CHAPTER 7

CROP PRODUCTION IN THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE

Department of Plant Production

R. THOMAS

1.

Introduction

The Limpopo Province is one of the least developed province in the country with a total population of about 4.9million (approximately 12.1%) of the total population of the country. The population census of 1996 indicated a population of 89% with a population growth rate of 3.2%. Unemployment is rife in the Province with 46% of the working population unemployed. The Limpopo Province is divided into six provinces as detailed below: 1. The Vhembe district has major trading, tourism, game farming and agroprocessing opportunities. 2. The Capricorn district is one of the main economic locomotives of the Province. It is the financial, manufacturing, trade transport and construction of the province. 3. The Sekhukhune district is economically the most marginal district in the Province, but has major potential in mining and agriculture. 4. The Mopani district is also important in mining with the greatest potential for employment in agriculture and tourism. 5. The Bohlabela district has potential for agriculture and tourism, and 6. The Waterberg district in agriculture, mining and tourism.

The agricultural sector is the flagship of the economy for the province. Agriculture is pivotal in the economic and social development of the province as far as employment, food production and export is concerned. The agricultural sector in the province can be divided into three broad sub-sectors namely commercial farms, emerging commercial farms and subsistence farms. The commercial farms fall in the larger farm size category, emerging commercial farms in the medium size and subsistence farms in the smaller, smallest size. The emerging and subsistence can collectively be called small- scale farms. Such classification can be often be misleading a. Commercial farms. These farms operate as business and are run by owners, employed or professional managers. These farms vary in size although the majority tend to range from medium to large. Many are mechanized and are

dependant heavily on significant volumes of inputs (fertilizers, chemicals, pesticides, etc). these farms also have well developed infrastructure and marketing outlets. b. Small scale farms. Small-scale farms denote farms composed of small units of land (seldom more than 0.1ha), which is used for subsistence farming. Such farms usually have exhausted soils that are generally unproductive. This section of farms can be divided into: (i) Emerging commercial farms that are in transition between subsistence and commercial farms. They range between (10 50ha). A number of small scale and large-scale farms may fall in this sector. Consumption of inputs are moderate and employment levels are also low. (ii) Subsistence farms such farms are small in size and characterized by fragmented plots. Such lands are utilized for production of food crops for domestic consumption, surplus if any is sold in the local market. These farms lack adequate production and market infrastructure. No inputs are used and labour is generally household members. 1.1. The Agricultural Sector

1.1.1. Irrigation The area under irrigation in the Limpopo Province is 135 000ha, which is about 10.5% of the South African total (ARC ILI, 1999). There are 167 governmentdeveloped schemes in the province serving small-scale farmers, covering 47 780ha. The risk of the water is attributed to large tracts of land owned privately by commercial farmers. 1.1.2. Rainfall The province receives summer rainfall between October and March peaking in January. The mean annual precipitation ranges between 380mm in the North and just over 700mm in parts of the Waterberg. About 2.3 of the province receives less than 400mm of rain while only 6% receives more than 800mm (Pieterse, Du Toit &

Associates, 1998). The rainfall pattern is erratic and severe droughts are experienced about once every eight years. 1.1.3. Climate The province is divided into arid to semi-arid; semi-arid and subs humid regions. i. Arid regions found in the far north of the province. Generally frost free with average annual rainfall of 300 360mm to the north of the Soutpansberg. Temperatures vary between 2.50C and 37. 50C, which represents the lowest and highest mean temperatures respectively. ii. Arid to semi-arid regions this is a predominant regime in the north that stretches across the northern parts of Bochum and Seshego, Giyani, Soutpansberg and Phalaborwa. Average rainfall is in the region of 360 600mm in Mopani District, 360 540mm in the Northwest and up to 700mm in parts of Waterberg. Temperature varies from 2. 50C and 400C. Experience of hail storms 1 3 days a year. iii. Semi-arid region includes the area to the east of the Drankensberg escarpment and sketches across the northern parts of Potgietersrus, Pietersburg, Thabamoopo, Mokerong and South of Giyani. Average rainfall is between 520mm 650mm, but higher (600 720mm) in the Lowveld.

1.1.2 The role played by Agriculture in the economy of the Limpopo Province is greatly recognized. Agriculture contributes approximately 15.2% of the Gross National Product and 10% of the National Agricultural Production. In addition, raw materials for the processing industry as well as foreign exchange are provided by the industry. This sector also has crucial backward linkages to infruit supply and forward linkages with agro-processing industries. However, the manufacturing sector is largely agriculture based. Analysis of sectoral comparative advantage by province in 1996, revealed that agriculture in the Limpopo Province had the highest inter-sectoral competitive advantage.

The survey summarized in Table I can be regarded to provide realistic statistics on the distribution of farm sizes in the Limpopo Province. Table 1 : Distribution of Farm sizes in the Limpopo Province Area in Ha <5ha 5 - 9ha 10 19ha 20 49ha 50 99ha 100 199ha 200 299ha 300 399ha 400 499ha 500+ Agricultural Sector Profile Appendix Numbers of Farms 1975 1234 771 654 258 102 30 8 6 15 2.

These figures may not accurately reflect the current situation in the province and not the country at large. Alternative sources of data for reliability checks have been hard to find. Nevertheless the data tends to reflect the commercial farm sector. Data for subsistence sector is patchy and suspect.

1.2.

Agricultural Land Area

Total farm land in the Limpopo Province will be as follows:Table II i. Limpopo Total Area Farm land Percentage Potential Arable Land Percentage Grazing Percentage Nature Conservation Forests Others ii. 11 960 600ha 10 548 290ha 14.2% 8 847 848ha 74% 1 161 600ha 65 410ha 185 300ha 88.2% 1 700 422ha

Developing Agriculture in Former Homelands Total Area Farm Land Percentage Potential Arable Land Grazing Percentage Nature Conservation Forests Others 3612400ha 3 394 578ha 87.0% 951975ha 2360898ha 62% 127 200ha 6 060ha 84 622ha

iii.

