Earlier this year Prof. Janice Thies of the Cornell University in the USA brought a group of graduate students to ZZ2 to investigate possibilities for further study and cooperation with this South African farming conglomerate.
Prof. Thies, associate professor of Soil Biology in Crop and Soil Sciences and director of Graduate Studies for the field of Soil and Crop Sciences, became familiar with ZZ2's Natuurboerdery focus to commercial farming when she was a speaker at a soil symposium at the University of Stellenbosch.
During her first stay in South Africa, Prof. Thies visited ZZ2's farms in Ceres and Mooketsi and was most impressed with ZZ2's focus on soil as a resource base for sustainable farming. She saw the possibilities of bringing graduate students from a variety of disciplines to South Africa to investigate themes for further study.
Says Prof. Thies, "There has always been a disconnect between academia and the agricultural industry. I see the collaborative linkage between ZZ2 and students from Cornell as a perfect opportunity to bridge this divide. "
Prof. Thies describes ZZ2's Natuurboerdery as intelligent agriculture as it moves away from chemical farming practices towards organic farming, while keeping commercial viability in mind. The fact that ZZ2 is commercially successful in a socially responsible way offers a model that can be implemented in other parts of the world.
The group of students represented a variety of disciplines, including agriculture, crop and soil science, social studies and international agriculture. During their visit three or four students identified topics for Masters' theses which will be pursued at ZZ2 in the near future.
"This initial contact has opened up vast opportunities for student exchange between the USA and South Africa", says Prof. Thies. "ZZ2 is an ideal living laboratory where students can gain expertise and conduct research in the field."