It was fundamental that the transformational agenda of the agriculture sector was prioritised and accelerated, Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries chairperson Machwene Semenya said.

She emphasised that agriculture was the key to transforming the lives of South Africans, with the committee supporting the expansion of irrigation agriculture by 500 000 ha by 2030 – a direct link to an National Development Plan (NDP) objective.

She noted the NDP guided its deliberations and planning, stating that all three sectors for which the committee was responsible had “the role of game-changer in economic development and contribution to growth and job creation” in South Africa.

The portfolio committee engaged with stakeholders during a strategic workshop from April 17 to 19. The workshop’s objectives were to align its strategic objectives with those of the fifth Parliament; understand better the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors; determine the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries’ (DAFF’s) mandate and strategic priorities, as well as their alignment with the NDP and medium-term strategic framework for the five-year term from 2014 to 2019; and determine the DAFF and its entities’ work plans, policy and legislative programmes.

The committee emphasised the fundamental importance of the links between the DAFF and its entities, and that these should be clearly defined and entrenched in the department’s strategic plans to ensure that its 2015/16 annual performance plan was achievable. The committee also called for the efficient management of plant and animal diseases and for the coherent implementation of the agricultural policy action plan.

The committee suggested that the DAFF should build a strategic relationship with agricultural sector-education and training authorities and work with the industry to develop a human resource development strategy for the sector.

The uncoordinated support available to smallholder farmers, which resulted in wastage, was also highlighted, with the committee urging the DAFF to look at a one-stop funding model and create norms and standards for the education and training of the poor.

The committee further proposed that training provided should not only focus on formal qualifications but also build the skills of the unskilled and illiterate to reach as many people as possible, particularly small-scale producers.

The absence of monitoring mechanisms, which compromised food security, was also raised during the workshop, as was the adoption of a plan for small-scale fisheries to contribute to the wealth of the poor.