree with plant protection and plant pathology as majors. She was one of only two female students who joined the brand new programme. ‘I actually wanted to study microbiology at Stellenbosch University, but was not permitted to do so due to the political situation of the country at that time. I enrolled at the University of the Western Cape and so my path towards a career in agriculture started taking shape.’ Joyene completed her honours degree in 1986 and was delighted when a door opened for her to work with resource-limited farmers in KwaZulu-Natal.
Finding her feet in land development
It was only in 1993 that she would return to the Western Cape to join the Land Development Unit and in 1996 a position opened for her at the ARC where she continued to work in farmer development. ‘Two years later, I was appointed as the assistant-director: Resource-limited Producers Programme, managing a bigger team and taking on the responsibility of both Infruitec and Nietvoorbij campuses.’
Accolades galore
By then Joyene was the perfect candidate to head up the Farmer Support and Development Programme in the Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape. Under her leadership the programme grew from a R7 million to a R70 million project with around 180 staff members. She soon oversaw seven programmes as acting head of the department and with more than 800 staff members under her, she began working towards a successful agricultural development programme for the province. She subsequently held the position of Head of Department from 2006 to 2020 – in 2018 winning the AFASA award as best HOD in South Africa. Other awards include the Chancellor’s Gold Medal from the University of the Free State in 2017, the Agri Western Award for her contribution to agriculture in the Western Cape in 2020 and the Hortgro 1662 Industry Award in 2020.
During her busy career, Joyene travelled to various African countries, the Netherlands, France, Chile, the UK, China, the USA, India and Italy, where she presented several papers on land reform and agricultural development.
The role and future of the ARC
Joyene believes that the road ahead for the ARC should be one where its successes and projects are placed more in the public eye. ‘When I read the annual report, I am amazed at the work that is being done and I ask myself why it is not shouted from the rooftops. For better collaboration, funding and results, we need better communication – this is true for the whole sector.’
Understanding its core business, proper stakeholder management from the top down and effective communication are what will drive the research agenda for the sector. Joyene further believes that much more needs to be done in terms of mentorship. ‘We need mentorship programmes where senior researchers’ knowledge and skills will be transferred to younger researchers. This is how we will grow agricultural research capacity in the long term,’ she added.
Risks going forward
According to Joyene there are several risks associated to the ARC, a lack of long-term planning being one of them. ‘Because we are funded by the government, our plans often extend only to the next five years. We need to think further ahead, because the sector is susceptible to a 15 year lag.
‘The second risk to take into account is that the ARC as a public entity has become everything for everybody. The message needs to be communicated that it cannot be that. With every minister that is appointed the focus shifts and the role of the ARC is redefined. It is important that society knows exactly what the ARC’s role is – what it can and what it cannot do. I believe that in order to serve the sector, we need to focus our research on the main risks for the sector: climate change, job creation and the economy. In essence, it is about food security – agriculture needs to be linked to food in the mind of society and politicians. If I had a say I would establish a department of food and agriculture to best serve South Africa. We need to communicate the message that every farmer, big and small, plays a crucial role in keeping this country food secure.
‘The interface between research and technology transfer and extension is another risk. The ARC has a mandate in terms of the act, but the Constitution also gives provincial departments and the different commodities the same mandate for research. And so we need to ask ourselves, are we going to take up the role as big brother? I am of the opinion that we should not take up that role. In order to effectively navigate these tricky waters, the executive management of the ARC needs to communicate and facilitate relationships, partnerships and a common purpose.’
Some might say that the loss of capacity is a risk for the ARC, but Joyene believes that there is a good reason why companies are recruiting from the ARC. ‘Many of the sector’s most successful role-players were once part of the ARC. In a sense government is raising these leaders for the sector and must continue to do so. We need to work together and implement the transformation programmes for each commodity, identify potential learners and raise them up for the sector. As a collective we need to invest in maths and science at school level, because universities are looking for students to study agriculture. Capacity building is a long-term investment and we need to work together.’
‘A time to give back’
For Joyene agricultural development is a process that needs action and information to enable people to make profitable decisions to further themselves. The fate of women on farms is very close to her heart. ‘I realised during the span of my career that we need to do more for the women on farms. And so, during the COVID lockdown, I wrote a proposal to the wine industry to set up volunteer programmes where we would teach these women to knit and crochet. The idea is for them to start up small businesses or knit for their families when income is scarce during the winter months.’
The industry approved the proposal and Joyene has been presenting workshops every Saturday ever since. ‘I’m currently in conversation with the transformation unit to roll the programme out to other communities as well. We are hoping that the University of the Free State will come on board to assist in teaching the women to spin yarn.’
According to Joyene, the long-term plan was to add more and more skills to the training programmes through the help of volunteers. ‘I believe strongly that there is a difference between teaching a skill and teaching someone to decide for themselves to gain more knowledge and know-how.’
Joyene invites Grain SA members to engage with the ARC through the different platforms that currently exist. One of these is the ARC Hub app which can be accessed on Google Play or the App Store and is free to download.
In service of agriculture
Apart from publishing and presenting several development and scientific papers, Joyene served on various boards in the agricultural sector and participated in different panel discussions on a variety of topics linked to agriculture: transformation, developmental issues, human capital development and more. Some examples:
- She was elected as president of the Southern and Eastern African Association for Farming Systems Research and Extension which included 14 African countries in 2000 and 2001.
- Joyene served as chairperson for the South African Agri-Academy, a non-profit section 21 company in partnership with organisations in the Netherlands.
- She was appointed by the then national Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs as a trustee of the Deciduous Fruit Industry Development Trust and also served as chairperson for two years.
- From 2015 to 2019 she served as chairperson of the South African Wine Transformation Unit.
