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Advancing food security; doing it differently

27 September 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Frikkie copy — Dr Frikkie Maré is serving as one of the directors of the non-profit organisation, the Agri Relief Foundation (ARF).

The agricultural sector is used to facing events of abnormal impact, including floods, droughts, veld fires, and disease outbreaks. Even if it is possible to prepare against any of these risks by taking proper measures, for instance by having a farm emergency plan in place or by securing property properly, there are times when it is not possible or practical for the modern-day South African farmer to proactively manage all the risks they are facing.

It is in times like these that the newly established body, the Agri Relief Foundation (ARF), provides an invaluable service to the agricultural sector.

Dr Frikkie Maré, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS), is one of the directors of this non-profit organisation, which focuses on assisting agricultural producers in need.

This initiative is the brainchild of a number of businesses in the agricultural sector.

He says although there are many institutions in South Africa assisting farmers, most of the current initiatives are geared towards large-scale disasters, such as severe droughts, floods, unpreventable pests and diseases, and veld fires that affect many producers.

Benefiting the wider society

According to Dr Maré, the ARF will focus on helping individual agricultural producers who are in need; both financially and otherwise. This may include elements such as the loss of grazing due to brown locust, assistance after a farm attack or murder to ensure the day-to-day running of the farm, and localised natural disasters such as floods, hail, severe cold, or fire.

The group of directors plays a key role in screening the applications for assistance and deciding, based on merit and the availability of resources, who they can assist.

Besides the direct benefit to the farmer, this initiative also adds value to the wider society. “When the sustainability of an agricultural producer is under threat, it also threatens the livelihoods of his/her workers and their families, the rural economy of the nearest town where they purchase production inputs and general groceries, as well as society at large, as less food and/or fibre will be produced. The assistance of the ARF will therefore ripple out to a much larger level than only the agricultural producer,” explains Dr Maré.

A learning experience

There is also a benefit for the university. In the classroom, Dr Maré will be able to share any knowledge he is gaining in this process with his students. “Agricultural Economics is fundamentally about ensuring the long-term sustainability of agricultural production through concepts, including but not limited to, production economics, natural resource economics, agricultural management, and marketing. My involvement in the ARF will provide examples of what can go wrong in terms of primary production that threatens the sustainability of the enterprise and what can be done to assist,” he says.

Any business or individual can contribute to this noble cause. Financial contributions as well as physical products such as transport, fuel, animal feed, and legal services are welcome.

Dr Maré says they have already received contributions from companies such as Zoetis (animal health), which sponsor a part of their profit from certain products to the foundation on a continuous basis. Lavendula (animal feed) also sponsored the proceeds of a farmers’ information day.

News Archive

Researchers international leaders in satellite tracking in the wildlife environment

2015-05-29

Ground-breaking research has attracted international media attention to Francois Deacon, lecturer and researcher in the Department Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the UFS, and Prof Nico Smit, from the same department. They are the first researchers in the world to equip giraffes with GPS collars, and to conduct research on this initiative. Recently, they have been joined by Hennie Butler from the Department of Zoology as well as Free State Nature Conservation to further this research.

“Satellite tracking is proving to be extremely valuable in the wildlife environment. The unit is based on a mobile global two-way communication platform, utilising two-way data satellite communication, complete with GPS systems.

“It allows us to track animals day and night, while we monitor their movements remotely from the computer. These systems make possible the efficient control and monitoring of wildlife in all weather conditions and in near-to-real time. We can even communicate with the animals, calling up their positions or changing the tracking schedules.

“The satellite collar allows us to use the extremely accurate data to conduct research with the best technology available. The volume of data received allows us to publish the data in scientific journals and research-related articles.

“Scientific institutions and the public sector have both shown great interest in satellite tracking, which opens up new ground for scientific research for this university. Data management can be done, using Africa Wildlife Tracking (AWT) equipment where we can access our data personally, store it, and make visual presentations. The AWT system and software architecture provide the researcher with asset tracking, GPS location reports, geo-fencing, highly-detailed custom mapping, history reports and playback, polling on demand, history plotting on maps, and a range of reporting types and functions,” Francois said.

Data can be analysed to determine home range, dispersal, or habitat preference for any specific species.

Francois has been involved in multiple research projects over the last 12 years on wildlife species and domesticated animals, including the collaring of species such as Black-backed Jackal, Caracal, African Wild Dog, Hyena, Lion, Cheetah, Cattle, Kudu, Giraffe, and Black Rhino: “Giraffe definitely being the most challenging of all,” he said.

In 2010, he started working on his PhD, entitled The spatial ecology, habitat preferences and diet selection of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in the Kalahari region of South Africa.

Since then, his work has resulted not only in more research work (supervising four Masters students) but also in a number of national and international projects. These include work in the:

Kalahari region (e.g. Khamab Nature Reserve and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)
Kuruman region (Collared 18 cattle to identify spatial patterns in relation to the qualities of vegetation and soil-types available. This project took place in collaboration with Born University in Germany)
Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate and Kolomella Iron Ore – ecological monitoring
A number of Free State nature reserves (e.g. Distribution of herbivores (kudu and giraffe) and predators (camera traps)

Francois is also involved with species breeding programmes and management (giraffe, buffalo, sable, roan, and rhino) in Korrannaberg, Rustenburg, Hertzogville, Douglas, and Bethlehem as well as animal and ecological monitoring in Kolomella and Beesthoek iron ore.

Besides the collaring of giraffes, Francois and his colleagues are involved in national projects, where they collect milk from lactating giraffes and DNA material, blood samples, and ecto/endo parasites from giraffes in Southern Africa.

With international projects, Francois is working to collect DNA material for the classification of the nine sub-species of giraffe in Africa. He is also involved in projects focusing on the spatial ecology and adaptation of giraffe in Uganda (Murchison Falls), and to save the last 30 giraffe in the DRC- Garamba National Park.

This project has attracted a good deal of international interest. In June 2014, a US film crew (freelancing for Discovery Channel) filmed a documentary on Francois’ research (trailer of documentary). Early in 2015, a second crew, filming for National Geographic, also visited Francois to document his work.

More information about Francois’ work is available at the GCF website.

Read Francois Deacon's PhD abstract

Direct enquiries to news@ufs.ac.za.

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