AFGRI

Edge designs ESD strategy to support agri businesses.

class="intro">AFGRI is one of the largest agricultural commodity trading companies in South Africa and is a leading JSE listed agricultural services and foods company, providing a wide range of products, services and inputs to farmers, producers and consumers of agricultural products. The AFGRI Services business of the AFGRI Group comprises Retail and Mechanisation and Grain Management. These divisions focus on serving the primary agricultural production sector within AFGRI’s geographical area. This area includes the Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West and Free State provinces.

Problem Statement:

In 2012, AFGRI wanted to pilot an ESD program that would assist with providing support to emerging farmers.

The program needed to assist emerging farmers to achieve specified outputs and financial performance targets. In addition to assisting the entrepreneur to meet these targets, they required efficient financial governance processes integrated into the program that included:

• Tracking budget variances


• Assessing performance against productivity metrics


• Support AFGRI in the process of fund release to the Investee


• Ensuring there is sufficient financial records to conduct an annual audit and sufficient operational records to populate metrics required to track adherence to legal agreements

Edge Solution:

Edge Growth developed an ESD program targeted at emerging farmers for AFGRI to pilot offering the following solutions:

• Integrated and holistic ED strategy development


• Loan repayment structuring


• Organizational restructuring


• Business Development Support provision


• Agricultural & ED training