Head of Strategic Farmer Development, Agriculture Gauteng NPC
Ryan Marsden leads Agriculture Gauteng's strategic farmer development work — turning the organisation's six AGM focus areas into programmes that run on the ground, in real districts, with real farmers.
With 30 years of fire prevention and agricultural advisory experience, Ryan brings a rare combination to the table: statutory authority as Chairman of the Rietlaagte Fire Protection Association (Reg. 3107/01), regional standing as Vice Chairman of GUFPA (representing 21 Fire Protection Associations across Gauteng), and technical credibility through his FERTASA and CropLife SA certifications, plus soil sampling and recommendation capability verified by Wits University. He also serves as a Qualified Scene Commander for the West Rand District Municipality.
In 2015, Ryan founded the Magaliesburg Development Initiative (MDI), a working model for what strategic farmer development looks like when it's built from the ground up rather than the top down.
1. The 4 per 1000 Carbon Footprint ProjectRyan is the architect of the Rietlaagte Carbon and Agri-Tourism Project — connecting fire prevention, invasive species removal, biochar production, and soil restoration into a single, provable carbon and land-restoration model
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2. Zero HungerRyan works from a simple operating principle he calls "the chain" — one link cannot be dropped without breaking the next:
Prevent the fire → Protect the farm → Feed the soil → Grow the food → Employ the youth → Feed the children
The goal: move Gauteng's hunger rate from 1 in 4 to 1 in 10.
3. Land ReformThrough hands-on advisory work with emerging and small-scale farmers, Ryan helps new landholders move from occupying land to producing from it — with soil health, fire safety, and market access built in from day one.
4. Rural Safety & Climate ResilienceRyan's fire prevention and rural safety training is delivered directly to farmers, farmworkers, and rural communities across the province — practical, on-site, and built for the realities of veld fire risk.
5. Gauteng Department of Economic DevelopmentRyan's programmes are designed to open real economic opportunity — from agri-tourism and biochar production to the compliance support emerging farmers will need under the new Plant Health (Phytosanitary) Act.
6. Public-Private PartnershipsRyan operates at the intersection of government, academia, and industry — working with GDARD, Wits University, and commodity and input partners to build partnerships that are credible, fundable, and built to last.
