South Africa’s agricultural sector often finds itself at the centre of heated debates about land, transformation and exclusion. These are important conversations. Our history has left deep inequalities in landownership, access to finance, markets, infrastructure and opportunities. These challenges cannot simply be wished away. But amid the noise surrounding these difficult issues, we sometimes overlook another reality: There is considerable goodwill within South African agriculture.
By Lebogang Mashala, editor at African Farming
I was reminded of this recently when I had the privilege of serving as programme director at the Zamukele Day of Celebration.
The Zamukele programme, an initiative of the Schoeman Group, helps emerging small white beans producers transition into full-scale commercial farming through mentorship, financing and market access. The participating farmers are essentially suppliers to Tiger Brands for KOO beans. The programme currently has 49 participants, planting more than 1 600 hectares of small white beans.
Listening to these farmers speak about the programme and how it has transformed their lives and businesses reminded me that, behind the noise, there are stories worth celebrating.
Goodwill in action
The following day, I attended the AG Bonsmara 34th Production Auction in Vrede, Free State. There I met a group of black farmers who had travelled almost 500 km from Vryburg to attend the auction.
In our conversations, several spoke about their relationship with Arthur de Villiers, owner of AG Bonsmaras, and how he had helped them over the years.
I know Arthur personally, and I have experienced the goodwill they were talking about.
I can tell a similar story of my own about people I consider mentors, particularly John Devonport of Devlan Limousins.
These stories are not isolated.
Across the country, black emerging and commercial farmers are working alongside established white commercial farmers, sharing knowledge, opening doors to markets, providing mentorship and finding practical ways to build sustainable businesses.
This cooperation may not make the headlines. It certainly does not attract the same attention as political disagreements about land.
Yet it is happening every day – on farms, in boardrooms, through commodity organisations and within farmer-development programmes.
And it matters.
Also read: Less diesel, smarter sunflower: Obakeng Ntshabele’s conservation turnaround
Beyond black and white
For African Farming, this is an important story to tell.
South Africa’s agricultural future cannot be built by one group of farmers at the expense of another. It requires partnership, collaboration and a willingness to learn from one another.
There are established commercial farmers who understand the long-term sustainability of agriculture depends on a broader and more inclusive farming sector. Some have gone beyond talking about transformation and have invested their own resources, expertise and infrastructure into developing the next generation of farmers.
Programmes run by organisations such as the Schoeman Group and Sernick Group demonstrate what is possible when experienced farmers and agricultural businesses actively participate in farmer development.
Their approaches differ, but the principle is the same: emerging farmers need more than land. They need production knowledge, finance, infrastructure, reliable markets, business skills and the ability to manage risk.
This is where meaningful collaboration can make a difference.
But we should not view this relationship simply as one group “helping” another. It should be a partnership between farmers.
Also read: What Tiger Brands’ new SU partnership means for farmers growing wheat, tomatoes and groundnuts
Learning from one another
Established commercial farmers have decades of accumulated knowledge and experience. They understand production systems, markets, risk and the realities of running agricultural enterprises.
But there is also much to learn from emerging and younger farmers.
Many black farmers have demonstrated remarkable resilience and resourcefulness, building businesses under difficult circumstances and often with limited access to capital and infrastructure. Many are embracing technology, experimenting with new production systems and finding innovative ways to make farming work.
The exchange should therefore go both ways.
South Africa needs more productive hectares, more commercially viable farming enterprises and more young people entering agriculture. We need farmers who can produce competitively, create jobs and participate meaningfully in domestic and export value chains.
That means moving beyond the binary narrative that too often dominates agriculture: black versus white, emerging versus commercial, land reform versus productivity.
The reality on the ground is far more nuanced.
Also read: From herding cattle at nine to 300ha of sunflower: Obakeng Ntshabele’s farming journey
Build on what works
None of this means we should romanticise collaboration.
Some development programmes have failed. Some farmers have legitimate grievances about transformation initiatives. Structural challenges around land, finance, water, infrastructure, markets and skills remain.
Land reform remains important. So does meaningful transformation.
But recognising these challenges does not mean ignoring what is working.
We should identify successful models, strengthen them and find ways to replicate them at scale.
Government has a role in creating an environment where investment and farming can flourish. Financial institutions must develop products suited to farmers at different stages of development. Agribusinesses must continue finding ways to integrate more producers into their value chains.
Farmers, too, have a responsibility.
Sharing decades of farming knowledge with a younger farmer is not charity. It is an investment in the future of agriculture.
Likewise, emerging farmers bring resilience, fresh perspectives and, often, a willingness to embrace new technologies and approaches.
This is the agricultural conversation we need more of. Not one that ignores the difficult questions of land and transformation, but one that recognises that addressing these issues and building bridges are not mutually exclusive.
At African Farming, we believe farmers should compete in the marketplace but collaborate in building the industry.
We should celebrate those who open their gates, share their knowledge and create opportunities for others. And we should continue asking whether successful development models can be improved and expanded.
Ultimately, South Africa needs an agricultural sector that is productive, inclusive and commercially sustainable. That future should be built farmer by farmer, partnership by partnership and enterprise by enterprise.
The goodwill is there. We should build on it.
Also read:
The land question is not black and white
The mystery of agriculture’s strength in a weak South African economy
Land reform cannot succeed if CPA governance fails
