Two agricultural economists of Stellenbosch University (SU) have been elected to the highest leadership positions in two international associations. Prof Nick Vink is president elect of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE). Prof Johan van Rooyen is the new president of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA). Not only are they the first representatives from Africa to lead either of these prestigious organisations but it is also the first time that the leaders of both organisations are from the same university.
Prof Vink and Prof van Rooyen are both NRF-evaluated researchers, associated with the SU Department of Agricultural Economics in the Faculty of AgriSciences.
Prof Vink is chairperson of the SU Department of Agricultural Economics, and a recipient of the South African Agriculturist of the Year Award. He has a wide interest in agricultural development in Africa and is a regular commentator on matters such as land and agricultural transformation, policy and wine economics. He is an honorary member of the South African and Africa-wide associations of agricultural economics, as well as the American Association of Wine Economists.
He will serve as the president elect of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) for the next three years, and will take over as president in 2018.
The IAAE was founded in 1929, and has already had several Nobel Prize winners in Economics in its ranks. It currently has about 1800 members world-wide. Through its journal, webpage, symposiums and major conference every three years the Association's members debate important matters within the field of agricultural economics.
"The IAAE must ensure that it focuses on the problems of tomorrow, and not those of yesterday, and that it is geared to address those problems," believes Prof Vink.
His immediate task is to draw up the programme which will draw as many as 1200 members to the Association's next conference in Vancouver in Canada in 2018.
Prof van Rooyen is currently the director of the Standard Bank Centre for Agri-Business Leadership and Development. He has been a member of IFAMA for the past 20 years, and has served on its board for the past decade. IFAMA has a world-wide membership of about 2000 members, and includes students, academics and representatives of several agri-businesses.
Prof van Rooyen welcomes this fulfilling opportunity, as it allows him to make a difference within the exciting and growing agricultural business industry and food sector. "Especially agri-business in Africa affords exciting opportunities for an organisation like IFAMA with its unique member composition," he believes.
IFAMA holds annual conferences to investigate the future of agricultural and food business. An international case study is presented to students in cooperation with multinational companies. Regular discussion forums are also held with world leaders in the industry.
"The focus is on issues such as competitiveness, food security, agri-business intelligence, climate-smart agricultural practices and food systems, and the development of young talent," Prof van Rooyen sums up IFAMA's functions.
High on his priority list is the establishment of an Africa chapter for IFAMA. During his three-year term (and the following three years as past president) he wishes to extend the case study competition further, and help to expand the audience reached by the articles which appear in the IFAMA journal.
Prof Van Rooyen is a former executive manager of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa and the South African Wine Council, and has served on the boards of the Agricultural Research Council, agri-businesses and the Land Bank, among others. He is an expert in the field of competitiveness and transformation within the agricultural sector. He is also an honorary member of the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa.
Media enquiries:
Prof Johan van Rooyen:
Director: Standard Bank Centre for Agri-Business Leadership and Development
Department of Agricultural Economics, Stellenbosch University
021 808 4757
cjvr@sun.ac.za
Prof Nick Vink
Chair: Department of Agricultural Economics, Stellenbosch University
021 808 4899
nv@sun.ac.za
