GENERAL

Trends in SA Agriculture

SA Agriculture has faced multiple challenges over the past decade for various reasons. Numerous parts of the country experienced drought and continue to combat this challenge, the Rand depreciated significantly, and investor uncertainty grew. Furthermore, faming technology is changing rapidly, sustainability is a priority and there continues to be a skills shortage in the agricultural sector. Despite these challenges the trends that have developed in SA agriculture are positive and need to be as the world looks at ways to feed a growing...

2020-02-06By GENERALRead more...

A SOC setting the trend with unqualified audits since inception

State-Owned Companies (SOC) can offer meaningful benefits to the economy of a developing country when managed correctly. Due to misdirection of resources, some SOCs have underperformed, thus having a negative impact on public finances and economic growth in South Africa. Citizens expect high-quality services from an SOC and also demand a high level of transparency, reporting and accountability. With shrinking budgets and higher demand, public agencies need to continue to find ways to be prudent in their operations by managing more efficiently, cutting...

2019-11-13By GENERALRead more...

Youth Development in Agriculture

Youth Development and creating sustainable employment are key components to Casidra’s project management portfolio in rural areas. Development in rural areas is needed in building infrastructure, improving education as well as health standards and living conditions and generating employment opportunities across a range of industries. One such industry is farming and agriculture in which it has become increasingly challenging to encourage young people to pursue as a vocation. Despite new technologies and progressive methods, the image of the weather-beaten farmer working under the...

2019-06-27By GENERALRead more...

Corporate Social Responsibility and Rural Development

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the voluntary investment of a company in social/economic projects focused on advancing society with regard to housing, education, health care, food security, job creation and the environment. CSR, therefore, forms an integral part of the ‘give back’ strategy of any company that has the capability of planning and developing such programmes. Contributing towards the betterment and upliftment of society and maintaining harmonious relationships are seen as important - both on business and societal levels. In...

2019-05-09By GENERALRead more...

Renewable Energy and Rural Opportunities

The beauty of renewable energy is that it naturally replenishes itself through sunlight, wind, tides, waves, rain, biomass and geothermal heat. Year by year our energy demands increase, while our supply of raw materials diminishes. Clearly, urgent and innovative action needs to be taken. Preparing for renewables is vital, together with the training required to leverage this option to the fullest extent for the wide range of concomitant (accompanying) employment opportunities that are bound to arise, both in urban and rural...

2019-05-09By GENERALRead more...

Entrepreneurship in the Rural Areas: SMMEs and funding

“I have this dream and I want to see it come true. And I will not give up. To achieve a goal, you have got to be a gambler, you have got to be certain you can do it.” ~ Chumak, Russian entrepreneur. A true entrepreneur is a rare animal, dedicated to their ideas, perhaps a little obsessive in their determination, often ready to start before everything has been fully explored and analysed. In a rural area where people may well...

2019-02-27By GENERALRead more...
Casidra - Project Management in Rural Development

Project Management in Rural Development

Between government and conventional market forces lies a sometimes overlooked but strategically valuable economic arena that is vitally important with regard to sustainable development of land, upliftment of people, and the creation of job opportunities. Despite rapid urbanisation, rural areas still host the poorest people. Working to alleviate this poverty requires critical interventions on an on-going basis with the backing of both public and private sectors. How does project management work? Project management will begin by examining any activity required to improve...

2019-02-12By GENERALRead more...

Creating a skilled workforce amidst poverty and inequality

South Africa has a high percentage of people below the poverty line. As most of these people are unskilled or untrained in any specific work or trade, they are largely ignored by industries. The problem facing government, the private sector and other stakeholders is how to find ways of inculcating skills in an overlooked group that is undereducated, inexperienced, all too often seen as unemployable. Each year about 3,5 million enter the workforce, with only 1,5 million ever likely to find...

2018-12-11By GENERALRead more...

The unexpected revolution: Why rural economies hold keys to job creation

When we think of job creation, we often think of big business or city/town projects that bring about accompanying opportunities for work. However, we tend to overlook the great potential lying in country areas where multi-faceted agricultural and related business opportunities are still untapped. All roads lead to Rome, they may say, but in essence successful initiatives can be found anywhere, not only in the towns and cities. HOW CAN WE EFFECT CHANGE? There is much talk about what should be done...

2018-09-28By GENERALRead more...
25-Year-logo-web.png

CASIDRA’S 25 YEARS COMMEMORATION

Casidra hosted a prestigious event to celebrate its 25 years of existence during its year-end function on 28 November 2014 at Elsenburg College. The theme was ‘Casidra celebrating 25 Years of Excellence’. This event was well attended by high profile dignitaries and clients, role-players in rural development and the broader agricultural and economic development sectors as well as Casidra’s staff. Dignitaries who celebrated Casidra’s milestone included the Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde; the Chairperson of the...

2015-01-27By GENERALRead more...
Casidra 25 years

CASIDRA CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

The 1st of June is a very important date in the history of Casidra, as it will always be remembered as the first day when the company opened its doors in Paarl. This was way back in 1989 when the company was still known as LANOK. On the 2nd of June, Head Office staff gathered to celebrate its 25th anniversary. In his opening remarks, the CEO, Michael Brinkhuis, acknowledged the long-serving employees (Johan, Kobus, Freek and many others) for coming...

2014-06-19By GENERALRead more...