Agriculture
With regard to land reform:
- (i) What support does his Department provide to land-reform projects in the province and (ii) what are the requirements to qualify for this support and (b)(i) what is the success rate of land-reform projects in the province, measured as farms that are commercially viable and profitable, (ii) how does this rate compare to the national rate and (iii) to what does his Department ascribe the difference in success?
- (a) (i) The Department provides formal and informal training, extension and advisory services as well as financial and production record keeping to land reform projects. Furthermore, the farmers who apply for the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme (CASP) funding are supported with production inputs, animal breeding genetics (livestock), mechanization, market access, irrigation infrastructure, fencing, financial record keeping training and other support depending on the industry they are currently in. This support is subject to the availability of funds.
(ii) The requirements to qualify or this support is:
• Must be a South African citizen.
• Must be from a historically disadvantaged group.
• Must be over 18 years of age.
• Present proof of land ownership and whether in possession of a valid rental agreement.
• Must have access to water.
• Must have managerial and technical skills.
- Women, youth and people living with disabilities are prioritised.
(b) (i) According to the last external evaluation carried out in 2019, the Department had a success rate of 72% of land reform projects that were supported by the Department.
(ii) The Department is not aware of recent external evaluations that have recently been carried out at national level.
(iii) The department follows a commodity approach in the Western Cape which has one objective and that is to support land reform projects as much as possible in order for them to succeed. Furthermore, the department has an excellent team of expert advisors from various programmes that provides the best possible advisory and extension service to farmers. In the end, farming is a business and our partnership with commercial agricultural is about strengthen land reform farmers through access to mentorship and markets which is crucial for any business.
