By Baakedi Rachidi
Hlanki Malebana (Acting Director for Waterberg District)
At the heart of farmer support within the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are dedicated practitioners who provide extension and advisory services to farming communities. The Extension and Advisory Services directorate for the Waterberg District hosted its Annual Conference on the 10 and 11 February 2026 at the Shangrila Hotel in Modimolle.
The two-day conference offered practitioners an opportunity to review performance, gain knowledge and explore innovative approaches to improve service delivery to farmers.
The conference’s theme for this year was “Bridging the gap between Technology Transfer, Extension Advisory Services and Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agricultural Extension towards Enhancing Food Security and Market Access.” The theme empahsised the significance of integrating modern technologies, particularly AI into extension services to improve efficiency and productivity.
The Acting District Director, Mr. Hlanki Malebana suggested that “We need to adapt and adopt” new methods of operation to avoid stagnation and being trapped in the current fourth industrial revolution. The theme was elaborated on by Ms. Mmaphuti Setati, who presented a methodology aimed at enhancing livestock production extension and advisory services through the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP).
The SHEP model focuses on empowering farmers to become market-oriented producers by understanding market demands before production. This approach will soon be implemented as part of practitioners’ key performance indicators, marking a progressive shift in how extension services are delivered.
The first day of the conference was divided into two sessions. The morning session focused on information sharing through presentations. In the evening, the atmosphere shifted to a celebration as extension practitioners dressed elegantly for the gala dinner at which the Extension and Advisory Services Award was announced. Ms. Lerato Prudence Chueu emerged as the district winner and will represent Waterberg District at the provincial conference and awards ceremony scheduled to take place from 18 to 20 February 2026.
Day two commenced with an invigorating early morning walk led by the Department’s Wellness Team. This was followed by a health and wellness presentation after which wellness checks were conducted. The conference is key in ensuing that extension officers leave encouraged, energised and empowered to equip farmers with the latest knowledge, technologies and market information to enhance productivity and continue to make agriculture a sustainable business.
District Winner: Ms. Lerato Prudence Chueu
