Nationality: South African

Date of Birth: 1984

Bio
Rabelani began his career as a Junior Farm Manager at Alicedale Estate Farm in 2008 and stayed until 2017. During this time, he worked with citrus fruits as well as vegetables, specifically cash crops. Rabelani’s responsibilities included irrigation, fertigation, chemigation, plant protection and pruning. From 2011 to the present, he has been registered and working as the Managing Director and Senior Agronomy Consultant at Thogwa Agri, providing mentorship to farmers. In 2017 and 2018, Rabelani served as a production manager at Africa Excel Advisory Services (AEAS) / African Farm Harvest, focusing on inputs and production support.

Additionally, from 2019, he has been working as a part-time procurement manager for ELE Trading, a citrus and stone fruits exporting company. Moreover, from January to September 2020, Rabelani gained experience as a technical farmer's support under the Urban Agriculture Program at South Africa Breweries/INBEV.

He possesses expertise in citrus farming and cash crops such as tomatoes, cucurbits and peppers. Qualification wise, Rabelani holds a Bachelor of Agriculture degree from the University of Venda (2007), a diploma in Farm Management from Oxbridge Academy (2011) and a diploma in Project Management from Intec College (2013). Further qualifications and achievements include certifications in Citrus Black Spot Sampler Training (2015), The Citrus Excellence Programme, GLOBAL G.A.P. Version 5: Fruit and Vegetables, Safe Handling of Chemicals (2008), Primary Agricultural Store Inputs (2008), Counterbalance Forklift Truck (2008), Basic Industrial Fire Fighting (2009), First Aid Level 1 (2009, 2012), Occupational Health and Safety (2009), Train the Trainer Course (2009), General PPE (2010), Basics of Citrus Pest Scouting (2019) and Smart-Farming Workshop (2019).

About Thogwa Agri

Thogwa Agri’s core business entails advising farmers and agribusinesses on how to optimise production, technically and economically, in an environmentally sustainable manner. It also provides consultancy services to private and public institutions. The consultants work in multidisciplinary teams and have ample knowledge of both the general management and specific aspects of a particular agricultural activity.

The basic Thogwa Agri approach to agricultural advice is that of production guidance, i.e. consultants work on the basis of agreements that stipulate regular visits during the production cycle. Thus, the client is guided in all aspects of production, so as to achieve optimal results. Although specific advice is also given on an ad hoc basis, practice has shown that the best results are obtained when the client and advisor work closely together on a regular basis during all phases of production.

It has come to their attention through research that most funded farmers encounter difficulties in the farming industry resulting in less productivity or a total failure to harvest due to lack of expertise, mentorship, in-house conflicts and mismanagement.

Thogwa Agri would like to join hands with funders and become their farming partners, assisting in the following sectors with qualified and experienced individuals in:

● Agronomy: The science and technology of growing field crops and managing soil
● Soil science, formation, classification and mapping as well as the physical, chemical, biological and fertility properties of soils
● Animal science: Principles of biological, physical and social sciences with regards to the problems associated with livestock production and management
● Plant pathology: The study of the organisms and environmental conditions that cause diseases that affect the growth, yield and quality of plants
● Entomology: A diverse field focusing on insects playing a role in the spread of diseases threatening the growth of crops and animals; discovering ways of protecting crops and livestock
● Food science and technology: Analytical science in chemistry, biotechnology, engineering, nutrition, quality control and food safety management applied to raw food or marine materials transformed into edible, convenient and palatable food and beverages through the application of labour, machinery, energy and scientific knowledge to preserve, process, package and distribute to end users
● Business development and training: Creation of long-term value for an organisation from customers, markets and relationships; developing initiatives and strategies to serve company and clients; identification, negotiation and closing of business deals
● Continuous business improvement management: Monitoring and improving organisation processes by increasing efficiency and productivity; improving product quality, minimising costs and reducing waste, resulting in long-term business success

Thogwa Agri is therefore committed to the provision of innovative, quality solutions to enable farmers to achieve their objectives and therefore ensuring returns on funds taken as loans and funds allocated towards grants. Their approach is centred on meeting the requirements through building a partnership.

Apart from consulting, they farm in the Limpopo and North West provinces with cash crops and broiler chickens.