A Salute To Small Scale Farmers
This article is a salute to small scale farmers farming throughout the world and to a future for solid land reform solutions in South Africa.
Written By: Richard Tate
When the ANC came to power in South Africa in 1994 an expressed priority was “land reform”. This was to address the fact that Black farmers had been “excluded” from the agricultural economy for most of the 20th century in South Africa. It has now become clear that the new approach to redistribute land has been mostly ineffective over the past 30 years.
In South Africa, some 5.3 million hectares have been transferred through redistribution, a further 3.9 million hectares through restitution, and 30,530 hectares through labour tenant claims. This reported as 11% of commercial farming land as it stated in 1994.
Private land acquisition by black individuals is an element missing in land reform within South Africa. In the sugar industry there are some 22,000 small scale farmers, and a further one million livelihoods that are dependent on sugar cane growing. The failures set out above, tell the story that the state will always be a poor player in redistribution of land.
How much influence does the small-scale farmer have in the agricultural world?
– There are 570 million small scale farmers worldwide.
– Brazil – 3 to 4 million farmers.
– China – 120 to 150 million farmers.
– Nigeria – 20 to 30 million farmers.
– Kenya – 10 to 15 million farmers.
– Africa in total – 150 million farmers.
When the writer first visited Tanzania, his first impression was: “Where are all the big green and red tractors?” “Where are all the large sheds and tobacco barns?” “Where are all the large tracts of land with crops waiting for harvest?” There were none.
Instead, he witnessed small sheds built of wood poles and a thatch roof, a scotch cart with oxen ready to transport the crop to a “buying station”, also of wood and thatch.
One of the great entrepreneurs that he encountered was a Kenyan businessman that set up a growing scheme on the Tanzania-Burundi border. Seed was given to farmers, small sheds erected made of local poles and thatch roof, barns erected using sun dried bricks, crop transported by oxen, tobacco barns warmed and cured using local timber. The only item he purchased for his farmers was a thermometer.
He produced 3.0 million kilos of tobacco at 40% less than current world prices! His growers loved him!
If the South African government is serious about land reform for its peoples, the state should muster an investigating agricultural team to visit Zimbabwe to understand the risks, and successes of small-scale farmers.
But before we go north, the reader must understand the amazing skills of commercial farmers in South Africa, feeding the nation year in and year out together with exports. The transfer of these skills is critical to the success of new farmers; without these skills the scheme will fail. There are organisations like PALS Partners in Agri Solutions and Commercial farmers helping their less able neighbours, but the fact of the matter is that the government must put their shoulder to the wheel.
The Zimbabwe government acquired approximately 4,000 farms from 3,500 farmers in 2000 to 2005 with no payment. On these farms the government settled some 400,000 farmers, plus wives and children, say 1.6 million in total.
The Zimbabwe government has made agriculture a priority and by example tobacco companies have reached out to growers, providing:
– Input supply and logistics, to supply all necessary inputs, crop inputs and barn curing inputs.
– Agronomy and extension services.
– Field officers guidance on correct use of inputs.
– Buying commitment and pricing transparency and payment to the grower within 48 hours, together with a statement of account.
All the above is supported financially by the tobacco companies since the banks would make no loans without title deeds. In 2000 the tobacco crop was 210 million kilograms; today this is approaching 400 million kilograms!
The down-side of this amazing growth is the local timber is being decimated to cure the tobacco in the barns. There is a scheme in place for reforestation; I am not sure how effective it is currently.
This demise of local timber might well be the Achilles Heel to the tobacco industry going forward, despite the country having huge coal reserves, but expensive to transport to the farmers door-step.
Many of these farmers have grown to be commercial farmers with green / red tractors, diversifying into other crops, from maize, wheat with full irrigation, avocados and macadamia trees.
In Brazil, the writer witnessed some 200 agronomists driving VW beetle vehicles providing huge support to their growers.
In China, the writer visited farmers that had a 1,000 year-old water canal, running water next to his home, to fill the fishpond and irrigate a few crops, providing just 30 tobacco plants with 16 leaves, the total crop with his fellow farmers, the largest in the world!
So, for its peoples South Africa “land reform” examples are there for the taking. What is holding up the system?
The “buy in” is also required from agricultural unions. Without the “skills” transfer to the new farmer any scheme will fail. Also required is to provide a sound audit of South Africa’s land, a training school and enthusiastic young men and women to farm for the future.
Just imagine a few million young South Africans growing crops for themselves and their families, and in time contributing to exports across the world. It would bring enormous peace to the “political winds” that seem to dominate the headlines.
Richard Tate, during his tenure as President of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association, settled 6000 small scale farmers, still farming today. Later, as President of the World Tobacco Association, he represented 35 million small scale farmers. His two farms were acquired by the Zimbabwe government. He is an Associate of the Free Market Foundation.