Skills Development (2026)
Overview
SAMAC is committed to enhancing skills throughout the macadamia nut value chain within the South African industry, recognising it as a pivotal factor in the industry’s growth. Within the scope of Sustainable Development, we provide the following initiatives:
Training & On-Farm Support
Delivering practical and theoretical macadamia production training.
Study Groups
Facilitating seasonal study groups and technical sessions with industry experts
Bursaries
SAMAC administers bursary support to promote education and skills development within the industry. Bursary opportunities are made available to academically outstanding South African undergraduate and postgraduate students pursuing studies in Agriculture, with a specific focus on crop production and horticulture courses at tertiary learning institutions. The primary objective of these bursaries is to assist deserving students aspiring to build careers within the Macadamia industry in South Africa. Consequently, financial aid is offered to students pursuing degrees or postgraduate qualifications.
Available resources:
Next application window
1 July 2026 until 11 September 2026 for 2027 Funding
Bursary Application Process
- Download and complete the relevant bursary application form and supporting documents.
- During the open application window, submit the required information via the online application form and upload the signed bursary application documents.
- Applications undergo an internal review and verification process.
- Applicants may be contacted should additional information or supporting documentation be required.
- Qualifying applications are presented to the SAMAC Transformation Committee for consideration and recommendation.
- Recommended applications are submitted to the SAMAC Board for final approval.
- Successful applicants will be notified in writing via email.
Learnerships
SAMAC supports structured workplace learning opportunities that provide graduates and young people with practical exposure to the macadamia industry. These programmes help build a pipeline of skilled individuals for farming, processing, technical support and industry services.
The 2026 industry partnership includes support for 9 graduates.
Training & On-Farm Support
SAMAC supports the Macadamia Skills Programmes, aimed at strengthening technical capacity among emerging macadamia farmers through structured theoretical and practical on-farm training.
Programmes focuses on improving access to technical knowledge in rural areas, supporting language accessibility, and encouraging the adoption of good agricultural practices.
Global GAP Training
SAMAC supports emerging farmers in producing export-quality produce through Global GAP training. Global GAP provides a portfolio of robust, streamlined, and easy-to-use solutions for certifying agriculture, aquaculture, and floriculture production processes. Their capacity-building programme promotes the global adoption of safer and more sustainable farming practices in over 130 countries.
The Global GAP Training programme, co-funded by Trade Forward Southern Africa (TFSA), concluded in 2023 with a 100% pass rate, underscoring the effectiveness of our commitment to enhancing the skills and standards of our farmers.
Study groups
We collaborate with premier skills service providers and industry experts to facilitate study groups and training sessions. This ensures that our farmers are consistently improving their skills to produce high-quality outputs suitable for export.
Our study group sessions are aligned with the phenology calendar of the macadamia season; for instance, we conduct a harvesting study group during the harvest season. For more information about upcoming study groups, please see our events calendar.
Our Impact
Empowering Agriculture: SAMAC’s Partnership with Recruit Agri
SAMAC has partnered with Recruit Agri; who provide practical farming experience through their bespoke internship programme to the youth. The partnership between SAMAC and Recruit Agri brings impact into the macadamia nut industry by developing scarce skills needed by the agricultural industry in South Africa.
Through hands-on experience in farming and processing, coupled with networking opportunities, Recruit Agri is developing the new crop of leaders in agriculture. From 2018 to date, Recruit Agri has placed over 95% of their graduates in employment and are focused on uplifting women in agriculture. Furthermore, the macadamia nut industry due to its growth has recruited more than 60 percent of the graduates from the Recruit Agri internship into employment opportunities.
These roles include job types like quality controllers, production assistant managers, junior farm managers, junior section managers, production supervisors and plant production specialists to mention a few. These skills are being developed and deployed into the agriculture industry. This helps us achieve sustainable development goals 8 and 10. These are the goals of decent work, economic opportunities and reduced inequality.
In 2023, Recruit Agri expanded its curriculum by adding a processing module to stay aligned with evolving industry requirements, demonstrating their commitment to providing relevant training for future agricultural professionals.