We need in-depth research on land and agriculture policy

With the regulatory environment remaining constant for the past three decades and showing limited changes, Dr Sifiso Ntombela believes there are burning issues that policy researchers should address.

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There is a growing homogeneity in agriculture and land policy that must be addressed by researchers, in particular independent knowledge generators like the universities.

There is merit in the consensus that an export-led growth strategy has helped grow the agricultural output and generate foreign earnings.

However, there is a challenge when most players in the sector concur that the growth has been largely exclusive, and disease outbreaks are becoming a problem, but no action or policy changes are effected.

Not only are limited changes seen in policy climate, but also in institutions and the conduct of players. It can be argued that the policy and regulatory environment in agriculture and land sectors has remained constant over the past 30 years despite changing social, economic, and environmental factors, both locally and internationally.

QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED

Changing policy shouldn't be a frequent phenomenon, as it is likely to yield policy uncertainties. However, with the significant changes observed in recent decades, there are serious questions that are emerging that require the attention of policy researchers.