Each year, Jupiter Group welcomes female students studying Farm Management at the Mashamba Campus of Vhembe TVET College to South Africa for practical on-farm experience.
Through a structured educational programme, alongside permanent and seasonal workers, Jupiter said it wished to 'support a hard-working female-led workforce in a global agri-fresh supply chain that typically faces frequent and substantial gender marginalisation'.
'By working as part of a busy farm team, Jupiter’s student workers can develop the skills they need while on the job,' the group stated. 'To get a flavour of life on a working farm, the students carry out a wide range of tasks including quality control on sizing, weighing and culling, as well as gaining expertise when working with chemicals and the more physical side of our post-harvest supply chain.'
Both Jupiter’s male and female recruits reportedly perform practical tasks on a 1,700ha-plus Maswiri farm that count towards the 3,240 hours required for their degree.
'The passion shown from each student for the future of agriculture is fantastic and Jupiter look forward to nurturing their enthusiasm and excitement for the industry throughout their time with the company,' stated the group, which interviewed a number of female students.
Magadani, when asked why she chose her degree, replied: “Studying agriculture teaches life lessons early, especially the unjustness of nature. It can also provide work for the youth and allows us to learn more about farming.'
Concerning the importance of supporting female workers, Jupiter referred to a recent report in the Africa Report on the so-called she-cession, with three-quarters of South Africa’s young people unemployed, and women making up two-thirds of the job losses experienced during the pandemic.
'Empowering women in this way holds enormous benefits for the economy worldwide,' the group said. 'The McKinsey Global Institute study found that advancing women’s equality could add US$12tr to the global economy by 2025.'
