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Dr Hlami Ngwenya contributes to sustainable agriculture on the continent

11 May 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Dr Ngwena_web read more — Dr Hlami Ngwenya believes that the UFS has a key role to play in Africa.

Dr Hlami Ngwenya, Lecturer in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development at the University of the Free State (UFS), describes herself as a social scientist and global citizen – having worked in more than 50 countries, with more than 30 years of experience.

She is equipping students to make a difference in their communities, whether it is here in South Africa, or in other countries in Africa where they reside and beyond. Dr Ngwenya joined the UFS in 2015, teaching the Advanced Diploma on Extension for Sustainability and the Master’s Programme on Sustainable Agriculture and Extension: Theory and Practice.

Investing in farmers’ human capital globally

She has made major contributions to the field with her research work. In 2020, she contributed a chapter on ‘Food and Agriculture’ in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report on COVID-19 Rapid Emergency Needs Assessment for the most vulnerable groups. In addition, she was part of a global study titled, Investing in farmers: Agriculture Human Capital Investment (AHCI) strategies, conducted in partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO Investment Centre).

The latter study was conducted in nine countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The aim was to improve the understanding of AHCI. The study also provides lessons learned from successful AHCI models around the world, with recommendations and guidelines for future investment that enhances the human capital of agricultural producers.

This year, she is working on a research paper titled, Demystifying facilitation of systemic change and the role of agriculture extension towards sustainable development and resilient food systems: analytical, conceptual and theoretical underpinnings.

Her input is also valued by paramount bodies in the industry, such as the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS). Dr Ngwenya is a member of the GFRAS Consortium for Education and Training, and she is playing a significant role in terms of agricultural extension and advisory services at a global level.

Global tool with local relevance

She is also one of the faces behind the globally developed New Extensionist Learning Kit. Commonly known as NELK, this GFRAS product was created as a tool to augment and equip agricultural extension personnel with the functional skills relevant to managing the complexities of agricultural innovation and food systems.

The UFS Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development is one of the leading institutions globally that has adopted and adapted NELK as part of its curriculum. The South African Society for Agricultural Extension (SASAE) has also adopted the kit to contribute towards the continuous professional development of extension personnel.

On the African continent, Dr Ngwenya has been a resource person for the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) and supported the development of agricultural extension and advisory services fora at regional and national levels.

Here on home soil, she continues to be involved with SASAE, supporting them in facilitating their strategic planning processes and professionalisation activities.

Spreading her wings beyond extension

Beyond her active involvement in the agricultural extension field, Dr Ngwenya is a role player in other areas of agriculture globally. This includes agricultural policy, agricultural research, as well as agricultural education. She brings all this knowledge and skills to benefit her students and the university.

In her lifetime, she has had the opportunity to moderate more than 300 multi-stakeholder engagements, including strategic planning sessions, organisational development, team building, training, and conferences. These include high-level policy dialogues at United Nations level, the African Union Commission, and other continental and regional level organisations.

Humbleness is empowering

Although she had the chance to travel the world and engage at the highest level, she believes that it is important to be humble. She makes an effort to respect and cherish people for who they are, their cultures, and different systems.

“One of the most valuable lessons I have learnt through engaging in many African countries, is that there is not necessarily co-relation between a country’s strong economy and human capital.” Despite the socio-political challenges that many countries go through (including ours), there are many genuine, hard-working, and intelligent people out there,” she says.

News Archive

Getting out of the dark

2015-04-28

Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Since 2008, the University of the Free State has been busy with the planning and implementation of projects to reduce the impact of load shedding. To date, the cost of these projects has run to R6 million. They have been done primarily to ensure that the academic programme does not suffer damage as a result of the increasing interruptions in the power supply that are continuing this year.

The university’s greatest concern has been the provision of emergency power to the lecture halls and laboratories.

Thus far, 35 generators are servicing 55 buildings on the three campuses of the UFS. This includes 26 generators on the Bloemfontein Campus, eight on the Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State, and one generator on the South Campus in Bloemfontein. The generators are already in service, and are maintained in working order.

Since 2010, the university has also ensured that all newly-built academic buildings are equipped with emergency power supplies.

On the South Campus in Bloemfontein, the new lecture-hall building and the computer laboratory are equipped with emergency power, while the installation of emergency generators in other buildings is under way. The majority of the buildings on the Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State are equipped with emergency power supplies.

In the meantime, the UFS management has approved a further R11 million for the installation of additional generators on the three campuses. A further R1.5 million has also been approved for the purchase of two mobile generators.

To extend the work already done, the main task will be the installation of more generators on the Bloemfontein Campus to ensure that lecture halls with emergency power will be available for the centrally-arranged timetables, and to ensure that more of the critical laboratories will be provided with emergency power.

There are still some important buildings and halls on the Bloemfontein Campus that must be supplied with emergency power. However, it is a costly process and must be brought into operation gradually. The further implementation of emergency power depends on the delivery of equipment. The university is also investigating alternative solutions for power provisioning, including solar power.

Generators with spare capacity are optimally deployed to satisfy the lower needs of the campus, including the Odeion, the ANNEX at Microbiology, the Stabilis ANNEX, the Agriculture Building, the UV-Sasol library, and the Francois Retief Building.

In addition, the UFS is busy on all campuses, coupling area lighting, including

street lights and pedestrian walkways, to existing generators. Procedures for the operation of mechanical equipment, such as entrance gates, lifts, and so on, are currently being dealt with on all campuses. Continuous power sources for certain ICT equipment will be installed on all campuses to protect it against power surges.

Staff and students can also equip themselves with the necessary knowledge to manage load shedding in their specific areas of work and study. It is always helpful to know who to contact. The following list with guidelines and contact numbers has been compiled to assist you:

1. In an emergency, call Protection Services. This line will continue to operate, regardless of whether the power is on or off.
2. Avoid using lifts just before planned load shedding. Some lifts have emergency power packs which will bring the lift to the nearest floor and open the doors. If you still get stuck in a lift during a power outage, use your cellphone to call Protection Services. While you're waiting, stay calm and be patient.
3. If the access control systems in your building stop working after load shedding, contact Protection Services.
4. The students and staff members who are most at risk during load shedding are those in wheelchairs or with other mobility limitations. As far as possible, plan ahead to avoid being stuck on a floor or in a room that is difficult to access when load shedding is imminent. Please contact Protection Services if you need assistance.
5. During a fire, alarms WILL go off. Alarms are not power driven, but battery driven. For assistance, contact Protection Services.
6. The main UFS Switchboard (Bloemfontein Campus +27(0)51 401 9111 and Qwaqwa Campus +27(0)58 718 5000) will continue to operate during load shedding.

Contact details of Protection Services:

Bloemfontein Campus: +27(0)51 401 2634/2911
Qwaqwa Campus: +27(0)58 508 5460/5175
South Campus: +27(0)51 5051217

Communication and Brand Management will make information available on the UFS web, Facebook page, Twitter, Blackboard and the intranet. Get the load shedding schedule from Eskom’s webpage (http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za/). The Bloemfontein Campus falls in group 4 and the South Campus falls in group 2 in Centlec’s load shedding schedule.

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