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03 March 2025 | Story Andre Damons and Adele Louw | Photo Tania Allen
Agriculture Risk Financing research chair
Prof Johan van Niekerk, Vice-Dean for Agriculture for the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences; Prof Liezel Massyn, UFS Business School; Prof Nicolene Barkhuizen, Director of the UFS Business School; and Prof Cobus Oberholster, from the Agriculture Risk Financing research chair.

A newly established multi-stakeholder research chair at the University of the Free State (UFS) Business School will focus on holistic and interdisciplinary research that will create new knowledge, contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation in the food and agricultural sector.

The Agriculture Risk Financing research chair, led by Prof Cobus Oberholster from the Business School, will also support sector specific policy development and implementation, and steer the societal discourse on climate financing and sustainable agriculture. The chair forms part of the UFS, Agricultural Research Council (ARC), and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) research chairs. Prof Oberholster joined the university on 1 February 2025 in this prestigious position which is a collaboration between the Business School and the UFS Department of Agricultural Economics.

Prof Oberholster, who spent a big portion of his corporate career in the banking environment, brings extensive expertise in climate finance, resource mobilisation, and sustainable economic practices. His appointment marks a significant milestone in advancing research at the intersection of finance, sustainability, and agriculture, ensuring that innovative financial solutions contribute to environmental resilience and responsible resource management. Prof Oberholster also gained extensive management experience over the past 15 years regarding the agribusiness environment (non-Bank) in South Africa with a specific focus on value-chain financing.

Focus of research chair

Says Prof Oberholster: “The research chair will strategically focus on the mainstreaming of climate-smart financing solutions within the food and agricultural sector. To achieve this, the research will focus on three strategic and interrelated pillars (Regulatory and policy, Entrepreneurial market exchanges and Digital financial innovations), which aim to provide a governance framework within which innovative financing and market mechanisms can be developed and commercialised.

“The chair will reside at the UFS Business School, but form part of a group of research chairs being hosted within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science. These chairs cover the full food and agricultural value chain, which allow for leveraging the output of the chair within very specific components of the value agrifood value chain.”

The ARC-DALLRD-UFS research chairs were established last year in an effort to address the challenges and impact of climate change in Southern Africa and fall under the umbrella of climate change.

Prof Oberholster, who completed two doctoral degrees focusing on agriculture, agricultural development, and agricultural financing, says he is excited to be part of this joint initiative, and the opportunity to share his business and financing experience. “Climate change, and the corresponding need to find innovative financing solutions, is currently one of the biggest global challenges. It requires an accelerated and responsible approach to research and innovation which, together with the university’s trusted reputation, must be used to build social licence for disruptive technological solutions.”

Contributing to food security

According to Prof Oberholster, both the UFS Business School and the faculty, are ideally suited to find complementary commercial solutions for accessing and mobilising climate finance in South Africa and the wider African continent. The chair, through the UFS Business School, will also focus on capacity building which will be done through selected training and educational interventions, with the aim of addressing existing constraints in mobilising and accessing climate finance.

“The chair will focus on the integration of social, ethical and environmental parameters into climate-financing decisions. By focusing on these key sustainability aspects, access to climate finance will not only contribute to specific development objectives but also significantly contribute to food security,” Prof Oberholster says.

“Climate change, and the corresponding need to find innovative financing solutions, is currently one of the biggest global challenges. As such I’m looking forward to guide the creation of new knowledge in this specialised field, and especially to find complementary commercial solutions for accessing and mobilising climate finance in South Africa and the bigger African continent. What is standing out for me is the level of expertise available within the UFS, and the willingness of academics to work together on grand challenges such as climate finance. This is a winning recipe.”

News Archive

Social work students off to Sweden on exchange programme
2015-08-17


Excited about the prospects of studying in Sweden, Letttie and Moratoe already have their bags packed. Photo: Valentino Ndaba

In 2011 the university signed an exchange programme agreement with Jönköping University (JU), in Sweden. Since the inception of the contract the UFS Department of Social Work has been able to send two second year students to the guest university for a semester annually while also hosting students from JU.

 

The UFS is one of only 350 partner universities that JU co-operates with on an international level. The university that describes itself as “the most international university on Sweden” welcomes 714 exchanged students annually. This year, their School of Health and Welfare will host two of our Social work students, Moratoe Tshabalala and Lettie Mohoko; who are the fourth duo to take this unique opportunity.

These Kovsies will join the JU from 17 August-20 December 2015. By focusing on Swedish Social work and welfare policy, participation and inclusion, and Old-age care, they intend to use the learning experience to influence our country’s welfare system.

Growing up in Wesselsbron - a small town in the Free State, Lettie has always been passionate about working with people and having a positive impact on their lives. She sees the exchange programme as an opportunity to gain an international perspective which will provide more skills, hence improving her community engagement.

Moratoe, who is from the small town of Senekal, echoed similar sentiments, adding that she is interested in the distinctiveness of Sweden’s social welfare system, which offers free education, where old people get free care from the government, and children get incentives to attend school.

Lettie and Moratoe also volunteer as representatives of the UFS at ENGO Family Care, a non-profit organisation in Bloemfontein.

Dr Anneline Keet, Head of the UFS Social Work Department, believes that the exchange experience enhances the students’ critical thinking, and facilitates their ability to engage with different social welfare systems. While only two students are able to experience the full exchange annually, the rest of the students also benefit from the discussions taking place in class where students from the guest university (JU) join them for a semester.

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