Space for Learning Agriculture and Practical Experiences strengthen Employment Opportunities

Students also visited the National Fresh Produce Market in George to gain knowledge of its inner-workings. It is reported that some 3.4 million tons of fresh vegetables and fruit are sold through the National Fresh Produce Markets in South Africa annually.

Students gathered insights about the value of the Market to farmers, large produce buyers, small-scale farmers and formal- and informal traders.

Learning Academy Worldwide’s collaboration with the Market started in 2019 when plans for the Vocational Training in Agriculture was in its infant stage. The owner of the Market, Mr Brian Simons, welcomed the emphasis placed on helping young people understand the complete value chain in Agriculture. Mr Simons have been a committed supported of AgrAcademy since the inception of the idea in 2019. At that stage, in November of that year, he hosted our first group of students at the Market.
 

During last week’s visit, our students were helped to understand the complexities and joys of the business of Agriculture, which Mr Simons explained to them in both Afrikaans and English. Also, the knowledge about Fresh Produce Markets and access to markets added to the substance of the curriculum for our students in order to give them an early picture of their future work possibilities and bring insight into how to make their existing businesses thrive.

 

SEEING DIVIDENDS OF PRACTICAL LEARNING

The animal feed that students sowed on our 2ha land in March is growing. Our Economics teacher, Mr Willem October engaged the students in the entire process from exploring the feasibility, identifying and listing the input costs, to establishing up-take agreements with subsistence farmers in the community and with regional livestock farmers.