Lack Of Transformation Bedevils Agriculture

In this first instalment of a new monthly column, agricultural economist Dr Sifiso Ntombela discusses the lack of transformation in South Africa’s farming sector.

- Dr Sifiso Ntombela

After two decades of positive growth and a relatively stable policy environment, the agriculture sector is confronted with policy ambiguities, slow progress on transformation, climate change, rising farm debt, market-distorting disease outbreaks, and farm-safety problems. This is not a complete list, but these are arguably the top six agricultural problems today.

It is also worth noting that all of these issues are equally important; you cannot prioritise one over the other. To do so would lead to weak agricultural growth, job losses, food insecurity and low investment.

This article focuses on the transformation problem; subsequent columns will address other strategic areas.

Apartheid laws were designed and implemented in a manner that decimated black farming capabilities. Since the end of apartheid, the democratic government has achieved very little to restore farming competency and improve access to factors of production for black farmers.