Our services focus on farmer economic empowerment including healthy soils and nutrition sensitive farming. One of our programmes offers the Organic Farmer Development Programme at four levels as mentioned in the introduction about us. The focus is on Sustainable Farming Systems which also incorporates Organic Farming. Considering the State of Organic Agriculture is South Africa, all farmers have an obligation to rehabilitate degraded soils through Sustainable Soil Management (SSM).

Knowledge Empowerment sessions are executed via:

1. Workshops and Open Days at the SK Agricare Model Farm,

2. Intensive training sessions on time allocated per notional hours

3. General and Field mentorship sessions

4. Online self-directed learning which started during Covid

SK Agricare  started the Internal Organic Inspector Course in March 2020. The outline of the course overview for 2023 shows topics to be presented in the first formal training session. The first group of Internal Inspectors is responsible for capacity development in all our farmer beneficiaries, including preparing them for organic compliance. Due to covid 19 pandemic, the course was conducted on virtual platforms

SK Agricare are promoters of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)'s Global Soil Doctors Programme in South Africa. The first session was on virtual platforms in January 2020, followed by a series of practical training on demonstration plots which has been rolling out from March 2021 in provinces. Course overview can be accessed here

SK Agricare on-the-field mentor unit conducted the first capacity development session empowering differently abled individuals at Enduduzweni Centre for the Disabled at Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal.  The differently abled learners are also part of the Global Soil Doctors programme.

The Global Soil Doctor programme is an on-going concern as candidates register and take the course on a self-directed basis. The outline of the course is detailed in our Course Guide. Once registered the candidates have access to learning platforms with relevant course materials. At formative assessment levels the candidate is assisted in setting and launching their Agricultural Demonstration Plots, as per chosen themes. 

As the candidate registers for individual training, they are required to do registration of their farm site as well, because this is the site from which all demonstrations for farmer-to-farmer training and Agricultural Demonstration Plots will be performed.

Potential candidates can also contact us here if they need one-on-one consultation

PROMOTING ONE-VILLAGE-ONE-PRODUCT 

The OVOP (One-Village-One-Product) programme should not be seen as promotion of monocropping. We strongly encourage intercropping/ alley cropping in rural villages and townships. Currently SK Agricare and the CHABUTHI Farmer via OVOP KZN are propagating and promoting the following products within the OVOP program:

• Calendula
• Cannabis
• Lemongrass

• Passion Fruit
• Rosemary 
• Coffee

The business model stipulates how the programme should be implemented and rolled out to benefit the participating farmers. Training in cultivation, processing and licensing of products where required is part of the knowledge empowerment sessions conducted

COVID -19 Preventive and Promotive health measures

We provide protection of self and others against droplet infection that causes spread of the covid -19 virus by social distancing and wearing of masks. As a health promotion and illness prevention measure, we encourage practices that address a well-maintained immune system at village level by enhancing access to traditional health promotion herbs as well as edible weeds that can be used with regular daily meals as well as food supplements processed from weeds and herbs

Our current production range (whose skills are also transferred to Farmers in the villages and townships) includes:

Organic Herbs sold fresh and dry (more than twenty different herbs). Excess herbs are preserved/processed.

1.      Lemongrass, Calendula and Rosemary are the main perennial herbs planted as feedstock for Agri processing. The output is the following products:

1.1   Essential Oils and tinctures from herb extract

1.2   Soap(s) ranging from laundry to cosmetic soaps

1.3   Herbal Tea Leaves and teabags

1.4   Culinary Herb-infused Oils

1.5   Food supplement Health Capsules

1.6   Organic food preservatives

1.7   Organic Passion Fruit which is sold to other Agri-Processors (Out-of-School Youth Groups whom we also mentor in food preservation and basic cooking skills). Excess Organic Passion Fruit is processed into:  Passion Fruit Jam; Passion Fruit Butter; Passion Fruit Schnapps; and Passion Fruit Pulp