36 months journey · ADP
Agripreneur Development Programme
From Training to Ownership
Twelve months that take you from aspiring farmer to running your own agribusiness on allocated land, with support that continues long after the training ends.
- Duration
- 36 months12 months of training, then a 24-month transition
- Ends with
- Your own agribusiness on allocated land
- Support
- Our 360° training and support model
Who it's for
- Aspiring agripreneurs ready to commit to twelve months of training
- Future agribusiness owners who want to build and run a sustainable farming operation
- Students and graduates who want to farm for themselves, not for someone else
What you'll gain
- Advanced technical farming expertise and entrepreneurial leadership skills
- In-depth training and hands-on experience, in the classroom and in the field
- Your own agribusiness, established on allocated land
- Market linkages and continued support through our 360° model
How it's structured
Two Phases of Training, Then Your Own Agribusiness
-
Activate
3 months
Intensive technical and business training, most of it hands-on in the field.
- 70 to 80% fieldwork, 20 to 30% classroom
- Business and technical foundations
- Candidate assessment and selection
- Real-world farm exposure
-
Accelerate
9 months
Put your skills to work over a full growing season. The phase ends with your agribusiness established on allocated land.
- A full crop production cycle
- Land access and incubation
- Marketing and business skills
- Mentorship and coaching
-
Post-Accelerate Transition
24 months
You run your agribusiness as an independent agripreneur, with the EARN ecosystem behind you.
- Secure your own funding
- Manage the full operating costs
- Establish an independent business
- Ongoing support from the EARN ecosystem
Training runs for 12 months across Activate and Accelerate. The 24-month Post-Accelerate Transition follows, making 36 months from selection to an established agribusiness.
Where it leads
What You Walk Away With After Twelve Months
- An agribusiness of your own, established on allocated land
- The technical and business skills to run it profitably
- Links to markets for what you grow, through AG Horticulture
Proven track record
From One Founding Cohort to Four Funders in Four Provinces
Since 2019 the Agripreneur Development Programme has grown from a single founding cohort in Lephalale into a multi-funder programme active in four provinces. Four corporate funders, Exxaro, Nedbank, Lesedi Power and Eskom Komati, have backed it across five cohorts, and each cohort has built on what the one before it delivered.
- Social funding secured, 2019 to 2026
- R30 million+
- Agripreneurs trained to date
- 50
- Jobs created by agripreneur graduates
- 150+
- Provinces active: Limpopo, Gauteng, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga
- 4
- Corporate funders backing the programme
- 4
-
2019 to 2020
Founding cohort
- Funder
- Exxaro Resources (R10 million)
- Intake
- 10 agripreneurs
- Where
- Limpopo (Lephalale)
Completed in 2020. All ten settled on Exxaro-leased farmland, where their agricultural enterprises still operate and create jobs in the Lephalale farming community.
-
September and December 2024
Nedbank cohorts
- Funder
- Nedbank
- Intake
- 20 candidates
- Where
- Gauteng, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga
Full accommodation and stipend support. Now in the Post-Accelerate Transition, with enterprise development and job creation under way.
See the photos -
2024 to 2025
Lesedi Power cohort
- Funder
- Lesedi Power
- Intake
- 6 candidates
- Where
- Gauteng, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga
Full accommodation and stipend support. Now in the Post-Accelerate Transition, with enterprise development and job creation under way.
-
June 2025 and May 2026
Eskom Komati cohort
- Funder
- Eskom Komati CSI, through the Josudan Foundation NPC
- Intake
- 15 candidates
- Where
- Mpumalanga (Komati)
Full accommodation and stipend support. In August 2026 eight agripreneurs began their Post-Accelerate Transition at EARN's commercial farm while permanent agricultural land is secured in Komati.
See the photos
From the Programme
See the full gallery
What the Record Shows
- Repeat, diversified funding: four funders across mining, banking and energy have invested more than R30 million, so the programme does not rely on any single sponsor.
- Lasting outcomes: the 2019 to 2020 founding cohort is still farming six years later.
- Steady growth: from one site in Limpopo to four provinces, and from 10 to 50 agripreneurs.
- Impact beyond the programme: graduates have created more than 150 jobs.
Market access
Trained to Produce, Connected to Buyers
Agripreneurs' enterprises already supply major retail and fresh produce markets, including Pick n Pay, through AG Horticulture, the EARN group's market aggregation platform. Trainees are not only taught to grow: they are linked to reliable commercial buyers and formal retail supply chains.
Backed by: Exxaro Resources, Nedbank, Lesedi Power, Eskom Komati CSI (through the Josudan Foundation NPC).
Want to start sooner?
Build Your Skills Now While You Plan the Bigger Step
Our short courses run online from 2 November. Book in minutes, learn from anywhere, and earn a certificate on completion.
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