The impact of policy matters on your individual farming operation and in your immediate rural community.
FINALLY - We ready
Awards function for Competition for Women in Agriculture – Friday March 1, 2024 at 11:00 – 15:00
Villa Arcadia, Hollard Head Office, Parktown.
Final days for entries – Deadline on Wednesday, 31 January 2024.
Do you have a voice? Would you like to be heard? Do you wish to share your insights in how decisions on agricultural policy matters are affecting your daily lives on the farm? Now is the time to be part of the discussion!
The Women’s Insight Deliberation Competition provides the perfect opportunity for women who live on farms or who are involved in a farming business or in the sector to become part of the discussion on how boardroom decisions on policy matters impact on your daily lives.
The Women’s Insight Deliberation Competition seeks to encourage well-thought and accurate deliberation of the topic with practical examples. This competition seeks to create a platform where women in agriculture can become part of the agricultural discussion platform and ultimately influence public and industry discussions.
Entries are now open for the Women’s Insight Deliberation Competition Closing date Friday, 2 February 2024 Topics for deliberation
• The energy and water challenges in rural areas.
• The impact of the lack of infrastructure in rural communities.
• The success of the family farming business.
• Rural safety. • Health challenges in rural areas.
• Labour challenges that affect the farm.
• A sustainable environment.
• Or any topic that has an impact on your direct working environment. Who may enter and are eligible to take part in the competition? • All women in agriculture from 18 years and older. • All women who are farmers themselves.
• All women, married to a farmer.
• All women involved in agricultural or farming business.
How to enter
1. Click on the banner on the main page of Farmingportal.co.za to obtain the entry form
2. Fill in the form and answer all the questions.
3. Send your YouTube video clip, not longer than 6 – 8 minutes to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your name and contact number in which you deliberate the topic - For support with the upload and submission of your video clip – contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for assistance. Your video clip must contain the following information -
• A brief introduction on yourself.
• Introduction into the subject matter.
• Deliberation and discussion of the topic.
• Your conclusion on the topic.
Tips for your video presentation Assure the following:
• Your mobile phone is in portrait format.
• Position yourself in a 3-meter distance from the mobile phone screen, and picture view to be full length.
• The background is not too busy – and stand or sit in front of a blank wall or plain curtains.
• The environment is not too dark or too light.
• The sound is clear.
• The video must be continuous, and not broken up in parts.
The process
1. Five finalists will be selected and invited to a prestige awards function on Friday 1 March 2024 in Johannesburg, where the winner for 2023 will be announced.
2. The event will include a press conference and panel discussion on the subject.
3. All finalists will be responsible for their own transportation to Pretoria.
4. One night’s accommodation will be complimentary for a single person or sharing couple. Judging The entries will be judged by the sponsors of the competition.
The criteria
1. Is the topic argumentative? Do you properly deliberate the topic.
2. Introduction: Is it effective and suitable?
3. Content: Is it clear and adequate to convince the judges?
4. Language: Is it suitable and constructive?
5. Overall confidence of the entrant.
6. Gestures: Is the entrant natural and comfortable in her performance?
7. Use of voice: Is her voice clear, the tempo relaxed and using the correct pronunciation of the words?
8. Eye contact with the audience and handling of her notes.
9. Conclusion: Is it effective?
10. Overall impression.
Prizes Each finalist will receive prize money and complimentary gifts from the sponsors. Copyright: All winners agree that their video will become the property of CRA Group/Future Agri Perspective and may not be used for publication or use without the consent of CRA Group/Future Agri Perspective.
Competition rules
1. Entries close on 2 February 2024.
2. All entrants must be South African residents.
3. All entrants must be 18 years or older.
4. A short CV must be submitted with the entry form, together with a head-and-shoulder photo, 250 x 250 pixels or above, in JPEG format.
5. Entries may be in Afrikaans or in English.
6. The entry submission must be the entrant’s own original work and may not contain content that could be deemed offensive or inappropriate. Any material that is considered to be unsuitable, will be removed from the judging process and disqualified.
7. Entries must in accordance with the explained topics.
8. Entries will only be considered when submitted via the online mechanism. No other method of entry is permitted (this includes email or by post).
9. Any entry per individual will be accepted.
10. An entry with missing information will not be a valid entry and will not progress in the competition.
11. The competition closes at 16:00 on 2 February 2024. Late and incomplete or illegible entries will be disqualified.
12. The 5 finalists will be announced on 16 February 2024, and the winner on 1 March 2024.
13. The judges’ decision will be final and no negotiations or correspondence regarding the competition will be entered.
14. The prize money will be awarded by EFT, and paid on Monday, 4 March 2024 into the winner’s bank account. The selected winners will need to provide proof of banking details for verification before payment is made.
15. By entering this competition, permission is given to use your video material for publication on the Farmingportal.co.za platform.
16. Future Agri Perspective acknowledges that the ownership of any intellectual property rights in the entry remains with the entrants, but that by applying each entrant grants
17. Future Agri Perspective and Farming Portal the exclusive right to use or reproduce, free of charge, their entry or part thereof for the purpose of the competition, including publicising the competition in any and all media in perpetuity throughout the world, fulfilling the prize and associated competition publicity.
Future Agri Perspective and CRA Group reserves the right to cancel the competition or change any of these rules at any stage if deemed necessary in its opinion of if circumstances arise outside of its control. Any such changes will be communicated. Future Agri Perspective and CRA Group will not be held responsible for any unforeseen events relating to the competition having to be cancelled or delayed.
18. Future Agri Perspective and CRA Group, their sub-contractors, subsidiaries and/or agencies cannot accept any responsibility whatsoever for any technical failure or malfunction or any other problem with any server, internet access, system or otherwise which may result in any entry not being properly registered or recorded.
19. These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of South Africa.
20. By entering this competition, you consent to the sharing and processing of your personal information. The organisers will treat any of your personal information provided with caution and we have put reasonable security measures in place to protect it. You are welcome to request access to any of your personal information that we hold.
21. By entering the competition, you give your consent to be invited to speak at, or take part in, possible future public discussions, related to the competition topic.
22. Future Agri Perspectives and CRA Group, their sub-contractors, subsidiaries and/or agencies do not accept any responsibility whatsoever for these invitations and will not be responsible for any practical arrangements, transport, or remunerations in the regards. All correspondence and negotiations in this regard will be between the winner/participant and the inviting person/body/agency. Enquiries Marianna du Plessis | 063 076 9135 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
According to research, speaking in front of an audience can be terrifying. Orators is not only for overcoming this fear, but also a life skill learned, and self-confidence is built to be able to speak in front of an audience and convince them of your point of view. We would like to share some guidelines regarding the speech and the presentation thereof.
General rules The speech
• The speaker chooses a topic that falls into their field of knowledge and in which she believes, otherwise they will not be able to convince the audience of their point of view.
• The speaker must convey her point of view without offending any person, thus avoid religion and politics.
• The speech should be short and powerful so that she holds the audience’s attention from the start to the end.
• The duration of the speech for this competition is 6-8 minutes. The introduction • Acknowledge the chairman and greet the audience. The adjudicators also form part of the audience and are not addressed separately.
• Briefly explain the theme. It must be very striking and effective to immediately attract the attention of the audience, as this determines whether they want to continue listening. Example to start your speech Chairperson Ladies and Gentlemen Explain why your chose your topic and explain it in a brief 2-3 minutes.
The content
• The content consists of three main arguments and should be consistently related to the topic. • Each main argument should be supported by the speaker’s own opinion. • An example of her own may be used.
The conclusion
• Briefly recall the three arguments, connect to the introduction, and conclude strongly. The presentation • Keeping in mind that each speaker has her own unique personality, there is no set manner to guarantee the success of a presentation, but certain guidelines can be followed. Each entrant has her own speaker style, and a very important element is to be comfortable and to keep it natural.
• Appearance: a speaker with a neat appearance, already has the attention of the audience.
• Attitude: A confident speaker creates a very good impression and must trust and believe in what you convey convincingly. A domineering speaker tend to lose the attention of the audience. Constantly maintain a friendly attitude and a touch of humour, if it comes naturally, will be in order. The use of the podium is optional, and the choice of the speaker.
• Notes and note-handling: Notes are important. A speaker does not need to know the presentation 100% off by heart, but it would be to her advantage if she is familiar with the content. Notes serve as an aid to the speaker and for some speakers, can secure calmness. The form and the size of the notepad is not prescribed. Using notes
• Always double check the use before the start of the presentation
• By holding the notes in one hand, the speaker appears more confident, and it facilitates movements and gestures with the free hand.
• Notes may be exchanged from one hand to the other hand and done as unsightly as possible.
• Notes should be part of the speaker’s body language and movements and should not distract the speaker.
• Eye contact with the judges and audience, is important. Prevent from focussing on one person in the audience or judges only, during your presentation.
• Volume and tone of the voice should be loud and clear. It is important that the speaker maintains a calm, confidents tone of voice, without sounding sullen or rude. It is to the advantage if the speaker to know her topic well and her tone of voice and voice exchange, are used comfortably. It can be supported the meaning of certain words or sentences. It is important to pay attention to breathing to avoid words can get lost at the end of a sentence.
• Pausing between sentences need not to be too long. You can use this between the introduction, your point of views and towards the end.
• Movements and gestures should be natural and to support the presentation. Avoid exaggerated and dramatic gestures.
Use the following steps to add it to you tube before submitting and can be done on your mobile phone.
1. Use the YouTube function. Click on Library,
2. Click on your videos,
3. Click on upload video,
4. Click on your own video to upload,
5. When your video appears, enter your name and surname under Title,
6. Click unlisted. The receiver only will be able to watch the video and will prevent the video to go viral.
7. Click on the option No it not made for kids. Click OK. It can appear to take a while to upload the video.
8. When uploaded, click the share option, and follow the steps to the Gmail account. You can copy the link to your own email account and send it from there.
9. When you send the email, assure that the link is attached, and your name and surname are entered in the subject space.
10. The FROM-email is your email address, and TO is directly to the cra.cramedia.co.za email address. Enquiries: Marianna du Plessis | 063 076 9135 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Who we are
Who is Future Agri Perspective?
Future Perspective is an initiative between Agri X Group (Pty) Ltd and CRA Media CK, and like-minded individuals who are teaming together to present credible and scalable platforms for individuals in the agricultural value chain. These platforms facilitate a process for participants to present and voice insights and perspectives on relevant topics to stimulate debate and surface potential solutions, which might otherwise not been tabled.
Who is the CRA Group?
Farmingport.co.za and Agrinewsnet.co.za are well-known on-line media portals, in farming and agriculture for the past 21 years, and driven by the CRA Group, based in Pretoria.
Who is Agri X?
The purpose of Agri X is to unlock value for our clients by focussing on market acceleration, business growth and support. Agri X has access to extensive networks of partners and a wide range of skills and capabilities to enable clients to be sustainable and future competitive.
Meet the Team
Magda du Toit
Magda has a demonstrated history and experience in agricultural communications, stakeholder relations and issues management of more than 35 years. She served on the executive of both the regional and national bodies of the Agricultural Writers SA where she was elected for 11 years as regional, and 9 years as the national chair. She currently serves as the South African representative at the international Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ). She is a well-known and outspoken advocate for agriculture. After many years in the corporate arena, she now operates as a freelance writer and communications consultant. She is well-known for
her inspirational Women’s Agricultural Diary that has changed the lives of many women in rural areas.
Marianna du Plessis
Marianna grew up in a family farming environment. She is an experienced facilitator and project orientated, with wealth of experience in linking agri-business to profitable projects, opportunities, and potential funding. She is the founder of the international Agribusiness Africa Conference and facilitating regular visits to some of the major international agricultural trade shows, co-hosting summits internationally, and speaker or chairperson at international conferences. Marianna is an invited member of the International Women in Agriculture Forum.
Johann Pretorius
Johann grew up in the countryside of the Free State. Johann was a full time commercial grain and cattle farmer for 25 years. He has more than 20 years’ experience in national radio and television broadcast and media, and the founder of the online media Farmingportal.co.za and Agri News Net portals. He is the CEO of the CRA Group in Pretoria.
Koos Nel
Koos is the co-founder and CEO of the Agri X Group, is an admitted Advocate of the High Court in South Africa, a chartered marketer and certified financial planner with a 30 year career in Old Mutual, spanning various functions varying from legal advice, marketing and business development. As head of Agri and a Strategic Marketing Manager he was responsible for the strategy and value proposition for Agri market.
