• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
According to the National Development Plan of the government, the agricultural sector is expected to create approximately one million jobs by 2030.

Covid-19: Invest in small-scale farmers now for rural resilience

11th Aug 2020
Pietermaritzburg farmer Andile Ngcobo counted among the thousands of visitors to Nampo. To allow for reduced daily capacity amid Covid-19 restrictions, the expo is held over a period of five days. Under the theme “Experience it”, organisers gave visitors a broad overview of the latest trends, equipment, vehicles and so much more offered to the agriculture sector. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

In pictures: Big toys (and smiles!) at Nampo

19th May 2022
Winter weather is coming, and farmers are advised to stay informed and to prepared as best they could to safeguard their fields and animals. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Weather warning: ‘Be extra cautious for pests, diseases’

19th May 2022
Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that Kenya will now be using agricultural land from parastatals and giving it to private companies to prioritise the production of food and cash crops. Photo: Supplied/Unsplash

Kenya to hand over land to private companies

19th May 2022
Sprouts are rich in a number of important nutrients. While the specific ratio of nutrients varies depending on the type of sprout, they generally contain high levels of folate, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin K. Pictured: Ayanda Siphosothando Satula. Photo: Mikhail Nilov/Pexels

Give sprouts a go in the comfort of your home

19th May 2022
The bakers of the non-profit organisation Children of Destiny at Home say their work is severely hampered by steadily rising food prices. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Food export bans are hurting local communities

19th May 2022
Look ... Stripey, green tomatoes with a lotta zing!

Green Zebra: Stripey tomatoes with a lotta zing!

18th May 2022
Podcast: Tips for powdery mildew on tomatoes

Podcast: Tips to tackle powdery mildew on tomatoes

18th May 2022
Driving local food security through research

InnoFoodAfrica project brings food security home

18th May 2022
Drone footage shows a flooded farm in the Free State. Photo: Supplied/Jakkals le Roux

Floods: Climate change ‘scapegoat for govt. failures’

18th May 2022
The Mamphodo Mushasha Begwa Community Property Association (CPA) located in Louis Trichadt and Elim in Limpopo has been crushed by alleged sabotage. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

‘Sabotage’ brings successful land reform farm to its knees

18th May 2022
All you need to know about growing avocados

All you need to know about growing avocados

17th May 2022
Iris Telmaggiers (fright), Sophie Sauir and Leoni Pasja harvesting green peppers from Sauir’s garden. Photo: Siphokazi Mnyobe

Vegetable garden helps Iris cope with son’s death

17th May 2022
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
11 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Thu, May 19, 2022
Food For Mzansi
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
    • All
    • AgriCareers
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Farmers
    • Groundbreakers
    • Innovators
    • Inspiration
    • It Takes a Village
    • Mentors
    • Movers and Shakers
    • Partnerships
    Driving local food security through research

    InnoFoodAfrica project brings food security home

    Iris Telmaggiers (fright), Sophie Sauir and Leoni Pasja harvesting green peppers from Sauir’s garden. Photo: Siphokazi Mnyobe

    Vegetable garden helps Iris cope with son’s death

    Agripreneur 101: Balance is key for this cannabis skincare producer

    Agripreneur 101: Meet a cannabis skincare producer

    Dr Obvious Mapiye, whose studies helped develop new livestock management software. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Dr Mapiye’s driven to help small-scale farmers commercialise

    Paballo Khoza is harvesting lettuce on his 6 000 square metre shade-netted farm in Westonaria Agri-Park. Photo: Magnificent Mndebele/Food For Mzansi

    Sweat, tears and dreadful walks: Khoza finally triumphs

    ‘Dream, then pursue it,’ urges tomato farmer

    Thabo Skhosana an emerging farmer in Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal wants to motivate young farmers who wants to study agriculture. Photo: Supplied/ Food For Mzansi

    ‘The future is ours for the taking,’ says young farmer

    Agripreneur: Learn from a cannabis skincare producer

    Agripreneur: Learn from a cannabis skincare producer

    Chairperson Violet Mathusiemang and her deputy chairperson, Themba Dingilizwe, the driving force behind Randfontein’s award-winning farming cooperative called You Reap What You Sow. Photo: Magnificent Mndebele/Food For Mzansi

    Award-winning urban cooperative now aims even higher

  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi
Home COVID-19

Covid-19: Invest in small-scale farmers now for rural resilience

by Hamlet Hlomendlini
11th Aug 2020
in COVID-19, Food Security, Uncategorised
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
According to the National Development Plan of the government, the agricultural sector is expected to create approximately one million jobs by 2030.

Small-scale farmers are especially vulnerable to the covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Underberg Farmers Association

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Small-scale farmers are extremely vulnerable to the covid-19 pandemic, but their role in a sustainable rural food system is crucial. Hamlet Hlomendlini, senior agricultural economist at Absa, argues that we can’t afford not to invest in this farming sector if we want a food secure future.

 

Hamlet Hlomendlini, senior agricultural economist at Absa.

The commercial agricultural sector in South Africa has shown an incredible resilience through a number of unfavourable and extremely challenging events, including severe droughts and biosecurity issues.

Even now, where the covid-19 pandemic is profoundly disrupting the global food supply at nearly every level, our large-scale commercial sector is showing great resilience as commercial producers continue feeding the nation and keeping the agricultural economy going. As such, while the national economy is expected to contract by 10% this year, the agricultural economy is expected to grow by between 6 and 10% in the same period.

ADVERTISEMENT

While we must celebrate the success and acknowledge the importance and strong resilience of our large-scale producers, it is equally important that we acknowledge the crucial role our small-scale producers play for the national agricultural economy and rural communities in particular.

