Michael Esmeraldo

Managing Director at Netafim South Africa

Speaker

Michael Esmeraldo holds a B.Sc degree in Agronomy and Agricultural Economics, as well as a M.Sc degree in Soil Science. He joined Netafim South Africa in 2015 as an Agronomist and from there on developed his career in Netafim. In 2019, Esmeraldo was appointed as Regional Sales Manager working from Netafim’s Nelspruit office and he joined the managerial team in April 2020. In 2022, he was appointed as managing director.

Focused on building a strong network in the industry, he joined the South African Irrigation Institute (SABI) early in his career. In 2021, he was elected as the youngest ever president of this industry organisation and successfully served his 2-year term. He continues to play a leading role in the industry as part of this organisation.

Esmeraldo believes that modern farming is not only about using the latest technology, but also about farming more efficiently. He believes we must use water, fertiliser, and other inputs efficiently to get optimal benefit per unit of input. This is why he is passionate about Netafim’s purpose and want to play a leading role in helping the company drive the mass adoption of precision irrigation.