Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism

The people of the Karoo have very little going for them.  Rainfall is low and irregular, natural resources are limited, the population is widely dispersed, and poverty-levels are high.  However, the opposite side of the coin is that these conditions also create economic opportunities.  The unique combination of the Karoo’s geology, rainfall patterns, harsh climate and unique vegetation, culminates in lamb and mutton with unique, easily distinguishable, sensory characteristics.  These same conditions enable a visitor-experience of wide-open spaces, serenity and salt-of-the-earth people; an encounter increasingly sought-after by domestic and international tourists.  This synergy between consumer perception and unique food is mutually strengthening each other and, in this way, enhancing the reputation of the region and its products.

But reputation comes with danger.  One of these is that, in an attempt to either receive a price-premium or to increase sales volume, imitations may find their way onto the market.  Another danger is innovative product substitutes, such as ‘clean meat’, which may undermine demand and prices.  A third is producers themselves whom, in an attempt to ramp up supply, may introduce production practices which will weaken the very characteristics upon which the reputation relies (e.g. although a feedlot may geographically be situated in the Karoo, the fodder will be from outside the region with the result that the sheep does not consume the indigenous vegetation which gives the unique taste to ‘Karoo lamb’).  A fourth is farmers moving livestock between the Karoo and other parts of the country, but marketing it as Karoo Lamb. These products may be of good quality in itself, but it does lack the uniqueness brought about by the interaction between product and the specific environment of the region.  Consumers will pick up the difference with the eventual reputation loss.

It follows that the reputation of a product such as ‘Karoo Lamb’ needs to be protected and one mechanism which can be used is to develop a Geographic Indication (GI).  To this end a Product Description, documenting inter alia the delineated area, interaction between product and geography, acceptable production practices, certification processes, custodianship and management arrangements must be developed.  The Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA), with the University of Pretoria and CIRAD in France, have been supporting farmers in the Karoo since 2005 to develop this product description and to get the necessary systems in place.  This support was in the form of direct support as well as through the expertise and resources of the Department (e.g. through its Geographic Information System)

Most recently the Karoo Lamb Consortium applied to the European Union GI Support Fund and was awarded in 2021 a grant of €130 000 over a three-year period.  However, one of the conditions of this grant was that a domestic source should provide 10% of the total grant amount and the WCDoA provided this local contribution.  This project directly enabled the application and eventual registration of the Karoo Lamb GI; the first domestic product included in the South African GI Register.