Our-Stories

Mr ME Lekgau

Location: Limpopo

Mr ME Lekgau is a development farmer, farming with livestock on Magatle communal land (894.5 ha) in the Ga-Mphahlele village. There is sufficient water and grazing for the livestock, with a carrying capacity of 108 animals. Mr Lekgau has one bull and 35 cows currently and is looking to expand his herd. He approached Land Bank for support and was granted a loan to help him expand his farm to its full carrying capacity.

Land Bank is proud to be able to help Mr Lekgau kick-start his farming dream!

Akwandze Agricultural Financial Service

Location: Mpumalanga

Akwandze Agricultural Financial Service was established in 2006 after land was transferred from the previous owners to a newly established Community Property Associations (CPA). The project was set up to provide financial services to these property associations, strategic partners and small-scale farmers in the sugarcane production industry.

Akwandze is backed by a unique partnership between TSB sugar and the Liguguletfu Co-operative. The organisational shareholding structure consists of a 50 - 50 partnership between TSB Sugar RSA and Liguguletfu Co-operative Limited, the latter representing the sugar cane growers in the region (currently 889 members). Both shareholders have invested a total of R25 million in Akwandze and have extensive knowledge and experience in sugar cane milling and production.

Since its establishment, Akwandze has created five Projects that cover 12199Ha of land, providing 3864 job opportunities that benefit close to 35,000 beneficiaries.

Land Bank is one of the financiers of Akwandze, who then on-lend directly to the farmers in the CPA, offering loans to facilitate:

• Crop establishment and re-establishment.
• Crop management and maintenance.
• Purchasing and installation of above ground irrigation equipment and fixed irrigation infrastructure.
• The supply of electricity bridging loans for contractors; and
• Right-to-occupy rental bridging loans.

Sugarcane production is important to the local economy and job creation. Without appropriate financial services from the likes of Land Bank and other financiers, the production could be compromised.

This approach sees Akwandze providing farmers with the support required for cane production and irrigation infrastructure, whilst contractors can apply for short-term working capital requirements. In addition, to ensure that small-scale growers and emerging cane farmers benefit, Akwandze requires that qualifying candidates must represent wholly black-owned enterprises. Candidates must be registered with the South African Sugar Association (SASA), and have a cane delivery agreement with TSB.

Neels Minnie and Sons Farm CC

Location: KwaZulu-Natal

With the acquisition of this farm, Mr CJ Minnie wanted to contribute to the transformation of the area. He has partnered with Mr WG Mgiba, a work colleague, to achieve this. Mr Minnie has extensive farming experience, as his family owned a livestock farm. Mr Mgiba has over 20 years of family farming experience through subsistence farming. The new farm comprises pecan, Macadamia and orange orchards, a registered Macadamia nursery and a nut processing factory. Currently employing 52 workers with further employment opportunities planned as the planting area is expanded, this new venture holds significant transformation and development potential. A workers’ trust is also being established in which employees will own a portion of the shares once the CC is converted into a company. Lank Bank Funding has been instrumental in helping this venture realise his true potential.

Mouton Citrus

Location: Western Cape

Mouton Citrus (Pty) Ltd is a family run fully integrated producer, packer, marketer and exporter of quality citrus and rooibos tea with global alliances and partnerships. The farming operations have grown over generations from being only a producer to being a supply chain integrated business model, after the deregulation of the South African Fruit Industry and the opening of the US market for SA citrus in 1997. Currently the farming operations consists of 14 farms in the Citrusdal valley including a Pack house.

During February 2017, the Land Bank advanced a bridging facility to Mouton Investments in terms of a convertible note issued by Mouton Citrus to the Land Bank. The purpose of the note was to finance the buy-back of shares held by Orchards Investments BV, a foreign 45% shareholder in Mouton Citrus (Pty) Ltd. Mouton Citrus (Pty) Ltd is the wholly owned operating entity of Mouton Investments (Pty) Ltd.

In addition to financing the share buy-back, the transaction will enable the Land Bank, together with its BEE partner (Masimong Holdings (Pty) Ltd), to convert the convertible note into a 35% equity stake in Mouton Investments within six months of the initial advance. Masimong Holdings is a 75% Investment Holding Company based in Johannesburg, with various interests in Mining, Energy and financial services amongst others.

The strategic intent behind the transaction is to directly address the land ownership and transformation challenges facing the South African agricultural sector by ramping up the participation of previously disadvantaged groups in the sector, including emerging black farmers, black industrialists, women and youth.

