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Dr Brink van Zyl has been appointed as the new head of department of the University of Stellenbosch's (SU) Department of Animal Sciences.

“The agricultural sector needs to be supported by a diverse knowledge base as well as practical and technical expertise. This is the kind of students we need to equip for the future."

So says Dr Brink van Zyl, who has been appointed as the new head of department of the University of Stellenbosch's (SU) Department of Animal Sciences.

The days that students started to farm as soon as they left school are long gone – the agricultural sector has changed dramatically and so has teaching and learning in agricultural sciences. Nowadays, almost every segment of the agricultural sector makes use of the latest technologies and input from a variety of disciplines to stay economically viable, he says.

Dr Van Zyl, originally from Kimberley, holds a doctorate in animal sciences and an MBA, both from SU. He has been a lecturer in the department for the last year. Dr Van Zyl has more than 25 years of experience in the private sector, including on extensive animal management and animal feeds. He has worked for AFGRI Animal Feeds as a ruminant specialist and technical marketing manager, and for Transvaal Sugar Limited (Molatek Animal Feeds) as sales manager, among others.

Dr Van Zyl is excited about this position in the Faculty. He has an academic approach to business and believes his experience in the private sector will be valuable in his new role. “I want to focus on the relevance of our research offering, and deepen our collaborations with industry," he said. “I consider it an important part of my responsibility to ensure that we train young professionals who can make a successful transition from being a student to the workplace."

According to Dr Van Zyl, the agricultural sector has become complicated. This is due to technological advances and other developments leading to significant changes in the agricultural landscape. These changes have had a significant impact on teaching and research, he points out.

Food production is expected to almost double over the next 40 years to meet the rising demand, including for protein sources. Increasingly, the agricultural sector needs to adapt to a fast-changing world. Dr Van Zyl explains: “The changing context and new challenges facing the higher education sector and society require that we think differently about teaching and learning."

The department, one of the oldest in the country, remains at the forefront of using new technologies to support animal sciences and related industries. “We are not necessarily training agricultural practitioners but rather professional agricultural scientists who are also able to enter into the practical side of farming and be able to fulfil industry expectations," he explains. Students who graduate in the department pursue careers as consultants, entrepreneurs, technicians, agricultural advisors and managers involved in product development in animal sciences and related sectors. Students are trained in scientific studies of animal nutrition, animal breeding, and reproductive physiology of domesticated and non-domesticated species, including wildlife and aquaculture species.

Agricultural training remains one of the most expensive at tertiary level (after medicine and engineering) because specialised facilities and practical work are needed. Universities will increasingly have to become more self-sufficient to ensure funds for research, he believes.

Over the next few years Dr Van Zyl wants to focus on establishing closer relations with the (agricultural) sector. “It is critical that we deliver relevant training and research outputs that support the economic sustainability of agriculture in our region and elsewhere on the continent."