Amid the forested valleys, pine plantations, and grassy hills of the Jap Cape’s Amatole District is Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Coaching Institute.
Established in 1930 close to the city of Stutterheim, Fort Cox is South Africa’s first and solely agricultural coaching institute to supply forestry and agricultural engineering as examine choices. Additionally it is the nation’s solely semi-autonomous public agricultural faculty.
“This [semi-autonomy] permits us to enter partnerships with restricted oversight. We solely report back to the state by submitting five-year strategic and annual efficiency plans,” explains Principal Mkhululi Mankazana.
Beforehand, the chief director on the nationwide Division of Agriculture, Mankazana joined Fort Cox in 2022 and has seen many modifications and partnership agreements. These embrace the registration of the Fort Cox Centre for Entrepreneurship, Incubation, and Rural Improvement (CEIRD) as a non-profit firm in 2023.
The CEIRD works with the non-public and public sectors to create employment alternatives for agricultural graduates.
Pupil demographics and services
Pupil enrolment has elevated from 332 in 2020 to 408 in 2025. Pupil demographics point out a gentle enhance in feminine enrolment, with virtually 44% of present college students being feminine. On common, about 68 college students enrol in superior diploma research, with virtually half of those enrolled in animal manufacturing (as of 2025).
Fort Cox’s 1 500ha of agricultural land is split into three sections: nurseries, crops, and animal manufacturing. Of this, 1 408ha is demarcated as grazing land and 5ha are used for vegetable manufacturing. Lucerne fields cowl 9ha, whereas 10ha are underneath maize. The present space underneath citrus is 1,9ha, however there are licensed plans to extend this to 30ha.
The nursery produces seedlings in tunnels, two of that are climate-smart hydroponic tunnels.
The animal unit is made up of grazing camps; dairy, poultry, and piggery homes; poultry and enormous inventory abattoirs; wool shearing; and classing services. 
The institute additionally owns a workshop with 9 tractors, a variety of farm implements, and state-of-the-art agricultural engineering gear. The campus additionally encompasses a library, multipurpose laboratories, hostels, and guesthouses.
Coaching foresters, agricultural engineers, and extra
Out of South Africa’s 11 agricultural coaching establishments, Fort Cox is the one one that gives diplomas in forestry and agricultural engineering. The primary graduates in agricultural engineering – three feminine college students – graduated in Could this 12 months.
The institute additionally provides agriculture diplomas with specialisations in agribusiness, animal manufacturing, and crop manufacturing, all at NQF degree 6. Superior diplomas in horticulture, animal manufacturing, and forestry administration are accredited at NQF degree 7.
Sensible modules in forestry administration embrace forest tree thinning, pruning, harvesting, forest economics, chainsaw operation, and hearth administration.
Fort Cox additionally provides occupational {qualifications} accredited by the High quality Council for Trades & Occupations and has utilized to be the evaluation centre. These {qualifications} are poultry farmer, pest administration officer, and perishable produce export know-how (all NQF Stage 5), in addition to livestock farmer and nursery supervisor (each NQF Stage 3). 
As well as, Fort Cox’s CEIRD provides occupational {qualifications} and expertise programmes and supplies mechanisation, logistics, and advertising companies, in addition to consultancy companies via tendering.
So as to add worth to their {qualifications}, college students are educated briefly programs akin to mohair classing, synthetic insemination, wool sorting, tractor driving, and animal feed formulation.
Moreover, they’re positioned on farms the place they do 12 months of work-integrated studying. Agricultural engineering graduates are required to do six months of sensible in-service coaching.
Partnerships and group service
Fort Cox has a group engagement plan with the 4 native conventional leaders – chiefs Gayika, Kama, Mhlambiso, and Zibi – to help the native communities with agricultural coaching and extension companies.
The communities have prioritised citrus, forestry, livestock, poultry, and vegetable manufacturing. The school will even help with mechanical companies within the district as a part of the Ilima Letsema programme, which supplies agricultural help companies to subsistence farmers. 
Fort Cox has planted 500 citrus timber at Ulana Agricultural Faculty and supplies the scholars, lecturers, and communities surrounding the varsity with technical steering.
Moreover, Fort Cox will probably be getting concerned within the Ten Million Bushes Marketing campaign, in partnership with the Division of Forestry, Fisheries and the Surroundings, which was launched on 7 July 2025.
The school can also be a part of Forest21, a collaborative programme between 5 larger training establishments to advertise climate-smart forestry and entrepreneurial innovativeness in forestry training.
With the introduction of its Diploma in Agricultural Engineering, Fort Cox has shaped larger training partnerships with the Royal Academy of Engineering and the College of Lincoln within the UK, in addition to a number of Southern African universities. These partnerships deal with curriculum coordination and workers growth.
A partnership with the South African Poultry Affiliation focuses on upgrading and modernising broiler and layer infrastructure, whereas collaboration with the Jap Cape Division of Agriculture concentrates on farmer coaching, graduate incubation, and the skilled growth of extension officers.
As well as, Barloworld Gear equipped Fort Cox agricultural engineering gear, and the Jap Cape Rural Improvement Company (ECRDA) donated hemp processing gear.
Hemp analysis
Fort Cox has two hemp analysis initiatives scheduled for 2025/26. The primary, a trial venture in partnership with the Agricultural Analysis Council, will take a look at numerous hemp varieties and cultivars. The second trial on 4,5ha of land will probably be carried out in partnership with the ECRDA.
The institute additionally provides quick programs in hashish manufacturing, using chemical compounds and calibration, climate-smart agriculture, and aquaponics.
Fort Cox collaborated with the ECRDA and Cheeba Hashish & Hemp Academy to coach 101 farmers who’re hemp license holders in optimum cultivation practices. An space of 1ha was planted for demonstration and functions of cultivar analysis, throughout which the range SABL Assorted was deemed the most effective performer.
Successes and challenges
Fort Cox is the primary agricultural training institute to have provided an entrepreneurship incubation programme, with 24 graduates taking part over 18 months. Upon completion, the graduates got starter packs value R25 000 to proceed their enterprise proposals.
Lecturers are balanced with cultural pursuits. There’s the Fort Cox choir, which has earned medals in competitions, whereas outside recreation contains netball, volleyball, soccer, and rugby. After ending on the backside of the rugby league in 2024, the Fort Cox boys claimed second place at this 12 months’s South African Agricultural Faculties’ Rugby Week.
But it surely’s not all glory for Fort Cox. Like different agricultural coaching institutes in South Africa, it struggles with poor ICT infrastructure – {hardware}, software program, and pc community sources.
As well as, the institute’s location, round 75km northwest of East London, and restricted area for pupil residences prohibit pupil consumption.
“We wrestle to draw numerous college students and staff on account of our comparatively distant location,” says Mankazana.
“As college students at agricultural coaching institutes don’t have entry to [the National Student Financial Aid Scheme], funding and bursaries for agricultural research are restricted.
“We wish to see college students getting high quality service each by way of training and pupil life on campus.”
Concerned with internships or partnerships? Telephone Mkhululi Mankazana on 083 451 1551, or e-mail him at [email protected].
For extra info on Fort Cox’s programs, go to fortcox.ac.za.