The transaction has resulted in an increase in black ownership of Mouton Citrus from 10% to 47%. Similarly, Employee Trust ownership will increase to 12% with 350 beneficiaries. The transaction also serves to preserve 1800 jobs while creating 600 new jobs, further boosting the economy of the Province.

Ndwandwa Community Trust

Location: Mpumalanga

The Ndwandwa Community Trust in Badplaas, Mpumalanga, acquired 29 farms totalling 9800 hectares through successful land claims in 2003. After the transfer of the properties, the community faced some challenges in getting farming activity going on the land.

As part of its mandate to support land restitution projects and facilitate economic growth and social inclusion in the sector, Land Bank is one of the sector players involved in financing The Ndwandwa Community Trust to bring this land under production.

The project is phased for production input costs and the construction of silo and storage units. The first phase has seen 555 hectares of land coming under productions as follows:

• 340ha maize of which 125ha is new land;
• 110ha Soya beans; and
• 55ha Dry beans

Through Land Bank’s financing, an increase in the production yield from the land as well as an increase in employment on the farms has already been realised. Ultimately, the Bank’s support serves as a catalyst to bring more of the available land under production so that more beneficiaries are able to meaningfully participate and reap the rewards from the land.

Zolarity (PTY) Ltd

Location: Limpopo

Zolarity, in Limpopo, is a joint venture between Limpopo Dairies and their Workers’ Trust, a majority black grouping who own 51% of the business with Limpopo Dairies owning a 49% share.

Financed by Land Bank, Zolarity acquired unutilised land adjacent to the dairy upon which to expand and diversify its operations. With an off-take agreement in place through Limpopo Dairies, the initiative received the boost that it needed. In addition to a guaranteed off-take agreement, Limpopo Dairies provides technical assistance to the farmers to ensure that they meet the stringent commercial standards required by the Dairy.

The project also has a comprehensive crop diversification plan in place which is to be rolled out in three phases over five years that will see maize production, blueberries and alternative energy generation becoming the focus of the venture.

Land Bank’s involvement from a development impact perspective is focussed on sustainable increasing the commercialisation of underutilised to deepen economic transformation and social inclusivity in the sector.

Some of the benefits already realised include the employment of eight permanent employees who are all registered for UIF, receive a Provident Fund and have access to bursary schemes. Zolarity is looking to create 150 jobs by the end of 2018 and a number of new businesses while continuing to provide skills training in operations management to grow this emerging farmer base.

Town Development Building & Construction
Agency Pty Ltd (TDB & C (Pty) Ltd)

Location: Free State

Mr Kenneth Mofokeng is the sole director and shareholder of TDB & C. He is a cattle (beef) farmer who wanted to diversify into maize and fodder for animal feed. He approached Land Bank for help to buy two adjacent farms on 551 ha as well as some movable assets. A loan facility was made available to Mr Mofokeng in August 2017. The transaction is enabing him to significantly scale up his own operation by adding more heads of cattle to his current stock, growing the business into a feedlot, as well as creating employment for three permanent workers and seven casuals who will be responsible for the maize, cattle and pastures. Kenneth plans to sell 20% of the overall bales to local emerging farmers. Most of the produce will go to Karan Beef who will buy weaners from TDB & C.

Lume Agricultural Enterprises (PTY) LTD

Location: Eastern Cape

Lume Agricultural Enterprises is a 100% black owned lucerne and livestock farming operation based in the Somerset East district of the Eastern Cape. Mr Steve Batyi, the owner, is a recipient of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) programme, being awarded a 1500 hectare farm on a 30-year lease period.

Mr Batyi approached Land Bank for support to enhance lucerne production on the farm as well as to stabilise the core business through farm operational improvements. This specifically related to improvements in irrigation efficiency, moving from a flood irrigation system to a centre pivot system. Following a detailed assessment process, Land Bank approved the financing application, extending the following facilities to the business:

• A Centre Pivot Irrigation System facility;
• A vehicle finance facility; and
• A lucerne production loan facility

The financing has enabled Mr Batyi to increase lucerne production from 63 to 110 hectares as well as to install a new centre pivot irrigation system to make the farm more sustainable. A majority of the lucerne fodder under production on the farm is sold to local dairies, game farms and a local co-op and surplus fodder utilised for grazing by the 141 large stock units (cows) and 794 small stock units (sheep) on the farm.

Land Bank is now working with Lume to identify further market access opportunities, specifically linking local suppliers in the value-chain such as abattoirs to the farms livestock output.

Stimulating Change through CSI

About Land Bank

The Bank’s objective is to serve South Africa’s commercial and emerging farmers by bringing specially designed financial services within their reach. These services enable farmers to finance land, equipment, improve assets and obtain production credit.

