President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Bill into law to ensure that agricultural land supports long-term food production and that agriculture contributes to economic growth.
According to a statement from his office, the law supports the government’s objectives and priorities regarding the sustainable management and use of natural resources.
“The law creates an enabling environment for the development of the agricultural sector and an increased contribution by this sector to economic growth.
“The law seeks to protect and preserve agricultural land and its productive use to ensure that agricultural land is available and viable for the development of the agricultural sector. The law reinforces South Africa’s efforts to ensure that agricultural land is used to its optimal potential to support long-term food production, which will have a positive impact on the economy,” the statement said.
Combatting land degradation
“It also sets out a countrywide policy and regulatory framework for the preservation and development of agricultural land,” the statement further noted.
The Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Act comes days after the president also signed the Expropriation Act, sparking heated debate in the agricultural sector with some threatening legal action.
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Meanwhile, minister of agriculture John Steenhuisen said underpinning the bill are the core principles of agroecology ensuring the land is used optimally according to its specific potential, resilience and viability without resulting in the degradation of the natural resource base.
“Each agroecological system will be managed according to its specific needs which is inclusive of interventions to combat existing land degradation, identification of suitable land use options with the aim to promote regenerative production practices towards improving the status of the natural agricultural resources,” he said.
Communities’ role in sustainable farming practices
Steenhuisen also stressed the important role communities have to play in preserving agricultural land.
“There needs to be a buy-in and understanding from local communities on why soil and the preservation of it is so important from a community health perspective, but also from a food security perspective. Over the last 20 to 30 years, we have seen very harmful practices being implemented in agriculture.”
Steenhuisen added that communities need to be educated about why soil preservation is so important and the need to move towards more sustainable farming practices.
“The productivity of land affects the production of food for the growing populations and the prosperity of agriculture and the nations. Therefore, land degradation neutrality represents a major opportunity to contribute to sustainable development by scaling up good practices and pilot activities through large-scale transformative projects and programmes (TPPs).
“These initiatives can generate multiple benefits, including positive changes in human well-being, poverty alleviation, and the restoration of terrestrial ecosystems and their services,” he said.
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