Have you eaten today? Thank a farmer for that

David Burton, sector director for African agriculture in the UK Department of Business and Trade, says the UK offers sovereign debt finance options to South African farming projects that invest in British technology.

- David Burton

I have had the privilege of living and working in this beautiful country for more than 10 years. While working here, I have had an opportunity to observe South African agriculture first-hand, which has equipped me to be an unbiased observer.

South African agriculture is an incredible quiet success story. South The country is one of only two in Africa that can be said to be food secure. Production has increased steadily throughout the past 30 years, the food that is produced is of the highest quality, and farm gate prices offer some of the most economically produced food in the world.

Farmers are also custodians of the land and are providing an environmental stewardship service that in many other countries would be paid for by the state.

Farmers are suppliers of large amounts of rural labour and many farms act as social security centres, providing additional services such as health, education and other welfare services.

South African farmers have also shown considerable levels of resilience, many having to move off-grid as electricity supply becomes less and less reliable, and often having to repair roads that are considerable distances from their farms.