The agricultural industry is home! Food and agricultural value chains have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was born and raised on a farm in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, with a childhood filled with raising sheep, milking cows, and being in the fields during planting and harvesting. Since then, I have traded the maize fields of the Highveld for the vineyards of Winelands.

I am passionate about agricultural value chains, and both my MSc Agric and PhDs completed at the University of Pretoria had a strong focus in this field, particularly the institutional economics issues often experienced in our value chains. I am currently employed as a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University, where I teach and mentor many postgraduate students from across the African continent. My position also allows me to do interesting research projects in the spheres of agricultural value chains.

My other passion is to mentor and work with youngsters to ensure their continuous involvement in supporting the global drive for food security. This was also one of the focus areas during my tenure (2021 to 2023) as the President of the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA).