Chad van Wyk

After finishing high school in Bellville, Cape Town, Chad van Wyk started working in customer service. He was three years in when he flipped a coin to decide whether to accept a permanent, career-building position at a big corporation or the opportunity to study a BSc in Agriculture at Stellenbosch University with majors in Horticulture and Plant Pathology. “It’s down to sheer luck that I found a career path in agriculture,” he laughs.

Van Wyk completed his undergraduate degree in 2018 and accepted an internship at Provar. In 2020, he joined a project examining the factors determining cherry adaptability in varying environments. This Western Cape Department of Agriculture and Hortgro Cherries-funded project, a collaboration between Stellenbosch University and Provar, provided scope for Van Wyk to complete his MSc thesis on the adaptability of cherry cultivars.

Provar employed Van Wyk after his internship. He currently manages several industry trials of stone-fruit rootstocks and Jan Theron’s MSc project. “I have eight active trials at the moment,” he says. “In summer, most of my time is spent in the field collecting data and making observations.”

Van Wyk lists his daily interaction with people in the industry as a highlight of his work. He is inspired by industry members’ energy, enthusiasm, and excitement at finding things out. Another benefit is being in nature and the flexibility of carrying out fieldwork in many different locations.

Despite a start that relied on chance, Van Wyk believes his career in agriculture aligns with his core motivation. “I am inspired when people apply science to any industry to improve and optimise it,” he says. “My work gives me energy.”