Presentations and Media
Watch the video below to learn more about the SmartAgri project:
Presentations
View the presentations (select link) done by the SmartAgri team on the occasion of the launch od the SmartAgri Plan on 17 May 2016:
- The SmartAgri Journey - Presentation Government Workshop 17 May 2016. Event: Western Cape Government workshop prior to the official launch of the SmartAgri Plan, Cape Town.
- The SmartAgri Plan - Presentation Launch 17 May 2016: Event: Official Western Cape Government Launch of the SmartAgri Plan, Cape Town.
Radio series
For two years (April 2018 to March 2020, 104 episodes), Die Kwik Styg was broadcast on the Afrikaans language Radio Sonder Grense (RSG) at 12:45 every Friday afternoon. The programme was presented by Lizma van Zyl, with technical editing by Lindsay Johnson of Crossfade Studios, and overall project leadership from Dr Ilse Trautmann, Chief Director in the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. The Department also funded the programme.
This project was run as one of the communications tools of the SmartAgri Plan with the objective of creating awareness on climate change for the agricultural sector and the general public. After the success of the first series (2018-19), RSG invited the department to do a second series (2019-20). Experts on climate change in South Africa (and one from the UK) took part as guests in the two series. Die Kwik Styg was the first radio series on climate change produced and broadcast in South Africa.
The series was an audio “painting” of various aspects of climate change, and the selection of experts as speakers generated interest on many levels. The focus was to bring the pieces of the climate-change puzzle into a well-planned and holistic picture to foster climate change awareness. According to Dr Ilse Trautmann, one of the objectives was to take a very complex subject like climate change to the listener in bite-size chunks of information to create a better understanding of climate change.
The point of departure for each programme was stating the facts, and then changing into a proverbial “next gear” of innovative and sustainable solutions. A positive message that all is not doom and gloom and that we can strive towards a sustainable and better future, was conveyed at the closing of every programme. Planning for a better tomorrow today, is the best insurance policy for a sustainable future. Connecting the right dots and understanding interlinkages are pivotal to the survival of and on our planet. Each programme of Die Kwik Styg therefore ended with the slogan “Die aarde is kosbaar; kom ons bewaar dit”.
The programme of episodes for the two seasons, listing the topics and expert guest speakers can be downloaded here:
Season 1: click here
Season 2: click here
The programmes can be downloaded as podcasts on www.elsenburg.com or www.rsg.co.za/rsg/potgooi/
E-booklets based on Kwik Styg radio series
Die Kwik Styg, a weekly Afrikaans radio programme on climate change and its consequences for humans, animals, the environment and the agricultural industry was launched in 2018. It ended in April 2020 after 104 programmes (see article above).
In 2020, fourteen of the programmes were transcribed and translated into the three official languages of the Western Cape, namely Afrikaans, English and Xhosa, and were published in e-booklet format. Embedded radio technology allows the reader to listen to the original radio programme while reading the Afrikaans e-booklet.
The booklets were launched at a stakeholder event hosted by Minister Ivan Meyer, minister of agriculture in the Western Cape. He highlighted climate change as one of his ministerial priorities. “Addressing the impact of climate change is one of my ministerial priorities. The publication of the e-booklets provides another platform to advance a climate-resilient future for the sector”, said Minister Meyer. “We have to increase agricultural production in a sustainable and climate-smart manner”, he concluded.
The booklets can be downloaded from www.elsenburg.com/resource-library/e-book-publications or using the following links:
English | Afrikaans | isiXhosa
Awards
2018 Western Cape Service Excellence Awards – SmartAgri takes gold
The Premier Service Excellence Awards, which began in 2014, are aimed at rewarding good performance by public servants. A total of eight categories are contested, showcasing individual, team and departmental excellence for leadership, ethics, implemented programmes, Batho Pele principles, as well as innovation in the public service.
SmartAgri took the Gold Award in the category “Best Implemented Project” for the excellent way in which the project was implemented in the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) and in the sector in the 2017/2018 financial year.
