Land Summit, Western Cape 2019

The agricultural sector of South Africa is at a crossroads. To be more precise, it is actually at a three-way junction. Not only do we, as stakeholders in the Agricultural sector, have to choose wisely which road to take, but we must also consider how to travel down all three roads simultaneously.

As the land reform debate intensifies, it is clear that there are at least three interdependent problems we need to solve at the same time. In the first instance we need a practical and economically viable solution to the ownership of land that is at the same time both just and equitable. Secondly, the sector cannot afford to forego skills while it works to increase the agricultural skills baseline;

Thirdly, production must be stepped up as the demand for produce and assurance of food security is only increasing. This has become South Africa’s agricultural trilemma.

Many South Africans have matured beyond, spectator criticism, party politics, race entitlement, and another talk-shop. At the most local level, we are forced to collaborate, take ownership and work-out workable mutually beneficial solutions. Surely our purpose should be not only to survive but also provide a better future for our children.

We recognise the gigantic work ahead of us to restore human dignity and social justice by resourcing restitution, redistribution and securing of the right land, to the right people. The reality is however, once all land has been rightly and fairly distributed and allocated, how are we tofarm it productively?

Considering all of this, we believe there exists a need to build bridges and relationships between stakeholders that form the cornerstone of successful agriculture.