Reconnecting our youth to agriculture

South Africa's ageing farm demographic and youth disconnect threaten food security and innovation. Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen is driving a strategic shift, funding internships and promoting agritech to reposition agriculture as a modern, sophisticated career for the next generation. The future of farming is tech-led and youth-built. Hanlie du Plessis reports.

- Hanlie du Plessis

In South Africa today, too many children believe food and fibre simply appear on supermarket shelves - they don't know the sweat, soil and science behind every loaf of bread, litre of milk, or thread of cotton. That is not just a loss of innocence, it is a threat to our future.

Our nation's farming demographic is ageing. The average South African farmer is 62 years old, yet over 60% of the continent's population is under 25. Unless we intentionally draw youth back into agriculture - not as a last resort, but as a first choice - we risk eroding the very foundations of food security, rural economic resilience, and innovation in our food systems.

Unless we deliberately reconnect young people to agriculture - not as drudgery, but as a modern opportunity - we will face a future where the people most capable of driving innovation have never set foot on a farm.

MINISTER SEES YOUTH AS THE FUTURE

Fortunately, the current Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, seems to understand this urgency. In his recent Budget Vote address, he described the allocation as “a budget for the youth”, announcing that more than 3 000 agricultural graduates have entered internship programmes.

“The future of agriculture will be decided by the next generation, not only those who inherit the land, but those who study climate-smart techniques, monitor disease outbreaks, and build data systems for traceability,” the minister said.

“Let us empower them to build a new kind of agriculture, one rooted in science, community, and opportunity.”

This is a welcome departure from stereotypes that paint farming as tough, backbreaking labour with poor returns. Instead, Steenhuisen is pushing a vision of agriculture that is modern, technologically sophisticated, and deeply inclusive.