In my letter last week, I reflected on one of the most unexpected revelations from South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination campaign. The biggest surprise was not necessarily the disease itself, but the livestock population that the campaign uncovered.
By Lebogang Mashala, editor at African Farming
The point I was trying to make was simple: South Africa has vastly underestimated the number of livestock found on communal land and, by extension, the enormous agricultural potential that exists in these areas. I also touched on some of the reasons why this segment of the sector has struggled to reach its full potential. Chief among them is the lack of dedicated support programmes specifically designed for communal farmers, rather than piecemeal interventions aimed merely at helping them survive.
Also read: From our editor: FMD campaign reveals the livestock story we’ve been getting wrong for decades
Parliament echoes the same concern
Interestingly, this week I received a press release from Parliament’s Agricultural Portfolio Committee, which raised concerns about the sustainability of the Blended Finance Scheme. The committee warned that funding shortages, weak oversight capacity, delays in disbursements and the overcommitment of available funds by the Land Bank threaten the programme’s ability to support the commercialisation of black farmers and advance transformation in the agricultural sector.
One of the concerns raised by the committee echoed a point I made last week: Where are the dedicated programmes for communal farmers?
The problem is not a lack of farming ability
The challenge facing communal farmers is not that they cannot farm. Their circumstances are simply very different and require solutions tailored to their realities.
Certainly, there are farmers who struggle, but the same can be said of many participants in the commercial sector. If poor farming performance were unique to communal agriculture, we would not be facing the challenges currently evident on many land reform farms.
Over the years, I have met exceptional communal farmers who, instead of complaining about their circumstances, have found ways to succeed. Farmers such as Goodman Ginyigazi and Columbus Solani, both sheep stud breeders operating from remote mountain areas with little or no government support, are prime examples. So too is Jay Jay Farming, a highly successful youth-owned agribusiness in Baziya near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.
Farmers like Emmanuel Modau of Mathuba Genetics and Kutama Huma in Limpopo have demonstrated that communal land can be farmed commercially and profitably when the right management practices are applied.
Also read: Making communal land profitable with Meatmaster sheep and Boer goats
Decades of proof, yet little support
For decades, communal farming – particularly livestock production – has helped educate millions of South Africans, including doctors, teachers, nurses, lawyers and other professionals. Entire families have built livelihoods and funded education through communal farming.
If that is not proof of potential, what is?
Yet despite this track record, we still do not have meaningful, dedicated programmes from either government or private financial institutions specifically designed to unlock the potential of communal farmers.
Many communal farmers do not need complex financing models. They need practical support systems that allow them to focus on what they do best: farming.
When livestock schemes actually worked
In the former Bophuthatswana, programmes such as the Bull and Heifer Scheme worked remarkably well. The concept was simple. Farmers received a few heifers and a bull, and over time repaid the assistance by returning a predetermined number of weaners.
There were no complicated loan agreements, no intimidating interest calculations and no unnecessary administrative hurdles.
How communal farmers were left behind
Then came the new dispensation and the system changed.
Today, a similar model exists through the Nguni Cattle Programme, a partnership between the Industrial Development Corporation and provincial departments of agriculture. Under this programme, qualifying farmers receive a starter herd, typically consisting of 30 pregnant heifers and one bull.
After five years, they repay the original number of animals and retain all offspring and profits generated from the herd.
The problem is that communal farmers have effectively been excluded. To qualify, farmers generally need access to privately owned or leased land of at least 400 hectares. Once again, those who arguably need the support most are left standing outside the gate.
A model that delivered results
Another promising initiative was the programme implemented by the Sernick Group in partnership with the Jobs Fund.
The model was similarly straightforward. Farmers received 35 pregnant cows and a bull, repaying the support over time through livestock rather than cash. The programme produced impressive results, and many of its beneficiaries have gone on to establish thriving farming businesses.
Of course, not every project will succeed. There will always be failures. But that is true of every agricultural development initiative, regardless of who the beneficiaries are.
Also read: WATCH | Communal farmers beat 2 000 rivals to win top wool honour
Glimmers of hope in North West
To be fair, there have been isolated examples of support reaching communal farmers.
Two years ago in the North West, MEC Madoda Sambatha handed over 30 pregnant Bonsmara heifers and a bull to Thamsanqa Rabasotho, a former participant in the department’s Unemployed Agricultural Graduates Programme.
More recently, while addressing farmers during the FMD vaccination campaign, Sambatha also committed to introducing a bull scheme for communal farmers in the Zeerust area. We await further details with interest.
Farmer organisations must also answer
However, the failure to adequately support communal farmers cannot be blamed solely on government and financial institutions. Farmer organisations must also accept their share of responsibility.
Increasingly, it is difficult to determine exactly who some of these organisations represent and whose interests they are advancing. Far too often, communal farmers remain on the periphery of discussions around agricultural development, transformation and support.
But that is a conversation for another day.
Also read: How communal farmers could cash in on SA’s R1.2 billion goat meat export plan
South Africa cannot afford to ignore this potential
For now, the reality remains that South Africa possesses an agricultural gold mine in its communal areas.
The livestock numbers are there. The farming knowledge is there. The determination is there. The success stories are there for all to see.
What is still missing is the political will, institutional commitment and innovative support required to unlock that potential.
If South Africa is serious about agricultural transformation, rural development and inclusive economic growth, communal farmers can no longer remain an afterthought. They must become a priority.
Also read: Communal farmers have their say as FMD vaccination drive reaches SA-Botswana border