Land Bank’s vision is to be a world-class agricultural development bank that stimulates growth, drives solid performance, and spurs innovation. The vision is realized through the quest to work with all stakeholders in building an adaptive and competitive agricultural sector that drives environmental, social, economic growth and development, thus contributing to food security.

Land Bank CSI

Land bank’s aim with CSI is to compliment the bank's mandate to build an adaptive and competitive agricultural sector that drives environmental, social and economic development, thus contributes to food security, through investing in improving the quality of life of disadvantaged communities.

Our approach is developmental in nature and we believe in long-term investment in order to have sustainable development impact with selected projects.

Our focus is on promoting the development of agricultural expertise to enhance employment quality and facilitating the development of emerging and subsistence farmers to promote food security. In this way, we seek to grow the sector and contribute towards its transformation.

Project Introduction

Land Bank established a working relationship with community-based nutrition and HIVAIDS organisations to support the implementation of the Sustainable School Food Garden and Nutrition Education (SSFGNE) project within Nokeng tsa Taemane Municipality, in Cullinan. The focus area of the programme is the farming community and mining area of Refilwe and Onverwacht in the five schools of Chokoe Primary School, Sedibeng Primary School, Chipa-Tabane High School, Onverwacht Primary School, and Protem Zonderwater Prison School.

The SSFGNE project was informed against the backdrop of several studies conducted in South Africa, which confirmed that, malnutrition rates are high and school attendance rates are low within rural and farming schools and communities. Among the children that attend school, many arrive to school hungry, and for most, their only significant meal of the day is the lunch they receive through the school feeding scheme programme. As a result, their ability to learn and achieve great results is compromised. The theme of the project is to provide a Healthy Meal to enable Healthy Minds and Productive learners.

Additionally, the project is designed to strengthen the ability of families and communities to support the development of healthy, nourished educated children, thereby increasing the potential of improved nutrition and food security opportunities. As a result, the strategy of the programme is to provide rural and farming communities with the knowledge and resources to begin addressing key health, social and economic challenges in a much more integrated way. This was undertaken and implemented through engagement with various stakeholders namely principals, educators, food-handlers, School Governing Body members and community members. None of the selected schools and communities had an existing food garden nor involved in any current agricultural activity.

Why Food Gardens and Nutrition Education?

A programme of this nature assists in increasing the amount of fresh vegetables available for schools lunches through the establishment of school gardens, in addition the improvement of the nutrition and health status of the Children in project schools is a key focus for the Bank. Increasing the knowledge of gardening and nutrition topics among learners, educators, school food handlers and parents through a Agriseta qualification is also a priority for the bank as a stepping stone stone towards transformation and increasing food security for our country.

What has been achieved to date

• All participating schools have established vegetable gardens and these are currently being expanded. Produce is included in school lunches at least once a week.

• 15% of pupils are still underweight or at risk of being underweight. Height and weight measurement will be redone in June 2019.

• Educators did not achieve 75% and the average score for children was 60%. Additional training is currently underway and all participants will receive certificates on completion of all training credits in 2019.

• Integration of the food garden programme into the school curriculum and into classroom activity is still a challenge. However, green clubs (agri youth clubs) have been established in all participating schools and fresh produce is being used in school menus at all schools.

Community Change

The ultimate goal of Sustainable Food Garden and Nutrition Education Programme is to enact community-wide change. The programme sees learners as “change agents” who have the ability to bring about real change in their homes and community. The learners are encouraged to take information home to share information with their parents, peers, guardians, families and neighbours about hygiene, nutrition and gardening. In addition, the learners also encourage parents working at the gardens to establish a backyard garden at home.

Stimulating Change through CSI

About Land Bank

The Bank’s objective is to serve South Africa’s commercial and emerging farmers by bringing specially designed financial services within their reach. These services enable farmers to finance land, equipment, improve assets and obtain production credit.

Land Bank’s vision is to be a world-class agricultural development bank that stimulates growth, drives solid performance, and spurs innovation. The vision is realized through the quest to work with all stakeholders in building an adaptive and competitive agricultural sector that drives environmental, social, economic growth and development, thus contributing to food security.

Land Bank CSI

Land bank’s aim with CSI is to compliment the bank's mandate to build an adaptive and competitive agricultural sector that drives environmental, social and economic development, thus contributes to food security, through investing in improving the quality of life of disadvantaged communities.

Our approach is developmental in nature and we believe in long-term investment in order to have sustainable development impact with selected projects.

Our focus is on promoting the development of agricultural expertise to enhance employment quality and facilitating the development of emerging and subsistence farmers to promote food security. In this way, we seek to grow the sector and contribute towards its transformation.

