From seedling to supply chain: African Hemp Institute and SACHIDA launch value chain training in the Northern Cape
Every hemp industry begins in the same place: a healthy plant in good soil. That is why the first module of a new, full value chain training programme, delivered by the African Hemp Institute (AHI) in partnership with SACHIDA, focused on hemp nursery production. The training took place at the Schmitsdrift CPA in the Northern Cape.
AHI is one of SACHIDA’s members, and this partnership shows what the association exists to do: connect the knowledge, the farmers and the markets that the industry has so far struggled to bring together.
Beyond the farm gate
Much of the conversation about hemp in South Africa has been about growing the crop. Far less has been said about who captures the value once it leaves the field. Too often, farmers become suppliers of raw material while the processing, product development and brand value are held by others further along the chain.
This programme is designed to change that. One of its primary objectives is to equip participants to own the value chain, not just to farm and supply raw material. Everything starts with the farmer, and everything starts with the nursery, which is why the training begins there. But the programme does not end there.
The road ahead: the full value chain
The nursery module is the first of a structured series that will take participants step by step through the whole chain:
- Nursery production (completed): propagating healthy planting material, the foundation of every successful crop.
- Plant production: taking the crop from the nursery through to the field.
- Product development: turning harvested material into products with real market value.
- Human superfoods and animal feed: the end uses the programme is built around.
Feeding the community first
Two end uses sit at the heart of the programme, and both are rooted in the needs of the surrounding community.
Human superfoods. The programme aims to supply hemp-based superfoods to primary school feeding programmes in the area, helping to address malnourishment and improve the general health of the community’s children. Local farmers growing food for local children is the kind of closed loop that rural economic development should look like.
Animal feed. The Northern Cape is home to large-scale livestock farming, and the surrounding livestock farmers are a ready local market for hemp-based animal feed. Building that supply close to where it will be used keeps value, and jobs, in the area.
Any excess product will be sold to other buyers, so that production is not limited to local demand.
Not just training, but accompaniment
Training days alone do not build an industry. AHI and SACHIDA will be walking alongside these farmers through the full process, from the first seedling to the finished product. Where a farmer’s first harvest will be sold is often what decides whether an enterprise survives, so SACHIDA will also provide market access through its local and international offtake agreements, connecting producers to buyers rather than leaving them to find their own way.
Why this matters for the industry
For SACHIDA, this training shows what a united industry can achieve. It combines indigenous and community knowledge with practical skills, farmer ownership of the value chain, and secured markets. It also supports the capacity building and skills development pillar of our founding vision: equipping people not only to participate in the industry but to shape it.
If you are a farmer, a community organisation, a researcher or a business that wants to be part of the next module, or to bring this model to your own area, join SACHIDA and be part of building the industry from the ground up.