By Lebogang Mashala, editor at African Farming
On my recent trip to Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, for our final Finance and related Production Matters for Farmers workshop for the year, I was struck by the energy in the room. You could see it on their faces: the eagerness to learn, the hunger for knowledge and the appreciation for being part of a platform that speaks directly to their struggles and aspirations.
But another reality could not be ignored: While a few young people were present, the overwhelming majority of the farmers were elderly. This became particularly stark during discussions on market access, where painful stories emerged of how smallholder farmers are often exploited by unscrupulous actors, sometimes even by fellow farmers.
One example stood out. Smaller grain farmers are frequently targeted by larger farmers acting as “middlemen” between them and the silos. These bigger players convince smallholders they cannot store their maize directly because they lack their own folios. Offering to “help”, they store the grain under their own folios, charging as much as R400 per ton for the service. For a farmer delivering 150 tonnes, that’s a devastating R60 000 loss; money that should have gone back into their business and household.
This is why the absence of young farmers worries me deeply. Elderly farmers, often less familiar with new systems, technologies and policies, are more vulnerable to such exploitation. It is critical that older farmers start involving their children, not only on the farm but also in support roles like administration, finance, and marketing.
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Smallholder Farmers’ Structural Barriers
Yet this challenge cannot rest on families alone. The reality is that South Africa’s smallholder farmers face structural barriers that make fair market access almost impossible:
Poor infrastructure: Many farms are in rural areas with bad roads, insufficient storage and unreliable transport, leading to post-harvest losses and produce of a lower quality.
Lack of finance: Without affordable credit or investment, smallholders cannot scale up production or invest in quality improvements.
Limited market information: Farmers often lack access to real-time pricing and demand data, leaving them vulnerable to misinformation and poor bargaining power.
Transport challenges: High transport costs and limited services make it difficult to get produce to markets efficiently.
Low production volumes and inconsistent quality: Small plot sizes and limited value addition make it hard to meet the strict standards and volumes required by supermarkets and formal buyers.
These barriers have far-reaching effects:
- Exclusion from high-value markets like supermarkets or export channels.
- Reliance on informal markets that generate far lower returns.
- Limited contribution to food security, despite smallholders producing a significant portion of the country’s food.
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If smallholder farmers are to thrive, they need more than good intentions. They need targeted support in infrastructure development – from rural roads and storage facilities to affordable transport networks. They need better financing models that enable growth without sinking them in debt. They need reliable, accessible market information systems that level the playing field.
As I reflect on Bergville, I am reminded that the future of agriculture does not rest only with today’s farmers; it rests with the next generation. Young people must hear the call to step into farming; not as a fallback but as a profession of dignity, skill and purpose.
Farming is not just a career; it is a calling. And for the sake of food security, rural livelihoods and national prosperity, we must ensure that calling is heard, embraced and carried forward by the youth of our country.
