The point of my previous Business Day letter concerned the need to be watchful of land use needs in specific agricultural-rich areas of South Africa. A watchful eye on these issues is vital for our long-term food security needs. South Africa is indeed a big country — about 122-million hectares. Agriculture also takes a sizeable portion of the country, about 78-million hectares.
But we must appreciate that only 17%-20% of these 78-million hectares is suitable for field crops, irrigation and horticultural production. More than 55% of farmland is ideal only for extensive grazing, and another 20% for intensive pastures and animal production.
Therefore, our farmland’s potential is limited in certain areas. We must be careful of the land use in such areas. Water is indeed also a vital part of this discussion.
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