Grass-Fed Beef: The Trend That Favours Communal Farmers

Joseph Kau, an agricultural economist at the Agricultural Research Council, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the grass-fed beef movement in South Africa and the opportunities it presents for communal farmers, as well as the obstacles thwarting progress.

- Annelie Coleman

HOW DID THE GRASS-FED BEEF MOVEMENT EVOLVE IN SOUTH AFRICA?

Grass-fed beef refers to cattle that are allowed to forage and graze for their own fresh food. In 2014, the Grass-Fed Association of South Africa [GFSA] was launched in Bloemfontein. Despite previous failures by other organisations to get this initiative going, the changing socio-economic situation in South Africa and healthier lifestyle choices are considered effective drivers for the long-term sustainability of grass-fed beef production.

GFSA largely caters to commercial farmers. New and communal beef producers are yet to learn about the benefits of participating in this kind of enterprise. Some researchers argue that communal farming in South Africa can by default be regarded as organic farming systems as these farmers mostly make use of very few, if any, chemical inputs, and their livestock often range freely over communal grazing areas.

There have been efforts in the past to mobilise communal farmers towards producing certified grass-fed beef. In 1998, for instance, the University of Fort Hare, in collaboration with rural development agencies in the Eastern Cape, initiated a programme to produce organic beef production by making Nguni cattle available to communal farmers. Interested communities are given two bulls and 10 in-calf heifers to enable them to build up a nucleus herd. Registered Nguni bulls are used to replace all the existing bulls in the community.

After five years, the community is required to give back to the project two bulls and 10 heifers, which are then passed on to another group of recipients. One of the conditions of the project is that communities should have fenced grazing areas and a rangeland management committee, and must practise rotational grazing at prescribed stocking rates. The long-term goal is to develop a niche market for communal farmers to supply certified organic beef.