Photo (from left to right): Mike Mulcahy (CEO: GreenCape), Piet van Zyl (Head of Department: Environmental Affairs and Development Planning DEA&DP), Dr Ilse Trautmann (Chief Director Research and Technology Development, WCDoA), Premier Helen Zille, Prof Stephanie Midgley (climate change specialist to the WCDoA), Goosain Isaacs (Director Climate Change, DEA&DP) and Joyene Isaacs (Head of Department: WCDoA).
According to Dr Trautmann, project leader, SmartAgri was developed in such a way as to provide a roadmap to the agricultural sector towards climate change resilience and sustainable resilience. The plan is a living and dynamic document and will “grow” as the sector identifies more ways to adapt and mitigate the challenges of climate change. The development of the plan was a “Better Together” initiative between the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning and the service provider, ACDI. GreenCape is assisting in the implementation of the plan in the sector. The partnership model, also including all agricultural stakeholders, is pivotal in the implementation of the plan in the sector in the years to come. According to Dr Trautmann, one of the reasons for entering SmartAgri was to showcase how a sector plan can be innovatively implemented in the Department of Agriculture and in the sector using novel approaches and by using current and new awareness and information dissemination tools and vehicles. The award was based on evidence provided for the year 2017/2018 as per the award requirements.
2019 Eco-logic Awards – Winner (Gold Award) in the category Climate Change
Shortly after being awarded the 2018 Premier Service Excellence gold award in the category “Best Implemented Plan”, the SmartAgri plan of the Department was awarded the Eco-Logic 2019 gold award in the category “Climate Change”, at a prestigious event held in Cape Town.
The Eco-Logic awards, an initiative of The Enviropaedia, identify individuals, organisations and communities that contribute positively towards a sustainable world and encourages consumers to support the finalists by purchasing their products and services. It was established in 2011 and draws entries from all over South Africa. These awards have since grown into South Africa’s most glamorous green eco calendar event, receiving extensive TV, radio, print media and online coverage.
The adjudicators commented as follows at the winners’ announcement:
“SmartAgri (The Western Cape Climate Change Response Framework and Implementation Plan for the agricultural sector) is an outstanding example of how government has developed a plan and is implementing this plan for the benefit of all involved in the agricultural sector (including commercial and smallholder farmers, agriworkers, agribusinesses, etc.). The SmartAgri plan is also an attempt to secure the food basket of the Western Cape and beyond (regional, global exports, etc.), and to ensure that the agricultural sector in the Western Cape is more resilient against climate change, thereby securing jobs and ensuring economic development. SmartAgri is furthermore highlighting how difficult and comprehensive certain challenges are, in this case climate change, and finding effective ways to become more resilient as a sector. These action plans are delivered in a palatable and user-friendly way, in which the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders are clearly defined. The main aim is for stakeholders to pick up the plan, read it, get excited and move towards climate change resilience in their own way and at their own pace with their own tailor-made implementation plans.
Mr Albi Modise, Head of Communications at the Department of Environmental Affairs, hands over the award to Dr Ilse Trautmann, Chief Director: Research and Technology Development. With them is Prof. Stephanie Midgley, project team leader of African Climate and Development Institute (ACDI).
2020 Eco-logic Awards – Winner (Gold Award) in the category Climate Change
In less than a year after being awarded the 2019 Eco-Logic gold award in the category Climate Change for its SmartAgri plan, the department once again took centre stage at the 2020 Eco-Logic Awards ceremony, which was presented in a virtual format. This time the gold award in the category Climate Change was awarded to the very popular radio series Die Kwik Styg. Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer congratulated the Western Cape Department of Agriculture for winning the gold award and said, “Tackling climate change is one of my priorities. So I am extremely proud of Dr Trautmann and her team. Creating awareness among South Africans of the challenges and opportunities of climate change is critical in our campaign to develop innovative solutions to the challenge it presents. Die Kwik Styg provided the perfect platform for the Western Cape to contribute to the building of a climate-resilient South Africa.”
The judges commented by saying, “This radio programme won the gold award because of the brilliant use of such a potent medium that is able to reach many communities in their own language by bringing the scientific discussion down to the level of ordinary people. It makes it believable and assists in making a significant impact in the lives of ordinary people”.
