Chicory boosts training for farmers in South Africa
12.03.2010 09:52 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
Training opportunities for farmers in South Africa have been boosted under an initiative to increase the growth of the vegetable crop chicory, used in Nescafé Ricoffy.
Modelled on a successful initiative which started in India in 2004, over a dozen farmers have been offered the opportunity to farm chicory and learn through coaching and mentoring techniques to progress from small-scale to commercial farming.
Chicory — used in the Nestlé instant coffee mix — is often used as a caffeine-free coffee substitute.
Johan Spies, Agricultural Services Group Manager for Agricultural Services in Nestlé South Africa said: «We need to motivate and train farmers, particularly emerging black farmers, in the skills of growing chicory. Providing enough chicory from a sustainable source, plus giving farmers with no or little income some expertise and creating a market for the product at a good price — all highlights Creating Shared Value.»
As part of the South African government’s policy of land redistribution, black farmers have now been given the opportunity of farm ownership through an organised process. This has necessitated the need for training opportunities for farmers with little practical farming or business skills to run sustainable farms.
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