Wonga Matubatuba

Wonga is from Johannesburg, South Africa and is a student on Hartpury’s BSc (Hons) Agriculture with integrated placement year programme. He has successfully applied to join the Breaking Barriers Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) Scholarship scheme 2023, run in partnership with McDonald's UK and Ireland.

Breaking Barriers

The OFC Breaking Barriers Scholarship aims to give young people the opportunity for peer-to-peer networking and to share views and ideas while gaining access to key skills development training. The programme is open to people aged under 30 years old who identify as Black or a Person of Colour (BPOC) and have an interest in the food, farming and agricultural sector.

The scholarship comes at a time when Wonga is looking to gain more experience in the agriculture industry that he can take home to his family farm in future. He recently spent time working at Newlyns Farm in Hampshire, a mixed enterprise where he gained real-world experience of the agriculture supply chain and networked with industry experts.

“The Breaking Barriers Scholarship will give me a chance to network and engage in conversation with industry leaders in a space that is renowned for hosting and teaching leading academics and thought leaders in our industry.”

Why Hartpury?

“I chose to study at Hartpury after being offered a Rugby scholarship there. I thought an Agriculture degree would really uplift my farming knowledge and help me back home commercially.

Hartpury is an amazing place with an amazing campus. You really get to know the people around you and make a close family.

As an international student leaving home for the first time, my classmates and tutors are really helping me in my learning and life in general – and sparked my love for agronomy!

The knowledge, real-life experience, and industry contacts I’m gaining at Hartpury are preparing me for my future. I’d love to continue studying and specialise in agricultural law or commercialise my family farm in South Africa – and Hartpury is making this possible.”

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