Jan Theron

Jan Theron grew up on an apple and pear farm in Vyeboom, near Grabouw. “I’ve been in a farm set-up my whole life and always found it interesting. It’s why I decided to study horticulture at Stellenbosch University,” he says.

“Growing up, I had a basic understanding of how the farm works and why certain things are done, but my appreciation for the science developed at university. That’s where my passion for agriculture — especially horticulture — began.”

After obtaining his undergraduate degree in 2022, Theron pursued his MSc through a two-year internship at Provar. His project focuses on rest-breaking alternatives to hydrogen cyanamide for apples and pears.

“I don’t think I would have done my master’s degree if I hadn’t heard about this project. I decided it was the best way to contribute to the industry,” he explains.

Theron is in his final year of fieldwork and will submit his thesis in December 2025. Although he prefers to be out in the orchards rather than in front of his laptop, he is enthusiastic about analysing the results of his experiments.

“The data processing, especially, can be quite a long process,” he says, “but I’m looking forward to having all of the study’s results in front of me and drawing conclusions.”

In addition to completing his thesis, Theron currently works part-time for Dr Nigel Cook, one of his academic supervisors, at Innovapome. Theron is involved in a low-chill apple breeding programme, allowing him to gain experience in plant breeding.

Theron acknowledges that he may return to work on his family farm one day. “Until then, I want to learn as much as I can and be a part of the industry,” he says.