The University of the Free State (UFS) has, together with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the Department of Agriculture established four new research chairs within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS).

The research chairs comprise climate change and agriculture, innovative agroprocessing for climate-smart food systems, agriculture risk financing and sustainable livestock production.

The new chairs all fall under the umbrella of climate change and are part of the established centre of excellence of the ARC and the department on climate-smart agriculture.

They will form part of two centres of excellence that the university is also in the process of establishing.

The framework for these Agriculture Research Centres of Excellence involves several key components aimed at fostering innovation, collaboration, and impactful research in agriculture.

In this case, it is climate-smart agriculture, enabling them to play a pivotal role in advancing agriculture, enhancing productivity, sustainability, and resilience in the face of global challenges related to climate change.

The purpose of the research chairs is to conduct high-level research with an aspect of community impact as envisaged in the university’s Vision 130.

This is the UFS and NAS’s first steps towards creating industry chairs with more negotiations between the UFS and the ARC and government currently taking place for further expansion of the chairs.

The ARC and the UFS will collectively manage the research chairs by appointing co-chair principal scientists for each of the chairs in order for the chairs to work together and share resources and expertise.

The research chairs will also work closely within multidisciplinary research teams, complementing each other and in doing so, creating a value chain within the agriculture sector.

It will integrate various disciplines including agronomy, genetics, soil science, ecology, pathology economics, socioeconomic horticulture, animal sciences, food sciences and engineering to mention a few.

This multidisciplinary approach will foster comprehensive research solutions and innovation at the intersection of different fields and will aim to contribute to sustainable food systems for the future.

“These chairs mark an exciting opportunity to deepen our understanding of climate change aligned to our expertise in agriculture. The chairs offer us the opportunity to honour and support the leaders who will contribute in powerful ways to the vibrant intellectual life of the faculty, as well as the university, the ARC and government,” says UFS research and internationalisation deputy vice-chancellor Professor Vasu Reddy.   

He adds that the chairs also honour the donor whose financial support makes this form of recognition possible.

“At the UFS, we are committed to engaging in global challenges but with a deliberate local focus, energy and drive. I am especially excited that these chairs demonstrate a commitment to the UFS focus on partnerships with industry, communities, the State, and other academic and research institutions both nationally and around the world.”