Research Report 2008/2009
10.
Conclusion
Funding and people are the primary requisites for ensuring that research is successful. There are few, if any, areas of research in South Africa in which both these resources are adequate. Yet in spite of several shortcomings already discussed in this document it is with gratitude that the PRF can report that good progress has been made in the past year, due to the cooperation of people and institutions as well as having sufficient funds available to continue with our activities.
Once again, the PRF has received a positive report from its auditors, the Ashton CA (SA) Group, and we thank them for providing the Board with the peace of mind that all the financial requirements with which the PRF has to comply have been fulfilled.
Similarly we would like to emphasise that it is not possible for the PRF to shoulder the entire financial burden for everything that has been discussed in this report. Our most important partners are the ARC, OPDT/OAC, the Winter Grains Trust, Universities and the Provincial Departments of Agriculture, especially in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
People, and their contributions, are the source of the PRF's success. It is impossible to mention everyone by name, but our heartfelt thanks go to all researchers, contractors, consultants, peer evaluators, the media and the variety of authors, agricultural writers and journalists, radio presenters, co-workers in the PRF work groups, those who have assisted with trials, information days, demonstrations, etc. and literally everyone who has helped, directly or indirectly, to make the activities of the PRF a success.
The PRF Board would especially like to thank our Chief Executive Officer, Mr GT duT Keun and his dedicated staff for the exceptional manner in which they continue to execute their daily tasks. To this core team, who shoulder the total administrative burden of the PRF, no time or trouble is too much to ask when a task needs to be completed, and the success of the PRF depends on them.
In closing, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to every member of our Board of Trustees who continue, on a daily basis, to deliver even greater contributions to the activities of the PRF, especially in the light of policy changes that have placed greater pressure on Board Members. The combination of all people and institutions mentioned above and the Trustees of the PRF ensures that every person in South Africa reaps the benefits of the actions of the PRF.