Project Introduction

Land Bank established a working relationship with community-based nutrition and HIVAIDS organisations to support the implementation of the Sustainable School Food Garden and Nutrition Education (SSFGNE) project within Nokeng tsa Taemane Municipality, in Cullinan. The focus area of the programme is the farming community and mining area of Refilwe and Onverwacht in the five schools of Chokoe Primary School, Sedibeng Primary School, Chipa-Tabane High School, Onverwacht Primary School, and Protem Zonderwater Prison School.

The SSFGNE project was informed against the backdrop of several studies conducted in South Africa, which confirmed that, malnutrition rates are high and school attendance rates are low within rural and farming schools and communities. Among the children that attend school, many arrive to school hungry, and for most, their only significant meal of the day is the lunch they receive through the school feeding scheme programme. As a result, their ability to learn and achieve great results is compromised. The theme of the project is to provide a Healthy Meal to enable Healthy Minds and Productive learners.

Additionally, the project is designed to strengthen the ability of families and communities to support the development of healthy, nourished educated children, thereby increasing the potential of improved nutrition and food security opportunities. As a result, the strategy of the programme is to provide rural and farming communities with the knowledge and resources to begin addressing key health, social and economic challenges in a much more integrated way. This was undertaken and implemented through engagement with various stakeholders namely principals, educators, food-handlers, School Governing Body members and community members. None of the selected schools and communities had an existing food garden nor involved in any current agricultural activity.

Why Food Gardens and Nutrition Education?

A programme of this nature assists in increasing the amount of fresh vegetables available for schools lunches through the establishment of school gardens, in addition the improvement of the nutrition and health status of the Children in project schools is a key focus for the Bank. Increasing the knowledge of gardening and nutrition topics among learners, educators, school food handlers and parents through a Agriseta qualification is also a priority for the bank as a stepping stone stone towards transformation and increasing food security for our country.

What has been achieved to date

• All participating schools have established vegetable gardens and these are currently being expanded. Produce is included in school lunches at least once a week.

• 15% of pupils are still underweight or at risk of being underweight. Height and weight measurement will be redone in June 2019.

• Educators did not achieve 75% and the average score for children was 60%. Additional training is currently underway and all participants will receive certificates on completion of all training credits in 2019.

• Integration of the food garden programme into the school curriculum and into classroom activity is still a challenge. However, green clubs (agri youth clubs) have been established in all participating schools and fresh produce is being used in school menus at all schools.

Community Change

The ultimate goal of Sustainable Food Garden and Nutrition Education Programme is to enact community-wide change. The programme sees learners as “change agents” who have the ability to bring about real change in their homes and community. The learners are encouraged to take information home to share information with their parents, peers, guardians, families and neighbours about hygiene, nutrition and gardening. In addition, the learners also encourage parents working at the gardens to establish a backyard garden at home.

Agri-Teen Symposium

Boosting Youth Participation in Agriculture

Youth involvement in the agricultural sector is set to get a boost with the launch of the inaugural Agri-Teen Symposium initiative. The Symposium brings together 300 grade 10 - 12 learners from schools in the greater Soweto area, exposing them to various learning and vocational opportunities across the agricultural value chain.

The National Development Plan (NDP) provides a clear and overarching policy approach on agriculture that is being implemented across government and within the agricultural sector. As one of the primary economic activities, agriculture has the potential to create close to 1-million jobs by 2030. However, the implementation of activities that will encourage and support more youth entering the agricultural sector hinges on the ability of sector players to fully understand their challenges and how best to respond to them.

The brainchild of journalist and media personality Ayanda Allie Paine working in conjunction with Land Bank, the Agri-Teen Symposium aims to establish a practical network of mentors for South African youth to tap into enhanced programmes that not only encourage greater youth participation in the sector, but also facilitate this in a sustainable manner.

“Through the Agri-Teen Symposium, we will be working with sector specialists to unlock the untapped potential within the sector for our youth, finding solutions to some of the current barriers to participation in the process.” says Allie Paine.

During 2017, Land Bank concluded a survey to understand the perceptions, attitudes and challenges faced by young people participating in the agricultural sector. The main findings raised a number of areas to be addressed:

• The data suggests that young people’s perception of, and attitude towards the agricultural sector, is largely influenced by a lack of information and exposure to the industry. It is concerning that several of the respondents noted that they did not know what agriculture was or what it entailed;
• Others only associated agriculture with subsistence farming, manual labour and being poor; and
• Respondents also had little knowledge of opportunities in the sector, and the variety of careers that feed into agriculture. Thus, a majority of the respondents preferred a career in one of the tertiary sectors, over a career in agriculture.

