Team Food For Mzansi couldn’t help but smile and get excited after Thoko Didiza, minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development gave the publication and John Deere a thumbs up in Parliament.
Delivering her budget policy speech at the National Council of Provinces chambers in Cape Town, Didiza had only good things to say about Food For Mzansi.
Reflecting on the June 16 riots which marked the braveness of young people in confronting the apartheid government, “Young farmers, about 500 of them who we met in Soweto, in partnership with Food For Mzansi and John Deere, are giving us comfort that our country’s food security is secured,” Didiza said reflecting on 16 June 1976.
Excitement difficult to contain
Minister Didiza was a keynote speaker at this year’s Mzansi Young Farmers Indaba staged at the FNB Stadium.
Listening to some of Mzansi’s young commercial farmers speak during a panel discussion at the Indaba, Didiza could hardly contain the excitement welling up inside of her.
In her speech, Didiza also gave a shout-out to livestock farmers Dr Obakeng Mfikwe, Ipeleng Kwadi-Seboni and Hlobisile Yende, cucumber farmer, Kobela Mokgohloa and macadamia nut farmer, Gene Likhanya. The five farmers were featured in a panel discussion at Food For Mzansi’s Indaba.
The prowess of the youth
Didiza said, “[They] are showing us the constructive, courageous action and revolutionary prowess of our youth to fight new challenges of today.
“The youth cooperative of young people known as Marapyane Bakgatla has not only shown farming is a business but that farming can create employment in their rural community. It is these small beginnings that give us hope that today’s youth are making the future today.”
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Billions for agriculture
This budget vote is taking place while parts of the world are experiencing serious economic issues, some related to the ongoing conflict in Europe, other post covid 19 events and energy crises.
These crises, Didiza said point to the interdependence and inter-connectedness of the global food systems.
“Any disturbance of the system is likely to cause an unforetold imbalance in the system. It is therefore important that as policymakers and legislatures, we create an enabling environment that creates resilience in our food system.”
For this year, the department is allocating R17 254 348 billion. This 2023/24 allocation is expected to enable the department to implement programmes that continue to address food security needs in the country. It will also help address land hunger, and transform spatial planning while contributing towards the development of rural areas in partnership with other spheres of government.
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Targeting rural areas and youth
In this financial year, the government intends to specifically focus on investment in communal areas, following an analysis concluded by the Department and the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC).
“Through this analysis, if we restore 10 percent of this land by putting it back into production, we can increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the sector by R59 billion over and above the business-as-usual baseline if everything remains the same.”
The study suggests that this could unlock approximately 500 000 job opportunities in agriculture and related rural economic activities.
“In this financial year, we will, with traditional leaders and communities, bring fallow and under-utilised land into production. Mapping the potential of the land for various communal areas has already begun and will further be supported through a comprehensive, integrated approach to spatial planning and development.”
The mapping is said to include the use of drone technology for crop and livestock production suitability assessment.
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