Seven outstanding young agricultural writers have been honoured through the Young Agri Writers’ competition 2025, sponsored by Hollard and Farming Portal South Africa, which is designed to encourage fresh perspectives from the next generation of agricultural experts.
The competition is open to agricultural experts, including those still studying, up to the age of 28.
At a function hosted at Hollard’s Villa Arcadia on Thursday, 23 October 2025, the following young agri writers were celebrated and their articles published on Farming Portal:
General category
- Mpumelelo Ntozakhe (R5 000 prize)
- Strelza van Aardt (R3 000 prize)
- Carla Myburgh; Banelise Mhlangu (R2 000 prize, each)
Technical category
- Diaan Venter (R5 000 prize)
- Mangele Zama (R3 000 prize)
- Johan Teessen (R2 000 prize)
“There is an absolute need for new voices in the agricultural sector,” said Hollard Insure’s Head of Agriculture, Andries Wiese, who initiated the awards, now in their fifth year, with Johann Pretorius, CEO of CRA Media, which publishes Farming Portal.
Agriculture has evolved into a dynamic and highly varied sector that is sometimes unsure where to find new, young experts with fresh perspectives, said Wiese.
This gap is something that technical category winner Diaan Venter, an agricultural economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, is trying to close through a student organisation he founded last year – the Consortium of Agricultural Economists and Business Agenda.
“A competition like this gives people like me exposure to the industry, increasing our chances of finding a job. I am very grateful to Hollard, Farming Portal and Agricultural Writers SA,” said Venter.
“There is a disconnect between the agricultural industry and academia, and we try to jump the barriers between them by providing students with opportunities for industry engagement and professional development.”
Venter won with an exploration of South Africa’s strategies for dealing with foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, tackling a subject that Wiese described as “highly relevant” because there are certain universalities in dealing with viral diseases and “there are other sicknesses out there, waiting”. The insurance industry was hard hit by the systemic impact of Covid, a zoonotic disease that, when it passed from animals to humans, caused a global health and economic crisis that lasted at least two years.
Runner-up in the technical writing category Mangele Zama’s article set out the results of a study that investigated the impact of climate variables such as rainfall, temperature and humidity on potato supply in South Africa between 1996 and 2022.
Johan Teessen came third in the technical category with his exposition of a small-scale experiment by a local grower to test the hypothesis that heavier saffron corms produce more flowers, thereby increasing the final spice yield. Wiese praised Teessen, a junior business analyst at Grain South Africa, for picking an original subject.
Commenting on his award, Teessen said: “I have great appreciation for the platform that the Young Agri Writers’ Competition gives us to set out our thoughts on what is going on around us.”
First in the general category was Mpumelelo Ntozakhe, who won with an article on how precision agriculture is transforming the global agricultural landscape by deploying technology and technological devices, such as drones, GPS (global positioning system) and sensors, to optimise farming practices, reduce resource wastage and increase crop yields.
Agricultural economist intern at Grain South Africa Strelza van Aardt placed second in the general category with an article on how to effectively diversify farming operations. Van Aardt said she appreciates the impact winning the award can have on young agricultural experts’ careers. “It’s good to put on our CVs. I am very grateful to Hollard,” she said.
Another agricultural economist, Carla Myburgh, came jointly third with Banelise Mhlangu. Myburgh, who said that “agriculture is in my veins”, is an agricultural economist and credit liaison officer at Senwes agricultural services company and was placed first in the same category in 2024. Her article explored the possibilities inherent in combining livestock and crop farming, instead of viewing each as exclusive of the other.
“It’s such an honour to have this great opportunity of a platform for us to share our opinions. It’s great for networking and exposure, and it’s an opportunity for me to add value to my farmer and business clients and the next generation of agricultural experts,” Myburgh said.
Mhlangu, who also did not attend the awards ceremony, looked at why agri-finance often fails both farmer and funder in the article she wrote.
Wiese praised the seven winners for the integrity of the information they had shared, and the effort they had taken to set their thoughts down. “Young people like you are beginning to make a difference in the agricultural sector,” he said.
The winners should use their awards as a “springboard to a whole new world”, he said. “Winning can give you confidence that your opinion counts.”
About Hollard
The Hollard Insurance Group (“Hollard”) is South Africa’s largest privately owned insurance group. Hollard provides short-term, life insurance, and investment products to a diverse customer base. Hollard through Hollard International has access to 10 markets across the continent namely South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
