Podcast: 'Let's separate land from all the issues'

Although land reform remains an emotive and politically fraught subject, it's sometimes necessary to separate it and deal with it as the most crucial resource of any farming venture

Land reform, farm safety, and the living and working conditions of agricultural workers are just some of the most pressing issues in the farming sector. Hortgro director Unathi Speirs discusses these topics and measures she would take if she was an agricultural minister.

Speirs believes Mzansi should deal with land as land and stop racialising it. “Let’s separate it, and stop making it a political carrot stick to fight with,” she says.

Speirs says we have access to information at our fingertips, and just accessing it improves our lives. The second aspect of lifelong learning is the realisation that we cannot know everything; and that a lot of people have invested time and energy in locating and making that information accessible.

The third issue, she adds, is that contrary to popular belief, learning is not only about academics. It also involves gathering information, applying it, relearning it, and unlearning it. Learning is a continuous process that takes place throughout life.

‘Farming is more than having a vegetable garden’

She says some people confuse farming with gardening or tending potted plants. Those things are hobbies, and although it’s wonderful to have them, farming is a commercial venture that needs a significant number of resources, beginning with land, inputs, irrigation, water, expertise, disease management, biosecurity, and biosafety measures.

“Think local and export markets and the rules and standards. And you must also remember food is an ISO standard, in other words, you cannot produce something that might be infected or kill someone.”

During the episode, Speirs also discusses: