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Every contribution helps a farmer in need.
To be a farmer in South Africa takes immense grit and courage; it being one of the least secure ventures to embark on. There are numerous risks, ranging from natural disasters and unfavourable market conditions to crime and political instability. There are risks that can wreak havoc within a few hours or debilitate a farm overnight.
The Agri Relief Foundation (ARF) was established as a non-profit organisation with this in mind.
From points in pockets to a helping hand, with the AgriBonus points system we're giving farmers a monetary reward for supporting our business partners. But, together with Zoetis our first partner on the ARF journey, a fund was created to give back to farmers with focused help for when tragedy strikes.
We knew that by being connected to farmers through our business partners who have boots on the ground on the farms, every day, we have an advantage to know what the immediate needs are on farms across our country – today, not yesterday.
If there's a fire right now in a remote area of the country, one or more of our partners will know about it. If a devastating farm murder took place during the night, our partners who rub shoulders with the community will know of it. This gives us invaluable information to be able to act quickly. To help farmers in those crucial first hours and days before it might be too late to prevent an entire commercial entity having to grind to a halt due to unforeseen and tragic circumstances.
We strive to provide essential relief to farmers in times of emergency. We provide preventative aid; as well as rapid, targeted, and restorative relief after disaster has struck.
Established: The Agri Relief Fund was founded by AgriBonus and their partner, Zoetis, and has attracted many other partners to join the initiative since then. It's a way to give back to farmers by helping them during difficult times when they cannot help themselves.
Focus: The Agri Relief Foundation does not specifically label the types of scenarios where relief and aid will be provided, as it can vary – from assisting after a farm attack or farm murder, to providing medicinal relief to animals after a fire. Preventative aid is also a main focus by equipping farmers with fire prevention equipment such as backpack blowers.
Relief is not provided where help can come from the government by declaring a national disaster. Where a specific risk could have been insured for, relief is also not given.
Watch here how you can make a difference in the lives of South African farmers.
In this video the damage that can be done to farms and farm animals can be seen, highlighting the importance of supporting our farmers during challenging times.
We assist individual farmers during unforeseen tragedy that can threaten the survival of their farm and the people and animals who are dependent on it.
The bulk of the relief we provide relates to fires and the damage they can cause on a farm. We provide farmers with backpack blowers and other fire prevention and fire fighting equipment to enable them to act quickly and effectively in the event of a fire. By being proactive, we hope to equip farmers in such a way that the devastation caused by veld fires can be kept to a minimum. We also enable the procurement of medicine for animals injured during veld fires.
Severe hailstorms can also wreak havoc on a farmer's herd. We provide relief to nurse these animals back to health.
Instances where relief will be provided are not cast in stone. At the ARF our hearts beat for our farmers and we'll always be looking for ways to help and assist them where we can.
Assistance with widespread disasters such as drought, flooding, and politically motivated riots fall outside the mandate of the ARF. Although we acknowledge that these disasters are a major concern, they usually require a government or provincial authority approach, and several organisations are already actively involved in sourcing and aiding in this regard. The ARF will generally not help where insurance could have covered damage.
We are flanked by a team of extraordinary partners who make it possible to provide this crucial aid to our farming community.
The ARF facilitates institutional, farming unit, individual, or other stakeholders to donate funds based on sales of products, other performance-based methodologies, or direct donations.
Corporate Partners: Companies can pledge monetary donations based on sales, or provide physical products including transport, fuel, feed, veterinary medicine, and firefighting equipment.
Pioneer Partner: : Animal health company Zoetis was the first to support us by pledging the monetary value for each unit of Terramycin (500 ml), Cydectin (500 ml), and Dectomax (500 ml) sold.
When the fund was started, great care was taken to elect directors who will act autonomously when deciding on relief. We chose four men who have all had a constructive impact on the agricultural landscape of our country. Our directors serve as independent individuals with no bias or personal motivations.
Decision-making: The majority vote principle prevails when deciding where and how assistance is needed and given.
Applications: We began accepting applications for assistance on January 1, 2022.
Experienced professionals committed to supporting South African agriculture and providing fair and non-biased aid to farmers who need it.
Currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Red Meat Producers' Organisation (RPO). Dr Maré also served as former Academic Head of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State, and as the editor of Veeplaas magazine for a period of three years.
Agricultural economist with 20+ years' experience. Former head of FNB agribusiness as well as Absa agribusiness and now a leading agricultural consultant and farmer specialising in South African agricultural trends.
Formerly associated with Santam Agriculture, he is an agricultural meteorologist with 36 years' experience specialising in long-term climate outlooks and climate risk management. He is a private consultant who focuses on climate-related decision-making in agriculture.
He has extensive experience with Shell Downstream South Africa, specialising in agricultural industry fuel and served as General Manager Lubricants at Shell. Niemann now works as a freelance consultant in agricultural and fuel industries.
Join us in supporting South African farmers in their time of need.
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Every contribution helps a farmer in need.
Get in touch to learn more or to get involved.
Scan the QR code below to make an instant donation
Scan to Donate
Every contribution helps a farmer in need
Use any SnapScan-enabled banking app to scan this QR code and make your donation. Your support directly helps South African farmers during their time of greatest need.
Thank you for making a difference! 🙏
These images show the real impact of disasters on South African farmers and their communities.
Your donations help provide immediate relief and long-term recovery support to farmers facing these challenges.