Achtertuin is at the forefront of giving back to the industry

For their small size, Achtertuin is making a big difference when it comes to mentorship.

Text and pictures: Gerrit Rautenbach

Steven Versfeld, the custodian of Achtertuin, a small farm and packhouse in the Witzenberg district, along with production manager Anieta Solomon, are staunch believers in mentoring new talent into the agricultural sector.

“Lona Odendaal convinced me that getting into mentoring is the route to give something back to the industry. Anieta and I agreed. It is something that needs to be done. We have been doing it for some years now, supporting three interns, and every time we hope to secure funding from AgriSETA, Elsenburg, or the colleges. However, we don’t always receive it, but we still do it for the good of agriculture. If there is funding, we can pay the interns pro rata more; however, without it, the minimum wage applies. However, the interns we have had thus far were not here for the money. They know and accept they’re here for the knowledge,” Steven starts explaining.

Under the watchful eye of Anieta, they are now accommodating Elvino Pietersen, their third intern. Jaydon Slinger, the first student, failed some of his subjects, but Steven and Anieta encouraged him. Instead of the required year, he stayed on Achtertuin for two years to get all his subjects for his full qualification. Today, he works in the laboratory at Ceres Fruit Growers during the season.

“Kynan Botes, our second intern, wanted to know more and more and ended up staying longer. We’re always happy to let them stay on. True, they contribute to the farm, but it is much more about what contribution we can make to their lives and knowledge. With his qualification and successful completion of his internship, Kynan is now a project manager on Koelfontein on the Koue Bokkeveld side of Hamlet,” Anieta adds.

The biggest contribution interns make is that they perform quality control after the fruit has been picked, as they are from the outside and are working towards a more senior position. It makes them ideal for this evaluation.

Because Achtertuin is 50 ha, a small concern that does not require a huge workforce, the highest position an intern can achieve there is as a supervisor. After completing their qualifications and internships, they are well-equipped for something much higher on the career ladder. They must move on, but they also need the knowledge to do so. “It’s very rewarding to help them get through their internships, seeing them gain experience, but letting go is always a bit sad. Yet, they stay in contact, letting us know how things are going, sometimes still asking for a bit of advice,” Anieta says. She adds that she was once also a student at Koue Bokkeveld Opleidingsentrum and knows what it feels like not knowing what’s supposed to happen. Having a mentor to guide you in the right direction makes life on the farm much clearer and more rewarding.

Selecting an intern is a crucial step in the process. You have to have someone coming on board who is driven, who wants to learn, and who wants to succeed. “Take Kynan, for instance,” Anieta says, “when he arrived, he knew absolutely nothing at all about fruit farming, but he was driven, enthusiastic and seriously eager to learn right from the start. With someone like that, you can go far, because he wants to know more. And more. It was always ‘why this?’ and ‘why that?’. Additionally, you need a candidate with strong leadership qualities and, above all, honesty. If you make a mistake, take it on the chin.”

“I never want to work with someone who just wants to finish their year of internship, doing as little as possible. Somebody walking around with a kind of ‘never you mind’ attitude. With a person like that, I won’t be able to cope,” Steven reckons.

The mentoring extends beyond just teaching the interns the process of farming or packing; after hours, Steven and Anieta often sit with them, providing information and insights to support their tasks and projects and helping them to bring theory and practice into unison.

Ultimately, interns work through Lona, who serves as the bridge between them and the farms that are eager to help. If there are problems or incompatibilities, she is the arbiter, solving potential hiccups. “We only see her once every three, sometimes even six months. Other than that, she connects to the interns and sometimes to us via WhatsApp,” Anieta says. Achtertuin operates its processes like a well-oiled machine.

All of life is a circle. Some years ago, Anieta qualified at Koue Bokkeveld Opleidingsentrum and thereafter needed to learn the ropes of real farming. She needed mentorship. Steven coached her. However, today she is the mentor supplying mentoring to the newbies. The interns she sends out into the real world of agriculture will, in due time, be mentoring new, keen interns.

And so, it grows.

Caption: Achtertuin’s mentorship duo: Steven Versfeld and Anieta Solomon