Small-scale farmers are a crucial part of the food value chain in South Africa, as well as a critical element of the rural communities’ food system. However, their resilience is being sorely tested, and a lot of help will be needed to help them survive through the pandemic and be able continue producing thereafter.

Unlike large-scale farmers who may be able to weather the covid-19 shocks, small-scale farmers may be under enormous pressure due to the fact that they are highly vulnerable to crisis as a result of their limited access to resources, credit and basic healthcare facilities. For small-scale farming communities, the covid-19 impact is exacerbated by the fact that basic preventive measures such as regular hand washing, social distancing and self-isolation pose a unique challenge. This is highlighting the potential public health crisis awaiting rural South Africa and rural farming communities.

As the number of covid-19 positive cases continue to surge across the country, measures will need to be taken by governments and businesses to protect the communities. Equally, mitigating measures to ensure a sustainable food system by small-scale farmers in the post-crisis period is of paramount importance. It is therefore crucial that we address fragmentation and industry barriers small-scale farmers often run into, such as unfair access to land and water markets, agri-infrastructure decay, biosecurity issues and rising input costs.

In addition to removing industry barriers, as we build the “new normal” under the covid-19 pandemic, we will need to be innovative in our thinking and ensure that our efforts to rebuild are sensitive to the needs and circumstances of small-scale farmers in our country. In this way we can protect and enhance the resilience of small-scale producers, while also taking steps to ensure future systemic resilience than can help them weather the crisis and accelerate the recovery process. Post covid-19 agricultural policies must include these imperative points if we are to build a resilient small-scale commercial agricultural sector post the pandemic.

Lastly, we are all aware that financial institutions are reluctant to provide finance to the small-scale agricultural sector due to the risk attached to small-scale farmers—lack of secure land tenure and proven financial records being the key impediments. However, as the covid-19 pandemic continues to bring havoc to our economy and health systems, it is crucial that we prevent it from plunging millions more people into hunger, particularly in rural areas. Small-scale farmers can help in this regard if we work with them and invest in their activities.

There is therefore a great need for government, financial institutions, local agribusiness and international organisations (where possible) to closely work together to create funding models that fit the needs of small-scale farmers. This must be done with the purpose of creating resilience in the small-scale agricultural sector and ensuring that rural food systems continue to function efficiently and effectively post the pandemic.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Tags: Covid-19Food Securityfood systemsHamlet HlomendliniRural economysmall-scale farmers
Share196Tweet123Send
Hamlet Hlomendlini

Hamlet Hlomendlini

Hamlet Hlomendlini is an agricultural economist and columnist. He is a speaker and prominent voice on matters relating to the agricultural economy in South Africa. He currently serves as a Senior Agricultural Economist Specialist at Absa Agribusiness.

Related Posts

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that Kenya will now be using agricultural land from parastatals and giving it to private companies to prioritise the production of food and cash crops. Photo: Supplied/Unsplash

Kenya to hand over land to private companies

by Staff Reporter
19th May 2022
0

Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the country plans to seize idle parastatal land to hand over to private companies.

Driving local food security through research

InnoFoodAfrica project brings food security home

by Nicole Ludolph
18th May 2022
0

South Africa, represented by the University of Pretoria, is one of the key contributors to the InnoFoodAfrica project which aims...

Dr Obvious Mapiye, whose studies helped develop new livestock management software. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Dr Mapiye’s driven to help small-scale farmers commercialise

by Tiisetso Manoko
16th May 2022
0

After seeing first-hand the challenges and unsustainable plans that small-scale farmers had to live with, this innovative agricultural researcher is...

A recent study compiled by research revealed that a large number of farmers had received no official aid after suffering severe disruptions brought on by the global Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Pixabay/Supplied

Farmers disrupted by pandemic still struggling

by The Conversation
9th May 2022
0

Stringent Covid-19 restrictions have seen the world's poorest, including smallholder farmers, bear the brunt without enough support of local governments.

Sprouts are rich in a number of important nutrients. While the specific ratio of nutrients varies depending on the type of sprout, they generally contain high levels of folate, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin K. Pictured: Ayanda Siphosothando Satula. Photo: Mikhail Nilov/Pexels
Lifestyle

Give sprouts a go in the comfort of your home

by Duncan Masiwa
19th May 2022
0

Sprouts are perfect to grow in the comfort of your own home. These little germinated seeds are often used in...

Read more
The bakers of the non-profit organisation Children of Destiny at Home say their work is severely hampered by steadily rising food prices. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Food export bans are hurting local communities

19th May 2022
Look ... Stripey, green tomatoes with a lotta zing!

Green Zebra: Stripey tomatoes with a lotta zing!

18th May 2022
Podcast: Tips for powdery mildew on tomatoes

Podcast: Tips to tackle powdery mildew on tomatoes

18th May 2022
Driving local food security through research

InnoFoodAfrica project brings food security home

18th May 2022

In pictures: Big toys (and smiles!) at Nampo

Weather warning: ‘Be extra cautious for pests, diseases’

Podcast: Tips to tackle powdery mildew on tomatoes

Give sprouts a go in the comfort of your home

Podcast: Brace for higher food prices

Sweat, tears and dreadful walks: Khoza finally triumphs

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 11 global awards in the first three years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

In pictures: Big toys (and smiles!) at Nampo

Weather warning: ‘Be extra cautious for pests, diseases’

Kenya to hand over land to private companies

Give sprouts a go in the comfort of your home

Food export bans are hurting local communities

Green Zebra: Stripey tomatoes with a lotta zing!

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
WhatsApp line: +27 81 889 9032
Marketing: +27 71 147 0388
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2021 Food for Mzansi

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version