Agricultural Consultation
One of the problems facing investors and funding partnerships in Africa is the difficulty experienced in putting plans and operational strategies into practice. Many deals and interventions initiated in good faith and designed on sound parameters have failed at the initiation or operational phase because of a lack of effective ‘boots on the ground’. The Green Africa Group, directly and through the cumulative experiences of its members and associates, is competent to fill the hard-to-fill operational management gap. We will tailor a package to suit any project, large or small, and on any level from boardroom to field. As a guiding principle we acknowledge that in Africa it is the human element that is paramount in successful farming and are therefore at pains to understand (and become compatible with) the sensitive socio-political balances affecting agricultural projects – this before the first sod is turned.
We can plan, implement and contract manage projects of any size anywhere in Africa incorporating all operational services necessary to lead to a sustainable, efficient agricultural business. At present we are working with large investors in evaluating and implementing large new projects in Angola, DR Congo, Gabon, Tanzania, Namibia, Ghana, Malawi and Mozambique.
Quality Management
‘Quality is a pre-condition for sustaining a satisfied customer base’ . . . . a truism in our consumer-led, demanding times. As food is sourced from more diverse places, and supermarkets have to supply an ever greater percentage to the end customer, the emphasis on food safety, traceability and good agricultural practice has taken centre stage as a marketing tool.
Within the ranks of the Green Africa Group’s network is the competence to design, implement and manage the necessary systems to comply with quality standards. Here are some of the better known systems that we can design and directly insert into the farming practice:
ISO9001:2000 – Quality Management Systems
HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points)
GlobalGAP
Tesco’s Nature’s Choice
Marks & Spencer Field to Fork
Gaining acceptance as a quality producer or exporter into one or another QA scheme has some important operational implications. As all producers for export know, a small technical misjudgement on the farm can turn into an enormous and irretrievable problem on arrival on foreign markets, resulting in a rejection of the product and extreme consequential losses – both financially and in terms of market credibility. Therefore, beyond monitoring product flow at the so-called ‘critical control points’, it is important to understand and manage the impact on quality of some of the operational decisions, like:
Pre harvest irrigation
Harvesting time
Cooling time
Post harvest handling
Cool chain
The Green Africa Group can help growers to design and implement effective quality-focused control methods to avoid disaster. We also specialise in:
- Agricultural product development (fungicides, insecticides, nematicides, post-harvest treatments, herbicides, adjuvants, defoliants, fertilizers, foliar feeds and plant growth regulators), including efficacy and field stability trials, in South Africa on fruit, vegetables, wheat, barley, maize, sorghum, sugarcane, sunflowers, tobacco, ornamentals, berries, turf, forestry, coffee, cotton and crops under protection.
- Scientific protocols and development projects are designed according to the clients specific needs, and if applicable, according to specific regulatory requirements.
- Project management and preparation of registration documents.
- Product label design, marketing research and technical support.
- Laboratory screening trials and field testing for potential efficacy of applicable products or ingredients against target pathogens and pests, phytotoxicity and residue trials.
- Disease clinic for agricultural and recreational clients.
- Disease diagnosis and control.
- Complex disease diagnosis and research.
- Pest diagnosis and control.
- Nursery inspections.
- Basic personnel training.
- Exclusive study groups.
Other services we provide:
- Do I have the right strategy for my farming operation?
- How do I improve my planning to achieve a competitive advantage?
- What’s the best way for me to access new markets?
- How do I improve the operational efficiency of my farm?
- How do I improve the profitability of my farm?
- What’s the value of my farm?
- I have suffered a loss – how to I calculate the value of the loss?
- How do I ensure that my farm managers are able to effectively manage sections of the business?
- Increase your management skills with short courses
- We provide specialized witnesses in court cases