Buhle Farmers' Academy

Name

Buhle Farmers' Academy

Legal name

Buhle Farmers Academy

Website

https://buhle.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Training Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Support Activities for Animal Production (11521)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Agricultural Production & Farm Operations (EDAOAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agribusiness, Farm Management & Compliance (EDAOAOAN), Crop, Soil & Agronomy Technician Training (EDAOAOAF)

Keywords

• Agricultural training
• Farmer development
• Agribusiness education
• Emerging farmers
• Agritech training

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Course Fees: Tuition fees for long and short courses in agricultural production, with application fees of R120.00 per application
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Funding and support from corporate partners including Ackerman Pick n Pay Foundation, AECI, Anglo American, Bayer, John Deere, and others
3. Donations and Charitable Support: Donations from individuals and organizations supporting agricultural education mission

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Buhle Farmers' Academy provides practical, accredited agricultural training to emerging farmers in South Africa through long courses (2–9 months), short courses (3–10 days), and self-paced online modules covering livestock, poultry, vegetable, grain, and piggery production alongside agribusiness management. Training is delivered on a 70% practical / 30% theory basis at its Delmas campus and is supplemented by a 12-month post-graduation mentorship program, market access facilitation via an online marketplace platform, and commercial produce supply through subsidiary Buhle Farming Services Pty.

Product overview

Buhle Farmers' Academy is an agricultural training institution offering a portfolio of 20+ courses and support services organized into three main categories: Long Courses (accredited SAQA-credited programs in Livestock, Poultry, Vegetable, and Grain Crop Production ranging from 2-9 months); Short Courses (5-day to 3-month programs covering specific skills like Tractor Driving, Hatchery, Piggery, and various ISO/GlobalG.A.P certification preparations); and Online Modules (self-paced learning for Financial Management). The academy's model combines 70% practical hands-on training with 30% theory, delivered at its Delmas campus. Agritech training includes Vertical/Urban Farming and Robotics/Coding in Hydroponics using BBC Micro:Bit. Beyond training, the academy provides end-to-end agribusiness support through a 12-month graduate mentorship program, market access facilitation via an online marketplace platform, and commercial produce supply through Buhle Farming Services Pty. The overall offering is a unified platform combining skills training, compliance certification preparation, business mentorship, and market linkages for emerging farmers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Livestock Production
• Vegetable Production
• Poultry Production
• Grain Crop Production
• Regulatory and Market Compliance Training
• Seedling Production
• Introduction to Piggery
• Hatchery
• Layer House Management
• Introduction to Vegetable Production
• Broiler Production
• Tractor Driving
• Small Stock
• Global G.A.P and Local G.A.P Certification Training
• Sustainability and Vertical/Urban Farming
• Robotics and Coding in Hydroponics
• ISO 9001 (Quality Management) Implementation
• ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) Implementation
• ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety) Implementation
• ISO 22000 (Food Safety Management) Implementation
• HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)
• Financial Management
• Farm Business Management
• 12-Month Graduate Mentorship
• Market Access Facilitation
• Commercial Produce Supply
• Online Learning Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000+ graduates trained since 2000
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AECIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural and chemical company supporting farmer training programs
• BayerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural science company providing expertise and resources for farmer training
• John DeereminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural equipment manufacturer providing machinery and technical expertise for training
• McCainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood processing company potentially involved in market access and training
• National Agricultural Marketing CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body supporting agricultural market development and training alignment
• CargillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural commodities company providing market access and training support
• Santam AgricultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural insurance provider supporting farmer risk management training
• Schoeman BoerderyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommercial farming operation providing practical training insights

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Glen Agricultural College: Free State public agricultural college providing vocational training in mixed farming and agricultural production, serving a similar emerging-farmer student base to Buhle.
• Taung Agricultural College: North West public agricultural college offering SAQA-aligned training to emerging farmers, with comparable practical production focus and rural student base.
• Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute: Western Cape Government-run agricultural training institution offering accredited vocational courses in crop and livestock production, directly comparable to Buhle's portfolio of long and short courses for emerging farmers.
• Tompi Seleka Agricultural College: Limpopo public agricultural college providing hands-on production training for emerging farmers, with similar focus on smallholder farmer development and practical curricula.
• Cedara Agricultural College: KwaZulu-Natal public agricultural college offering SAQA-accredited training in crop and livestock production, comparable to Buhle's long-course offerings and target student profile.

Regional players

• Lima Rural Development Foundation: South African rural development NGO providing skills training and enterprise support to rural communities, with overlapping mission to Buhle's farmer development and rural job creation work.

Broad incumbents

• Heifer International: Global non-profit focused on ending hunger through supporting smallholder farmers with livestock, training, and market access, comparable to Buhle's emerging farmer mission but operating at much larger global scale.
• TechnoServe: International non-profit working with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries, comparable to Buhle's agricultural enterprise development approach.

Emerging players

• One Acre Fund: Africa-focused agricultural non-profit providing smallholder farmers with bundled training, inputs, and market support, comparable in serving emerging farmers but concentrated in East Africa.

Others

• Food & Trees for Africa: South African environmental and food security NGO focused on sustainable agriculture and food gardens, thematically related to Buhle's training work but with different programmatic emphasis on urban greening and food gardens.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BuhlefarmersA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Buhle Farmers' Academy