In 2025, South Africa’s agricultural extension system will mark its centenary. Against this backdrop, the country is comprehensively upgrading its agricultural technology extension strategy, positioning it as a key driver for ensuring food security and promoting inclusive rural growth. Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen emphasized at South Africa’s inaugural Agricultural Extension Week and the 58th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Extension Association of South Africa that extension and advisory services play a pivotal role in enhancing farmer skills, facilitating knowledge transfer, and improving livelihoods.
Currently, South Africa is accelerating the development of its “Farmer Field Schools” initiative, planning to recruit 260 additional assistant extension officers to expand on-site guidance coverage. The government emphasizes that agricultural extension services must serve not only large-scale farms but also benefit smallholder farmers and young entrepreneurs, thereby building a more inclusive agricultural support system.
Technology Drives Productivity
Digitalization and innovative technologies are reshaping South Africa’s agricultural landscape. Technologies such as drone spraying, remote sensing monitoring, and smart irrigation are widely adopted in major production areas like KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. Farmers utilize agricultural drones for precision fertilization and pest control, significantly boosting operational efficiency and crop quality. Agricultural digitization initiatives promoted by the FAO and multiple international organizations enable farmers to access real-time weather, market, and planting data through mobile applications. Extension workers serve as vital bridges between technology and farmers, translating complex scientific achievements into practical operations. Data from South Africa’s Department of Agriculture indicates that agricultural output grew by 15.8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, with agricultural extension and technology adoption playing an indispensable role.
Building a Sustainable Future
Despite significant progress, South African agriculture continues to face challenges such as inadequate extension capacity, high costs, climate change, and data scarcity. Experts emphasize the need to enhance extension worker training, promote the “model farmer” approach, and combine digital communication with on-site guidance to increase technology adoption rates. Collaboration between government and private enterprises is seen as crucial for the future, with public-private partnerships (PPP) enabling resource sharing, cost-sharing, and innovation diffusion.
As underscored by the theme of South Africa’s Agricultural Extension Week—“Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Agriculture”—the nation is steadily advancing toward a new era of efficient, intelligent, and sustainable agriculture.
