THE UTA OVERVIEW
TOGETHER FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT
“We make a difference in the lives of people through effective project management”.
Background
The Unit for Technical Assistance (hereinafter referred to as the Unit) is envisaged as a support facility for the client of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture to co-ordinate internal and external expertise for project appraisal and enterprise planning at various stages of the programme and project management life cycles requiring technical input.
The Unit is a formally established structure hosted by Casidra. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture established this unit within its Farmer Support and Development Programme under the auspices of Casidra, as an implementing agent which will be responsible for the co-ordination, management and secretariat functions related to the unit.
The unit will strategically consider, consult and make recommendations in terms of the business plans, project implementation plans and allocation of project funds to enable new and existing farming enterprises to achieve sustainability through a network of service providers.
Emphasis will be on delivering quality services in line with the Batho Pele principles using Departmental and external expertise from the private sector to deliver an effective service.
Vision
Collaborative of knowledge in the agricultural sector promoting improved enterprise planning and appraisal towards increased sustainability of government supported farming enterprises.
Mission
Coordinate internal and external expertise needed for farm enterprise appraisal and planning processes at various stages of programme and project life cycles for effective decision making and service delivery.
Objectives
- To leverage and co-ordinate Departmental and external technical expertise to inform project planning and assessment.
- To develop knowledge to inform Departmental management and client decisions.
- To ensure timeous delivery of credible farm development plans towards sustainable rural development.
- To ensure standardised norms for evaluation of projects by the UTA.
- To enable access to and update to information on an existing agricultural database within the WCDOA and at commodity level.
- To identify knowledge gaps for referral as research projects.
- To source technical and legal expertise to assist WCDOA clients in statutory matters.
- To assist agricultural enterprises with expertise to comply with requirements to access markets.
Purpose
The Unit for Technical Assistance (hereafter referred to as the Unit) is a support facility for the client of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture to co-ordinate internal and external expertise for project appraisal and enterprise planning at various stages of the programme and project management life cycles requiring technical input. The Unit is a formally established structure hosted by Casidra. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture will establish this unit within the Farmer Support and Development Programme under the auspices of Casidra, as an implementing agent which will be responsible for the:
- Co- ordination,
- Management and
- Secretariat functions related to the unit.
Through a network of service providers, the unit will strategically consider, consult and make recommendations in terms of business plan development, project implementation plans, business / farm evaluations and to inform allocation of project funds to enable new and existing farming enterprises to achieve sustainability. Emphasis will be on delivering quality services in line with the Batho Pele principles using Departmental and external expertise from the private sector to deliver an effective service.
General Responsibilities and Functions of the unit
The responsibilities of the unit are set out as follows:
- The unit will ensure that the planning of recommended projects comply with the applicable selection criteria and that the allocations are prioritised in terms of the key deliverables of the Department.
- The unit will assess the feasibility of referred applications and associated business plan aspects pertaining to financial viability, sustainability, production, member capacity, training needs, security and social aspects.
- The unit will support agricultural enterprises with expertise and compliance requirements to access markets.
The selections of projects are to be considered according to the following criteria:
- It has to be a land or agrarian reform project
- It has to contribute to food security
- The project must have the potential to create and sustain jobs
- The enterprise must have the potential to become economically viable and sustainable
The prioritisation of projects will be based on the consideration of the following priorities:
- Zero Hunger Approach
- Increased growth in production
- Increase growth in agri-business
- Contribute to Land reform
- Increased Services & Infrastructure
- Increase Export
Clients
Requests for assistance can be made to the unit by:
- Official letter of request from the Commodity Project Allocation Committee for designated commodities and from the WCDOA district manager for nondesignated commodities.
- Minutes of the Departmental Project Aallocation Committee requesting assistance for a project planning.
- Request from a WCDOA district manager on the condition that it has followed the tiers of elimination process. (Tiers of elimination refers to an initial screening by the extension officer and assistance from the commodity, recommendation by the district subject matter specialist, recommended by WCDOA district manager)
- Request from Former Support and Development Senior Programme Managers
- Requests should be directed to UTA Administration Officer
Requests
- Special Studies
- Soil Survey
- Water Quality Assessment
- Feasibility and Viability Studies
- Financial Assessement
- Overview Study
- Business Plan
- Other Projects
Contact
P.O. Box 660, Southern Paarl 7624
Tel: 021 863 5000
Fax: 021 863 1055
Email: uta@casidra.co.za
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