Join this policy forum to explore new sources of evidence to strengthen agricultural innovation in South Africa. Engage with speakers playing key roles in the sectoral system, including in industry associations, universities, businesses, government, and the media.
Why this policy forum, now
The South African White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation (2019) places the modernisation and strengthening of agriculture firmly on South African’s innovation agenda. Vital to food and job security, skills enhancement, and increased competitiveness across local and global markets, the case for strengthening agricultural innovation is compelling and urgent. Agricultural actors—such as producers (smallholder to large-scale farmers, loggers, and fishers), formal agribusinesses (small, medium, and large), industry associations, financial institutions, and policy actors—face diverse challenges. These include: addressing climate change; improving production, processing and market efficiency; ensuring product and facility certification and compliance; and enhancing absorptive capacity for new and emerging technologies, including 4IR. How, then, can the innovation policy agenda be advanced to strategically enable actors to address these and future challenges, and to provide adequate and timely responses that build resilience in this sector?
The evidence provided by South Africa’s first national Agricultural Business Innovation Survey, alongside, for example, the Statistics South Africa Census of Commercial Agriculture, represent key recent empirical contributions to ongoing policy discussions. Using the available data as one of the tools, this policy forum aims to address questions in agricultural innovation from the perspectives of three sub-sectors—farming, forestry, and fisheries, including the actors impacted—and explore routes to address a series of key questions.
Key questions
- Do existing science, technology and innovation (STI) policy instruments support innovation activity in South African agribusinesses as effectively as they could? Are there types of innovation that do not occur on a wide enough scale, or are ‘below the radar’, that we should promote systematically? What are the different strategies required to promote the distinctive patterns of innovation in different agricultural sub-sectors?
- In different agricultural sub-sectors, do we need specific funding instruments for R&D-led innovation, technological upgrading, and organisation or non-technological innovation to transform the agricultural, food and nutrition system in a more targeted manner? How can DSI coordinate and align its policy, strategies and interventions with other stakeholders in the agricultural system of innovation, including related government departments, science councils and universities, financial institutions, and industry associations, to address the barriers and constraints?
Agenda*
*Programme Facilitator: Kgomotso Matjila, Acting Chief Director: Science and Technology Investment, Department of Science and Innovation
09h30 | Welcoming remarks
- Ben Durham, Chief Director: Bio-Innovation, Department of Science and Innovation
09h40 | Keynote address: ‘Innovation and resilience in global agri-food and nutrition systems’
- Judith-Ann Francis, Independent International Strategic and Policy Advisor on Innovation in Agri-food and Nutrition Systems
10h00 | Scene-setting presentation: Innovation in South African agribusinesses: New empirical evidence
- Dr Glenda Kruss, Executive Head, Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, Human Sciences Research Council
10h40 | Research Panel: ‘Directions for policy from the evidence’
Moderator: Prof. John Ouma-Mugabe, Professor of Science and Innovation Policy at the Graduate School of Technology Management, University of Pretoria
- Dr Albert Strever, Agri-Informatics Expert, Stellenbosch University
- Dr Marinda Visser, Director: Strategic Projects & Planning: Agriculture, Innovation Africa @ UP Initiative
- Dr McLean Sibanda, IP & Innovation Expert & Managing Director, Bigen Global Ltd.
11h30 | Finance and Business Panel: ‘Directions for policy and investment from ground level’
Moderator: Dr Mlungisi Cele, Acting CEO: National Advisory Council on Innovation
- Dr John Purchase, CEO, Agricultural Business Chamber (agbiz)
- Dr Simphiwe Ngqangweni, CEO, National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC)
- Denene Erasmus, Editor, Farmer’s Weekly
- Mmabatho Portia Morudi, Farmer & Entrepreneur, II iju Bee Farms and co-founder of The Village Market Africa
12h30 | Policy Panel: ‘Strengthening the agricultural innovation system – the policy response’
Moderator: Dr Maneshree Jugmohan-Naidu, Director: Biotechnology, Department of Science and Innovation
- Sibongiseni Ndimande, Director: Research and Policy Analysis, Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
- Sibonelo Mbanjwa, Director: Climate Change Adaptation-Natural Resources, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
- Sibusiso Manana, Head: Agriculture Strategic Technology Area, Technology Innovation Agency
13h20 | Closing remarks
- Dr Petronella Chaminuka, Principal Economist and Senior Manager: Economic Analysis Unit, Agricultural Research Council
For more information or to contact the organisers please write to:
- Gerard Ralphs, HSRC | gralphs@hsrc.ac.za
- Dr Petronella Chaminuka, ARC | chaminukap@arc.agric.za
- Kgomotso Matjila, DSI | Kgomotso.Matjila@dst.gov.za
