VerifiedAgriculture is funded differently from other fields in South Africa. The biggest bursaries do not come from companies. They come from commodity organisations, which are funded by a levy on the industry itself: the citrus growers fund citrus students, the deciduous fruit growers fund theirs, and so on through potatoes, macadamias, wool, seed and sugar.
These schemes pay well and take students every year, but they bind you to that industry afterwards. The rest of the funding comes from the national and provincial agriculture departments, from AgriSETA, from the Agricultural Research Council, and from agribusinesses and food manufacturers.
Closing on 30 September 2026: the Department of Agriculture bursary, SANSOR, VKB, Elsenburg and the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Cape Wools closes 31 October 2026.
Conditions attached to commodity bursaries
The Citrus Academy Bursary Fund publishes its conditions in full, and the other commodity schemes work the same way. Before you apply, know that:
- You work in that industry afterwards. Citrus Academy students are expected to work in the citrus industry for a period equal to the period they were funded.
- Vacation work is compulsory. Undergraduate, certificate and diploma students do at least four weeks of vacation work a year.
- There is an academic minimum. Students must keep a minimum D-average and may not fail any main subject outright.
- Your institution matters. For a general agriculture qualification, the Citrus Academy prefers institutions that teach citrus production as a subject.
This is a fair trade if you want to work in that industry. It is a poor fit if you want a general agriculture degree and an open choice of employer afterwards, in which case the department bursaries and NSFAS are the better route.
Commodity organisation bursaries
| Funder | Industry | Last confirmed closing |
|---|---|---|
| Citrus Academy | Citrus. Postgraduate, undergraduate and BEE bursary support | 18 September 2026, extended from 15 September |
| SANSOR | Seed. Postgraduate only | 30 September 2026 |
| Cape Wools SA | Wool | 31 October 2026 |
| Hortgro | Deciduous fruit: apples, pears, peaches, plums | 15 August 2026 |
| Potato Industry Development Trust | Potatoes. The last round offered four bursaries | 31 August 2026 |
| Potatoes SA | Potatoes, through the growers’ own body | 31 August 2026 |
| SAMAC | Macadamias | Not published |
| SA Society of Crop Production | Crop production, through the professional society | 15 March 2026 |
SANSOR funds honours, master’s and doctoral study only, in plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy, horticulture, pasture science, biotechnology, plant physiology, genetics and molecular plant biology. Applications open on 1 August and close on 30 September each year, and you cannot hold it together with other government funding. Confirmed 23 September 2026 on the SANSOR postgraduate bursary page.
The citrus scheme is the one to study if you want to understand how these work. Its conditions are set out on the Citrus Academy bursary page, and the other commodity bodies follow the same pattern of industry money in return for industry service.
AgriSETA
The Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority is funded by the skills levy paid by farms, food processors and agribusinesses, and it funds students at universities and TVET colleges.
Its window is fixed rather than announced: applications run from 1 August to 15 September every year. That makes it one of the few schemes you can diarise with confidence. The 2027 window closed on 15 September 2026, so the next one opens on 1 August 2027.
Department of Agriculture bursary
The national Department of Agriculture bursary funds students from poor and rural communities to qualify in agricultural science and the disciplines the department itself employs: agricultural engineering, bioresource engineering, land surveying and town and regional planning alongside agriculture proper.
It is the largest agriculture bursary that does not tie you to one commodity. The 2027 call closes on 30 September 2026.
Provincial agriculture department bursaries
Every province runs its own scheme, restricted to residents of that province, and most fund students who will go on to work in the provincial department or in its extension services.
- Western Cape Department of Agriculture — runs through Elsenburg. Its timing moves from year to year.
- Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute — the Western Cape’s own agricultural college, outside Stellenbosch. Closes 30 September 2026.
- Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development — applications are taken on an online form. Closes 30 September 2026.
- Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development — advertises after the Matric results come out, so watch it in January.
- Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform — applications go by email to bursaries@drdar.gov.za or by hand to a district office. Recent rounds closed in late November or January.
Agricultural research bursaries
The Agricultural Research Council is the country’s principal agricultural research institution, with campuses and research farms across South Africa. Its bursary is for postgraduate study, it closed on 17 June 2026 for the 2027 year, and it does not accept late applications.
The AEASA BD Nomvete bursary comes from the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa and funds postgraduate agricultural economics. It does not publish a fixed date, so check aeasa.org.za directly.
Agribusiness bursaries
Agribusinesses and food manufacturers fund agriculture alongside engineering, commerce and food science. These do not carry an industry-wide work-back, but most expect you to join the company.
| Funder | What it does | Last confirmed closing |
|---|---|---|
| VKB Group | Grain handling, retail, financing and food production, based in Reitz in the eastern Free State | 30 September 2026 |
| TWK Agri | Agricultural services group in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal | Mid-August. Rounds open in late July |
| Nestlé | Food manufacturing, through its Future Talent bursary | Varies |
| RCL Foods | Chicken, sugar, groceries and animal feed | Varies |
| Quantum Foods | Eggs, broilers and animal feeds | Varies |
| Omnia | Fertiliser, chemicals and mining explosives | Varies |
| Westfalia Fruit | Avocados and subtropical fruit. Funds trades as well as degrees | 30 November 2025 |
| Sakata Seed | Vegetable and flower seed. Its form is open with no stated closing date | Not published |
| Corteva Agriscience | Seed and crop protection | 31 October 2024 |
| Land Bank | The state agricultural development bank | 5 January 2026 |
| Bester Feed and Grain | Animal feed and grain | 30 June 2026 |
| Shoprite | Reserves ten bursaries for horticulture, agronomy, agricultural economics and agribusiness | 31 May 2026 |
Qualifications funded
Agriculture calls name qualifications rather than a single degree, and the wording differs between funders. The usual ones are:
- BSc Agriculture and the BAgric, the general degrees most schemes name first.
- Agricultural economics and agribusiness management, funded by AEASA, Agbiz, Shoprite and the commodity bodies.
- Agronomy, horticulture and crop production, the plant-side specialisations the commodity organisations care most about.
- Animal science and pasture science, funded by the feed, wool and livestock side of the industry.
- Plant breeding, plant pathology and entomology, funded mainly at postgraduate level by SANSOR and the ARC.
- Food science and food technology, funded by the manufacturers rather than the growers.
- Agricultural and bioresource engineering. See our bioresource engineering bursaries page.
- Agricultural diplomas at a TVET or agricultural college. AgriSETA and Elsenburg fund these; most commodity schemes do too.
When to apply
| Period | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 August – 15 September | The AgriSETA window. Fixed every year, so diarise it. |
| August – September | Hortgro, Potatoes SA, the Potato Industry Development Trust, the Citrus Academy and TWK close. |
| 30 September | The Department of Agriculture, SANSOR, VKB, Elsenburg and Gauteng agriculture close. |
| October – December | Cape Wools closes 31 October. Agbiz opens in October. Westfalia closed at the end of November in its last round. Apply to NSFAS. |
| January – March | Land Bank, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo departments, and the SA Society of Crop Production close. |
| June | The Agricultural Research Council closes, with no late applications. |
See also our science bursaries page, engineering bursaries for the agricultural engineering route, and government bursaries for the national and provincial schemes.
