South Africa’s agricultural sector has made enormous progress since the end of apartheid 31 years ago, and has contributed significantly to the country’s economic growth. However, millions still go hungry because they cannot afford the food that is available.
In a blog marking the Freedom Day public holiday – the anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994 – agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo said that in the past three decades the sector had more than doubled in volume and value terms.
He referred to research by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) that showed the expansion was broadly shared across all major sectors of the South African farming economy. This included horticulture, field crops and livestock.
There were two major catalysts behind the sector’s progress, Sihlobo said. These were technological advancements such as improved genetics, seed cultivars, vaccines, agrochemicals and fertilisers, and the growing emphasis on agricultural trade.
“South Africa is now ranked the world’s 32nd largest agricultural exporter, the only African country in the top 40 in terms of value,” he noted.
“The African continent and Europe now account for approximately two-thirds of South Africa’s agricultural exports, while Asia is also becoming an increasingly important market.”
The growth in agricultural output had helped push South Africa to 59th out of the 113 countries in the Global Food Security Index, making it the most food-secure country in Africa.
“Admittedly, boasting about this ranking when millions of South Africans go to bed hungry every day may ring hollow. We have a serious food insecurity challenge at the household level in South Africa.
“The lack of access to food that many South Africans face is primarily due to income poverty challenges, rather than a lack of availability resulting from low agricultural output, as is the case in other parts of Africa.
“In essence, we need to ensure that there is employment and that households have sufficient income to purchase food, or implement various interventions to support them, while being cognizant of the fiscal constraints the country faces,” Sihlobo said.
