J J V (Koos) Richards

Position

Team Leader – Agricultural Specialist.

Academic qualifications

B Sc (Agric) Hons. Dip Agricultural Management.

Experience

·        His career started as a agronomist with a fertilizer company in 1967 in a predominantly grain producing region. Crops that were planted in that region were maize, sunflower, groundnuts, wheat, grain sorghum, tobacco, hay crops for cattle, different vegetables, etc.  Research was done on fertilizer needs, cultivar evaluation, soil preparation methods, plant spacing and all other production methods. The evaluation of chemical in the control of diseases and insects was also part of the research but not as dominant as the previous.

·        He was then transferred to a high potential region where the crops grown were the same but with a more sub tropical nature. New crops at this stage were citrus, mangoes, cotton, avocados and sugar cane Again vast experience was gathered on the cultivation of theses specific crops.

·        From this field he was appointed in a managerial position at a Crop Insurance Co-operative responsible to develop assessment procedures for the different crops that were insured and also manage the marketing and assessment divisions in the Co-op. The research department was one of his responsibilities. In this research department assessment procedures were developed to do a true assessment of the hail damage that a crop experienced.

·        He now moved on to a development Co-operation were agricultural development was the main function. In this company agricultural projects were identified, a project feasibility study was undertaken, a bankable project proposal was done and the project was implemented. Hereafter the project was managed and new farmers were trained to take over as entrepreneurs. This was done by the company in Namibia and South Africa. During this period of time his interest in organic crop production, small scale farming settlement and food plots developed to such and extend that out of the research that was done different papers were delivered at international and national conferences on the subjects.

·        He was also a consultant in organic fertilizers for two different companies in South Africa who sold organic fertilizers and did research on the fertilizer needs of different crops on this subject.

·        When the development co-operation was closed in 1994 he went on and started an agricultural development company because he believes in the development of agriculture as a mean to develop people. Agriculture is the backbone of all economic development. He later went on to join a seed and agricultural adjuvant company and retired from there recently Vast experience was gained here on the organic production of vegetables and specially to use organisms to control diseases. The two established companies also have the distributing rights of organic products for the organic production of crops.