Prof Renuka Vithal, University of Fort Hare Deputy Vice Chancellor: Teaching and Learning is looking forward to the launch of South Africa’s first BSc in Dairy Science and Technology at UFH, a groundbreaking degree designed to transform the dairy sector.

Producing skilled staff in this field will help to develop the Eastern Cape’s already significant dairy industry

South Africa’s first Bachelor’s degree focusing exclusively on dairy science and technology is set to be a crucial game changer for the University of Fort Hare (UFH) and the wider industry.

The vision for the degree programme came about through the university’s most recent strategic plan implementation, and particularly that each faculty creates a new, niche programme that speaks to the institution’s unique setting and advantages. The fact that the university is a stakeholder in a local, award-winning dairy, but wasn’t teaching abundantly on this subject, led to the idea of a BSc in Dairy Science and Technology.

This was then underscored by the fact that BSc programmes in the field of agriculture are some of the best-subscribed degrees in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture at UFH. “So it was clear that we had all the main ingredients needed, and we just needed to put together a program that would leverage what we already had,” said Prof Renuka Vithal, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at UFH and a professor of maths education.

While other higher education institutions in the country have modules on dairy science, this degree is special in its specific and thorough focus. “It would allow us to be a trailblazer in a very important area in the Eastern Cape and the country,” Prof Vithal said.

This course is especially important because the province is the largest and arguably the best producer of milk in the country. However, it does very little of the country’s milk processing. So, producing skilled staff in this field will speak to a significant need and opportunity.

Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UFH, Prof Sakhela Buhlungu, said that the development of this degree was inspired by similar offerings internationally, such as in the Netherlands and France. “If we do it in South Africa, we’ll be the first, leading the pack,” he said.

The planned BSc is a four-year degree that allows direct access to a Master’s afterwards. The course content will build on the dairy science and technology elements already present in other programmes at UFH. It will also touch on food technology aspects to speak to the need for milk processing. The BSc programme is also being developed to consider relevant and developing issues, such as food security. The UFH team plans to articulate this program with the surrounding agricultural colleges, to give wider access to the community.

In the fourth year, there is also a research component, which will grow that capability in the department. This research will likely stem organically from the work with the local dairy farm, and possibly feed back into its work.

The degree programme is currently under review by the Department of Higher Education and Training, before going through approval processes at other relevant bodies. It will then hopefully come into effect in the next few years.

Prof Vithal explained how they are working towards their goals while waiting on the process. “In the meantime, we have allocated funding to upgrade our farms and we are doing a major renovation and upgrading of our agricultural labs so that we’ll have all the infrastructure in place in order to support the programme,” she said.

Dr Nthabi Taole-Mjimba, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research Partnerships and Innovation, added that there are further developments in this regard. “Currently we are trying to revamp our current research farm. It’s not in the best state, but we have started to work on it. We invested R9.7 million last year just to ensure that it becomes the state-of-the-art farm that we know.”

The recent launch and endowment of the AngloGold Ashanti Research Chair in Dairy Science and Technology at the University speaks to this wider vision. Vithal explained that once appointed, the Chair can then provide expertise in offering the programme once approved, and develop postgraduate and further research programmes.

“So, we have a long-term view on developing this as a niche area for the University of Fort Hare into the future that will provide the graduates needed to support this industry of dairy and milk production and technology in a serious way that can also be a major economic impetus to the province.”

Dr Taole-Mjimba added how the BSc will be building the foundation for further research and programmes, to ultimately have a significant impact. ”You will begin to see how the pipeline will then be strengthened to ensure that we have enough capacity in the province to do the things that we want to do in strengthening research in dairy science, but also supplying the much-needed human capital in the discipline.”

Prof Vithal said: “Besides placing the University of Fort Hare in a leading position in developing this as a key research niche area, and also producing graduates, this is also a very key component of producing graduates who could into the future directly support the development and growth of the dairy industry in the Eastern Cape.”

The long-term vision embraces the idea that the university could be key in growing the dairy industry in terms of processing, not just farming, and for both small-scale and large-scale farming. “The main goal is for  the university to stimulate the sector in the province to then take the lead in providing the education, training and research infrastructure and the support and all the other things that are needed to establish the processing component of it.”

The university’s location means that the agricultural fields of study in particular attract a lot of local students, hence a state-of-the-art and inclusive programme would feed directly back into the area. “The University of Fort Hare would in a major way leverage its location in a rural context drawing on rural students coming from diverse settings and being able to then sustain and develop the economy, develop small and large businesses and so on into the future,” Prof Vithal said.

She said that this programme will also speak to how farming is developing internationally, especially in terms of technology used in fields like genetic analysis, farm management strategies and soil analysis. She believes that this can be particularly helpful to the province in the long run.

This programme will also fit into the university’s wider offering and complement it. For instance, a new Bachelor of Entrepreneurship is also in the approval process. “This will enable us to then provide entrepreneurship training across our Bachelor programs,” Prof Vithal said.

A key part of the plan is to eventually establish a new faculty of veterinary science, which would be only the second one in the country. Prof Vithal explained that in concept documents already submitted, this would  have a particular focus on the need for livestock veterinarians in the country. “In the Eastern Cape, when companies or farms require veterinary services, they actually fly in vets.”

For now, the BSc in Dairy Science and Technology is an exciting first step towards building a stronger future for UFH and the region. Vithal has high hopes for the programme. “It just seems like it’s supposed to have been done yesterday!”