For some time, there has been an emerging narrative that South Africa’s agriculture has not performed well recently.
Inept municipalities, poor road infrastructure, stock theft, and port inefficiencies all contribute to this narrative of failure and despair. Stories of the failings of land reform farms also add to this sentiment of regression in agricultural progress.
The government’s failings over the past decade and the lack of implementation of many development policies also catalysed this narrative.
But this narrative is far from the reality of the South African farming sector. Regardless of how experts feel about the state’s capacity and the government’s policy stance since the dawn of democracy, the one undeniable fact is that the sector has grown tremendously – and certainly not failing.
Data from the Department of Agriculture shows that domestic agricultural output in 2023/24 had more than doubled the size in 1994. A few sectors did not drive this expansion, but it has been widespread; livestock, horticulture and field crops have all seen strong growth over this period.
The higher production levels have mainly been underpinned by new production technologies, better farming skills, growing demand (locally and globally) and progressive trade policy. The private sector has played a major role in this progress.
I use “progressive trade policy” to highlight South Africa’s standing in global agriculture. According to data from Trade Map, the country was the world’s 32nd largest agricultural exporter in 2023, the only African country in the top 40 in value terms.
This was made possible by a range of trading agreements the South African government had secured over the past decades, the most important ones being with African countries, Europe, the Americas, and some Asian countries. The African continent and Europe now account for about two-thirds of South Africa’s agricultural exports, and Asia is now also an important market.
The agricultural subsectors that have contributed most to this progress in exports are fruits, wine, wool and grains. South Africa now exports roughly half of its agricultural products in value terms, reaching a record $13,2 billion in 2023, according to data from Trade Map.
Robust food security levels
The increase in agricultural output is why South Africa is now ranked 59th out of 113 countries in the global food security index, making it the most food-secure country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
I recognise that boasting about this ranking when millions of South Africans go to bed hungry every day may ring hollow, as I pointed out after a few presentations where I cited these statistics.
However, it is essential to note that many South Africans lack access to food due to the “income poverty challenge” rather than lack of availability due to low agricultural output, as is the case in other parts of Africa. South Africa produces enough food but does not export all of it. A lot is kept domestically for the local market.
To address poverty, South Africa must ensure employment and that households have sufficient income to buy food.
The global food security index balances the four elements (affordability, availability, quality, and safety) to arrive at a rating that covers matters at a broad national level.
Inclusiveness
As I argued in my recent book, A Country of Two Agricultures, South Africa still has a long way to go regarding inclusiveness.
“Nearly three decades after the dawn of democracy, SA has remained a country of ‘two agricultures’. On the one hand, we have a subsistence, primarily non-commercial and black farming segment; on the other, we have predominantly commercial and white farmers.”
The book adds that:
“the democratic government’s corrective policies and programmes to unify the sector and build an inclusive agricultural economy have suffered failures since 1994. The private sector has also not provided many successful partnership programmes to foster black farmers’ inclusion in scale commercial production. It is no surprise that institutions such as the National Agricultural Marketing Council estimate that black farmers account for less than 10%, on average, of commercial agricultural production in SA.”
This lacklustre performance by black farmers in commercial agriculture cannot be blamed solely on historical legacies.
“While this paints a bleak picture of transformation in the agricultural sector, what we can also not ignore is the anecdotal evidence pointing to a rise of black farmers in some corners of SA. We see this in field crops, horticulture and livestock in provinces such as Free State, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and other regions.”
Still, plans and programmes are in place to sustainably increase the number of black farmers in the sector.
To be super clear, the plan doesn’t entail replacing the existing farmers with new black farmers. The government has around 2.5 million hectares of land to distribute with title deeds to black farmers.
This will be “growing the agricultural piece“. The land reform process will continue under the current market principles. There will be no land grabs, as I argued and clarified the confusion about the recent Expropriation Act here.
Concluding remarks
The stories we tell about ourselves and the country are essential. While the emerging narrative of the sector under siege is gaining traction, we must highlight the sector’s gains, protect it, and address the domestic challenges that may threaten this robust progress.
Inept municipalities, poor road infrastructure, stock theft, and inefficiencies at the ports, among other things, require stronger focus and improvement to support the long-term growth of South Africa’s agriculture.
This will require the efforts of the government, organised agriculture, and the private sector. Addressing these issues must start with boldly telling the positive story of this sector, protecting the fortunes it has created for South Africa, and emphasising that property rights are intact in South Africa.
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