This is in addition to existing challenges for new entrants including a lack of access to arable land, a lack of funding and poor access to industry information and statistics.

For Land Bank CEO, TP Nchocho, these insights play a crucial role in guiding the Bank fulfil its transformational mandate by customising programmes focussed on supporting young people in agriculture:

“The Agri-Teen Symposium represents an important part of Land Bank’s broader response to the youth challenge facing the agricultural sector. We will be working closely with stakeholders across the sector to impart the knowledge, skills and time to ensure that South African youth are exposed to the best opportunities to tap into the agricultural value chain.”

Learners at the launch event this year will benefit from a wide range of inputs, including first-hand experience from emerging black farmers who are creating their own agribusinesses as well as established players on both the production and operational side and educational institutions offering agri-focussed courses.

Following its launch in Gauteng, there are plans to host the event annually, to extend the reach of the initiative to benefit learners nationally as well as to establish connectivity to existing support programmes for youth in the agricultural sector.

Organisations or individuals who would like to support or get involved with the Agri-Teen Symposium programme can contact the organisers, Shekinah Media, on 074 823 7979.

AGRI TEEN SYMPOSIUM 2019 NORTH WEST

Boosting Youth Participation in Agriculture

The symposium was an intergenerational gathering of stakeholders in the agricultural sector, aimed at transferring passion, skills and knowledge from industry experts to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.Land Bank’s objective was to educate the 200 learners between Grade 10 and 11 in attendance on the importance of the agricultural sphere, and inform them of the various career opportunities available. Under the theme #PlantTheRightSeed, agricultural experts and professionals encouraged learners to actively and meaningfully participate in the industry.

“The agricultural sphere offers you the opportunity to secure your socio-economic wellbeing and to escape poverty and its social ills,” said Mr Lion Phasha, Senior Specialist in Stakeholder Relations and CSI from Land Bank. He said that they specifically chose to host the symposium at North West University because it is in the center of black communities which is in favor of developing young black farmers in our country. “It is Land Banks business to support farmers to produce for their country, to encourage and support young people who are interested in Agriculture, also to ensure they become our success stories,” said Mr Phasha.

Dr Brylyne Chitsunge, the Pan African ambassador for food security in Africa and CEO of Elpasso Farms, was the keynote speaker. Dr Chitsunge was happy to see young people being part of conversations where they can access information on ownership in food security. She expressed her enthusiasm by commending Land Bank on its collaborations to plant the right seed in the young lives of the Agri Teens.

The 21st century farmer encouraged learners to get educated and start farming in a smart way to feed the world. She addressed issues relating to food security on the African continent. “The world needs to be fed, how will we do it if we don’t take ownership of the land and its produce” said Dr Chitsunge. Professionals from partnering originations namely Land Bank, National Youth Development Fund, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Wispa Holdings, were part of the panel discussion. They addressed topics such as the fourth industrial revolution, the importance of Agriculture and how learners can access bursaries, funding and grant opportunities in this sector.

Mr Jeremiah Lukas from the NYDA, North West Branch said that they have included another threshold to fund businesses in Agriculture “the NYDA has set aside R250 000 as a grant for businesses in Agriculture, doors are open for young people in Agriculture”. As the learners continued to listen and join the conversations one of the learners from Tshidi Barolong High School asked “What is the plan with industrial farmers since the fourth industrial revolution is taking over” One of the panelists replied in saying bio technology will take place; on that note young agriculturists need to come up with ideas of how to incorporate industrial farmers in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. Other activities of the day included a soil, veterinary and farm demonstration by NWU experts and a mini expo by Agri Teen partnering organizations including the NYDA, Agri Seta, Land Bank, DAFF and NWU.

Employee Volunteerism

Land Bank in partnership with Food & Trees for Africa participated at various Mandela Day initiatives where they handed over food parcels and assisted in the development of food gardens to help communities be self-sustaining. This is in line with our Corporate Social Investment (CSI) which aims to assist and contribute to food security and poverty eradication.

At Land Bank, we believe that a hand up is always better than a hand out, and we endeavour to create sustainable value for the communities our employees chose to empower.

Employee Volunteerism

Land Bank in partnership with Food & Trees for Africa participated at various Mandela Day initiatives where they handed over food parcels and assisted in the development of food gardens to help communities be self-sustaining. This is in line with our Corporate Social Investment (CSI) which aims to assist and contribute to food security and poverty eradication.

At Land Bank, we believe that a hand up is always better than a hand out, and we endeavour to create sustainable value for the communities our employees chose to empower.