Dr Jan Willem (J.W.) Swanepoel is a senior lecturer and researcher affiliated to the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Extension and Rural Development at the University of the Free State. He is responsible for curricula development, especially in the field of economics, teaching, supervising numerous Masters and PhD students, and conducting research.

Before starting his academic career, he filled top management positions in every organization he worked for. These include an embryo flushing facility and a meat and offal processing facility, where he is still regularly consulting. He is also the co-owner of a private further educational training college that specialises in providing courses and skills training in management and information technology.

In his endeavours, Dr Swanepoel led a research project on agricultural extension for the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FOA) of the United Nations (UN). This research lead to numerous presentations at conferences and an award for the best scientific paper at a national conference. He was also part of the team that won the International Advanced Case Study Competition in Miami, Florida in 2017. Another project concerning successful land reform projects, were documented as case studies, and feedback was provided in a keynote presentation at the Africa-wide Agricultural Extension Week in 2017 in Durban, South African

In all his endeavours, he adopted a vast knowledge of business management and the agricultural value chain as a whole. Dr Swanepoel is passionate about making a difference to the food insecurity situation in the world by focusing on sustainable rural and urban agricultural and social development.