Sandile Ngcamphalala was appointed as manager of the Grain SA Farmer Development Programme in March 2021.
Leading the team, he is tasked with providing strategic direction of the programme as a whole, including funding and donor liaison, continued development of the school and the mentoring programme and he will serve as the managing editor of the Pula/Imvula magazine.
With a BTech in Agriculture Crop Production from the Tshwane University of Technology, a MSc in International Development from the Royal Agricultural University and a Master of Management in Public Policy from Wits University, Sandile brings an array of expertise and experience to the table. In addition, he obtained a post-graduate diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation Methods from the Stellenbosch University and is busy with his PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Cape Town, with a focus on water and climate change. He also served as manager: Advisory Services at the Agricultural Research Council.
A family man
Married to Caroline, with two boys completing the family, Sandile is passionate about family and an ardent sports enthusiast. ‘The COVID-19 lockdown made it almost impossible to play soccer or golf, so I have now also introduced off-road cycling, which I find very useful to get the boys out and for my own fitness interests. I also try to make my golfing fun, so in 2018 I started playing the top 100 golf courses in South Africa. This has offered us as a family the fortunate opportunity to travel to some of the most beautiful places in our country.’
Deep roots in agriculture
He values the past 20 years spent in the agricultural industry, the collaborations with professional and farmer networks and the opportunities to contribute to the development of sustainable livelihoods in households, communities and the nation. ‘The challenges remain, but I believe that if we work together not just within organised agriculture but also across the different sector stakeholders in the country – we have the means and capacity to achieve greater success and social impact.’
Passionate about farmer development
About heading up the farmer development programme, Sandile said: ‘Through the Grain SA Farmer Development Programme, we have the opportunity to contribute to a prosperous sector for all, by addressing the system’s challenges as a whole, rather than solving issues in isolation. For any programme, however, there would be things that work well, those that work but are not sustainable as well as those that do not work.
‘The challenge is to learn and improve our understanding about the performance dynamics of the programme to help identify the areas we can capitalise on, the aspects where corrective action would be justified and perhaps areas where new and greater innovation could be helpful. Ultimately, we have to identify the resources and establish the partnerships that could help archive high impact and sustainable outcomes – not just at farm level but across the nation.’
His vision for the future
Sandile believes that inequality, poverty and unemployment are the central issues that continuously undermine efforts within the sector. ‘Access to secured land rights, production finance and skills remain some of the major challenges for farmers. To achieve greater social impact, we have to ensure growth that has greater prospects for sustainable jobs and increased income for farmers and other stakeholders across the value chain.’
