Yesterday, 07 June 2022, I presented at the Large Herds S.A. Conference held in the Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. I explored the prospects of broadening farm ownership for successful transformation in South African agriculture.
The presentation is based on a paper co-authored with Professor Johann Kirsten of Stellenbosch University.
For background, one of the dominant questions in South Africa’s agricultural policy since the dawn of democracy is the need to accelerate land reform to ensure the inclusion of black farmers in the sector. The failures in this attempt prompted some political parties to call for a need to expropriate land without compensation from December 2017 through an amendment in section 25 of the Republic of South Africa constitution. This is a motion that was tabled in the National Assembly and failed.
On the margins, some began to ask, “Is farm ownership a requirement for success in the South African context?”. Of course, this is a broad question, and answers would depend on each individual’s financial status. But using the principle that farming is a long them endeavour with intensive capital investment, farm ownership is crucial.
For this fundamental reason, South Africa still discusses the subject of land ownership; hence the address focused on this topic, not the historical perspective but the options to accelerate land reform.
You can watch the 25 minutes long address by clicking here.
Follow me on Twitter (@WandileSihlobo). E-mail: wandile@agbiz.co.za
