From global trade tensions and climate change to water security, infrastructure and innovation, Dr Ivan Meyer’s message to agriculture is ultimately about one thing: government cannot afford to move at the pace it always has.
Agriculture may be rooted in the land, but the forces shaping its future are increasingly global, political and fast-moving, said Meyer, the Western Cape’s minister of agriculture, economic development and tourism.
Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, tensions between major trading powers, growing protectionism, climate change and shifting markets are all creating new risks for farmers. At the same time, farmers still depend on very local fundamentals: reliable water, functioning roads, safe rural communities and a government that responds when things go wrong.
For Meyer, these pressures point to the same conclusion: government needs to become better at turning ideas into action.
That is where he believes the Western Cape can offer a different model.
Meyer joked that, while national government can sometimes take 14 years to turn an idea into action, things move rather differently in his department, where an idea can be implemented within 14 days. The quip was a nod to Dr Mohale Sebopetsa, the provincial head of agriculture, and his team, whom Meyer credited for their efficiency.
The principle is simple: government should not only develop policy, but be capable of responding quickly when circumstances change.
Bringing government closer to the farm
Meyer said that responsiveness also needs to extend beyond provincial government and into municipalities.
He announced plans for a municipal agricultural summit next year, where mayors will be asked what their municipalities are doing to support agriculture. Each municipality should also have a senior official responsible for the sector.
The reason, he said, is that farmers cannot spend their time navigating layers of government when they are trying to run businesses.
That same principle applies to the infrastructure farmers depend on. Severe weather has damaged roads and bridges, while water security remains fundamental to the sector.
“You cannot farm without water,” Meyer said.
He urged farmers to use the province’s road-reporting system to flag potholes and other problems, arguing that government must be able to identify problems and respond to them quickly.
“We don’t talk. We do the things,” he said.
Preparing agriculture for a less certain world
Furthermore, Meyer argued that the need for a more responsive state becomes even more important as South African agriculture navigates an increasingly uncertain global trading environment.
He warned that protectionism and geopolitical tensions could affect farmers far beyond South Africa’s borders. For an export-driven sector, access to markets is critical.
“The enemy of the free world is protectionism,” he said.
But Meyer’s message was not simply one of risk. He also pointed to opportunities to expand South Africa’s agricultural footprint through stronger relationships with countries including Canada, China, India, Egypt and the Philippines.
The African continent remains particularly important, while the Western Cape department of agriculture, economic development and tourism is also engaging businesses already operating across the continent to understand what is preventing them from expanding further.
For Meyer, market access is not only a trade negotiation issue. It requires government to understand what businesses and farmers need and then remove the obstacles standing in their way.
Adapting without losing what works
Climate change presents another test of whether the government can move from discussion to practical action.
Meyer said the province’s interministerial climate change committee should help drive a more coordinated response, while municipalities should make climate change a standing agenda item.
He also wants a technical symposium focused specifically on what climate change means at farm level.
“What is it that the farmer here is wanting to do?” he asked.
The same balance applies to innovation.
Meyer also pointed to Germany as an example of how agricultural innovation can be taken from an idea to the market. He described a process in which ideas are scientifically tested, developed into business models and then piloted before being commercialised.
But he does not see innovation as a rejection of agriculture’s traditions.
Reflecting on a recent farm visit, Meyer recalled a farmer describing the family business as “rooted in tradition, but developing through innovation”.
That, perhaps, best captures his broader argument. South African agriculture does not need to abandon what has made it successful. It needs the ability to adapt faster.
For Meyer, that ultimately comes down to institutions.
Political leaders change, but the systems they build should continue working after they leave office. “Sooner or later somebody is going to knock on my door and say your next assignment is elsewhere,” he said.
The challenge, therefore, is not simply to respond to the next crisis or launch the next initiative. It is to build a government capable of responding to farmers’ needs, navigating a changing global economy and adapting to new environmental realities long after any individual minister has moved on.
That is the real shift Meyer is calling for: an agricultural state that is rooted in what works, but moves quickly enough to meet what comes next.
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