Importance of Commercial Farming in South Africa answered as essay of 500-600words
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Answer:
The mandate of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) includes value chains, inputs, production and consumption in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors. The department’s mandate is derived from a range of legislation, including the Sea Fishery Act of 1988, the National Forests Act of 1998, the Agricultural Products Standards Act of 1990, and the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act of 1983.Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries chapter in Official Guide to South Africa 2017/2018
The National Development Plan sets out a broad vision of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality by 2030.
This vision is supported by Outcome 4 (decent employment through inclusive economic growth), outcome 7 (comprehensive rural development and land reform) and Outcome 10 (protect and enhance our environmental assets and natural resources) of government’s 2014-2019 Medium Term Strategic Framework. The work of the DAFF is closely aligned with these outcomes.
As such, over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period, the department intends to focus on improving food security; creating jobs; increasing the contribution of the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors to gross domestic product (GDP), enhancing primary animal healthcare services and enabling trade in the global economy.
The department also expects to implement the Agricultural Policy Action Plan, which focuses on value chains with high potential for food security, job creation and economic contribution; the revitalisation of the agricultural and agro-processing value chain; and Operation Phakisa.
The South African economy grew by 1.3% in 2017, exceeding National Treasury’s expectation of 1.0% growth announced during the National Budget Speech in February 2017.
The strengthening in economic activity in 2017 was partly driven by the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors recovering from one of the worst droughts in recent history. In 2017, the sectors’ contribution to the GDP was 2.4%.
The total volume of South African agriculture production for 2017 was estimated at 62.9 million tonnes compared to 50.8 million tonnes in 2016. This represented a 24% increase in production, which was attributed to the bumper summer crop harvest following good rainfalls during the season.
Agriculture plays an important role in the process of economic development and can contribute significantly to household food security.
According to Statistics South Africa’s 2017 General Household Survey, only 15,6% of South African households were involved in agricultural production. Most crop production took place in backyard gardens, and households involved in agricultural activities were mostly engaged in the production of food.
Food production consisted of fruit and vegetables (53,4%), grains (51,8%), livestock farming (47,1%) and poultry (35,3%). Only 11,1% of the households involved in agriculture reported getting agricultural-related support from the government. Nationally, slightly more than 2,2% of the households reported receiving training and 7,0% received dipping/livestock vaccination services.
Nationally, more than three-quarters (78,5%) of households that were involved in agriculture were involved in an attempt to secure an additional source of food. Provincially, 91,5% of households in Limpopo, 81,9% of households in the Eastern Cape and 79,0% of households in Mpumalanga were engaged in agricultural activities as a way to augment their existing sources of food, while 36,7% of households in Western Cape practiced agriculture as a leisure activity.
In the Northern Cape, 21,6% of households attempted to create an additional source of income through agriculture. Since agriculture is not so common in Gauteng, many households engage in agriculture as a last option.
Only 9,9% of the households involved in agriculture reported getting agricultural-relatedsupport from the government during the year preceding the survey. The only provinces where significant support was provided for farming households were KwaZulu-Natal (13,6%), Eastern Cape (20,3%) and Northern Cape (22,5%). Nationally, slightly less than two per cent (1,9%) of the households reported receiving training and 6,0% received dipping/ livestock vaccination services.