By SayPro Chief Monitoring and Evaluation Officer- Rikhotso Tsakani
Distinguished Guests, Esteemed Partners, Colleagues, and Friends,
Good morning.
It is with great appreciation and purpose that I welcome you to SayPro Agriculture Day 2025 — a day where we not only celebrate agriculture, but also reflect, measure, and learn from our collective journey toward impact and transformation.
As the Chief Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at SayPro, my role is grounded in one essential question: Are we making a difference? And if so, how do we know?
Agriculture is a cornerstone of development — but real progress is more than just planting crops and building programs. It’s about understanding what works, for whom, under what conditions, and why. That is where monitoring and evaluation (M&E) steps in — to ensure that our efforts lead to meaningful, measurable, and lasting outcomes.
In 2025, SayPro has continued to implement robust M&E systems across all our agriculture and rural development initiatives. Through data collection, analysis, and feedback mechanisms, we have been able to:
- Track the impact of our Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programmes with universities such as the University of Johannesburg — ensuring that interns are not just placed but mentored, supported, and growing.
- Measure the effectiveness of farmer training programmes, ensuring knowledge translates into improved yields and incomes.
- Identify gaps and opportunities for continuous improvement, so that every rand spent leads to real results in the field.
M&E is not just about accountability — it’s about learning and adaptive management. It’s about listening to the voices of farmers, students, trainers, and stakeholders. It’s about using data to drive decisions, and stories to drive commitment.
As we celebrate SayPro Agriculture Day today, let us commit not only to doing good work, but to doing it better — through evidence, learning, and transparency.
To all our programme implementers, field workers, interns, and partners — thank you for making impact measurable and meaningful.
Together, let’s continue building an agriculture sector where results are not assumed — they are tracked, proven, and celebrated.
Happy SayPro Agriculture Day 2025!
Let’s keep measuring progress and growing impact.
Thank you.
Leave a Reply