Smallholder farmers need support, better policies
South Africa has large numbers of smallholders who farm for food, an income or owing to lack of other options; however, this sector is in dire need of more support and proper policies, it was noted during a mini symposium on the future of smallholder farming in South Africa, held by the University of the Free State (UFS), on February 17.
UFS Poverty, Inequality and Economic Development Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Philippe Burger said the policy debate in the country over the past 27 years of democracy had focused on the formal urban economy.
However, he noted that, despite the end of Apartheid and the advent of democracy, and some urbanisation, there were still a considerable number of South Africans living in deep rural areas.
Burger pointed out that a third of South Africa’s population, and half of discouraged work seekers, lived in a part of the country where poverty was rife, and where less than two out of ten working individuals had jobs that generated monetary income.
Living conditions in these areas still lag far behind that in cities.
Therefore, he stressed that it was crucial that the everyday life of the people living on communal land be brought into the democratic South Africa.
Moreover, he emphasised that this must be done in a way that improved their wellbeing.
He called for serious reform and policy that was focused on these areas.
Burger noted that, to a large extent, the poverty seen in communal areas could largely be linked to a lack of tenure rights.
He elaborated that people live on the land and work the land, but do not have tenure security. Therefore, they cannot use tenure rights to leverage themselves to a better financial position.
Citing Articles from the Constitution, Burger said that, by now, these people should have been granted tenure rights.
One solution that could be considered was a two-tier solution, Burger posited.
He explained that, on the first tier, the land was communal; and on the second tier, use rights to land were recognised in law.
Burger said that with recognised use rights, small-scale farmers could offer future income from land as security to get loans to invest (similar to leases).
Moreover, he emphasised that there was a need to design an economic ecosystem within which small-scale farmers were able to operate.
Burger also pointed to the need to provide proper education for the youth, who tended to urbanise.
Burger also highlighted that traditional leaders are the only ones benefiting from communal land, rather than the people. This, he said, could be solved by democratising control over communal land, taking power from the chiefs and putting it in the hands of the community.
Burger noted that while this took control away from chiefs, it did not deny them their Constitutional right to have a role in society.
He explained that, while the Constitution said there should be a role for traditional leaders, particularly on a local level, ‘role’ did not imply the power to govern.
He said, therefore, that the role would be in aspects of traditional belief and culture, while control of the land would reside with the people living on the land.
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