Pretoria – Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana says the LandCare programme has proven to be beneficial for livestock farmers.
“In this regard, we draw parallels to the livestock improvement scheme called Kanonafatso ya Dikgomo (KYD). The programme enables emerging beef cattle farmers to adopt and apply the available beef recording and improvement technology to increase the productivity and profitability of their herds.
“Livestock farmers are also supported with fully equipped stand-alone mobile veterinary clinics for remote rural areas to provide them with primary animal healthcare services.
“These facilities form part of the compulsory community service for veterinarians, whose first cadre will be deployed throughout the country in January 2015,” he said.
Minister Zokwana was speaking at the 6th Biennial LandCare Conference on Monday in Durban.
He said the conference draws inspiration from the declaration of 2014 as the “Year of Agriculture and Food Security” by the African Union (AU).
The conference will also provide a platform to recognise farming communities and land users, who have distinguished themselves in advancing the LandCare approach to agricultural production.
Minister Zokwana said LandCare has enabled government to transform agricultural practices by shifting the paradigm towards a strong community-based and government-supported approach to farming.
“This collaborative partnership between communities, government and the private sector has been instrumental in optimising agricultural production and enhancing sustainable use and management of agricultural natural resources, especially in communal areas,” he said.
While South Africa was the first African country to embrace LandCare, there are now a growing number of African countries that have integrated it as a model for collaborative partnership in agriculture.
The theme of this year’s LandCare conference is “Restoring sustainable livelihoods for all”. LandCare is supported by a grant transferred to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries through the Division of Revenue Act (DORA).
Conservation agriculture
In the past five years, LandCare has enabled the rehabilitation of 212 948 hectares of agricultural land.
“This land was put into production, especially for livestock grazing. As a result, the programme enabled the creation of a total of 62 187 job opportunities.
“For the current financial year of 2014/15, the LandCare Programme has been allocated a budget of R67.8 million.
“We have achieved a collective 2.6 million hectares of land rehabilitation over the past five years since 2009. These programmes confirm that together, we can move South Africa forward and contribute significantly towards employment creation in the natural resource management sector. This requires an institutionalised mechanism of providing support to farming communities,” said Minister Zokwana.
The Minister said his department is taking bold steps to address the growing decline in high value cropping land, adding that the challenge poses a major threat to food production and it cannot be allowed to continue unabated.
Minister Zokwana also announced that his department is in the process of developing policy and legislation to preserve and develop agricultural land more sustainably.
He said mismanagement of arable land and grazing land is threatening South Africa’s natural resource base, as well as the national and household food security.
“Conservation agriculture is sustainable because it mitigates climate change. Those farmers, who practice conservation agriculture, can attest that when there are severe droughts, they can conserve soil moisture through conservation agriculture.
“When there are severe storms, they are able to reduce their vulnerability to erosion through conservation agriculture. Farmers have attested that they are able to increase yields, reduce input costs and achieve better competitiveness through conservation agriculture,” he said. - SAnews.gov.za
