Technology, Research and Development: Overview

The Programme, through its sub-programmes - Research, Infrastructure Support Services and Information Services - renders a research, research support and information service to all stakeholders within the province. To support competitiveness and sustainable agriculture with cutting-edge technology, three centres of excellence, namely, the Institutes of Animal Production, Plant Production and Resource Utilisation were established in 2004. Laboratory Services are also offered.

Research

The sub-programme Research executes its research mandate within three institutes:

• Institute for Animal Production.
• Institute for Plant Production.
• Institute for Resource Utilisation.

The main objectives of the programme are:

• To research, develop and adapt appropriate agriculture technology to enable agricultural producers to compete in the modern global economy and to solve production and marketing constraints.
• To transfer appropriate agricultural technology to farmers and other users of natural agricultural resources.
• To provide agro-economic information to serve as a basis for macro and micro economic decision-making.
• To convert the research rand into an information rand to the benefit to all producers in the Western Cape, irrespective of scale.

Please visit the Western Cape Department of Agriculture's Website for more information.