Commercial Agriculture Total land Percentage Farm land Potential Arable Percentage Grazing 8 348 200ha 85.7% 7 153 722ha 1 169 742 14% 5 984 030

Arable utilized 660 090

Percentage

71.7%

(Census of Agriculture, 1993, Agricultural Survey, 1996, Stat SA (2002). About 88% of the area was owner occupied, 16% rented and 1% share cropped. However these proportions are changing. The number of farm units in the province was estimated to be 7, 273 in 1996 giving an average farm size of 755ha compared with the national average of 1349ha. This average masks the large disparity that exists between few large commercial farms and the majority of small farms. About 40% of all farm units in the province were less than 5ha, but accounted for 27% of the total land area farmed. By contrast 8% accounted for 14% of total farm land. 1.3. Employment of farms were in excess of 50ha and

There were about 96 862 people employed in the sector during 1994 accounting to 30% of the total employment in the province. The total number of labourers increased with farm size up to 50ha. The number declined thereafter, with exception of farms larger than 500ha

Table 2 : Land ownership in Limpopo Province (1994 1996) YEAR 1994 1995 1996 AREA OWNED (HA) 4003 804ha 4098 368ha 4572 871ha AREA RENTED (HA) 161 3634ha 874 916ha 876 418ha FARMED SHARES (HA) 395 988ha 463092ha 39 342ha ON

Agriculture Sector Profile, Appendix 2.

1.4.

Income

Gross income from agriculture in the Province was R3 935 million, representing approximately 11.9% of total income from the sector in the country. Income by principal products revealed that animal production to be the highest, at R2 011 million (51% of the Provinces agricultural income). This was followed by horticulture at R1 264 million (32%), field crops (R653 million), forestry (6.6 million), and others at R0.157 million (see Table 3). Table 3 : Agricultural Production in Limpopo Province (1996) ITEM Animal and Products Horticulture Field-crops Forestry and Others Agriculture Sector Profile, Appendix 2. 1.5. Expenditure and Debt GROSS INCOME PERCENTAGE 51% 32% 17% <1%

Total agricultural expenditure in the Province was approximately R2 648 million in 1996, which was approximately 11% of total national expenditure (see table 4). The share of current expenditure in 1996 was 85%, the balance used for capital expenditure. Table 4 : Agricultural Expenditure in Limpopo Province (1994 1996) YEAR 1994 1995 1996 (Value in R)CAPITAL (000) R264 745 R344 383 R392 346 (Value in R) CURRENT (000) R182 8790 R214` 354 R225 5279

Agriculture Sector profile, Appendix 2.

1.6.1.

Commercial Farms These are farms are operated as business and run by owners or employed professional managers. Commercial farms vary in size, though most tend to be medium to large. Most are mechanised and consume significant volumes of inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. These farms also have welldeveloped infrastructure and market outlets, and the farmers are represented in farm unions (Putter, H., et al. 1995). This sector contributed 70% of the Provinces agricultural GGP.

1.6.2.

Emerging Commercial Farm These are farms in transition between subsistence and commercial farms. They are mostly the medium size farms (10-50 hectares), which comprise about 28% of farms and 33% of land area. However, there are also a number of small-scale and large-scale farms that fall within this category. They consume moderate levels of modern inputs and employ lower levels of labour in comparison with commercial farms.

1.6.3.

Subsistence Farms These are mainly small-size farms, generally characterised by fragmented plots and concentrated in the former Homelands. They are largely utilised for production of food crops for domestic consumption, with limited surpluses sold in local markets. These farms lack adequate production and market infrastructure. The use of modern inputs on these farms is very limited, and households members provide the main source of labour.

6.4.

Agricultural Products Northern Province produces diverse range of field crops, horticulture and animal products. The percentage shares of the main products are summarised in table 8.

Table 5: Gross Agricultural Income by Category (1996) Product Animal Production Horticulture Field Crops Forestry & Other Total Value (R) 2 011 175 1 263 681 652 899 6 625 3 934 539 N. Province (%) 51 32 26 0.2 100 S. Africa (%) 15.2 13.9 7.7 0.4 11.9

Agriculture Sector Profile, Appendix 2. The outputs of main crops in the Province, with their shares of national production are shown in Fig 6 Table 6 : Principal Crops Produced in Northern Province (1997) Commodity Potatoes Wheat Sunflower Maize Wheat Sorghum Soya beans/Dry beans Cotton Groundnuts Quantity (Tons) 281 145 36 954 46 447 58 000 50 000 24 000 1 320 34 616 31 200 National Share (%) 17 2 7 8 2.9 7.1 2 2 0.3

10

1.7.1.

Field Crops

The contribution of field crops to gross agricultural income in Northern Province was 17% between 1983 and 1993, and rose to 26% in 1996 (Agricultural Survey, 1994 1996). The main crops (and their shares of income) were cotton (24.3%), tobacco (21.1%), maize (17.4%) and sunflower seed (10.7%). Maize : Maize is the staple food in the Province. It is also used as animal feed. On the basis of area and volume of production, it remains the most important dry-land crop. The area under cultivation in 1990/1 was 43 256 hectares, but this declined to 25 000 hectares in 1995/6. Total output in 2000 was estimated to be 182 500 tons, which represents about 2.8% of total production in the country. Wheat: It is a winter crop and mainly grown in Waterberg district. Production in 1997 was estimated to be 36 954 tons (2% of national output) and rose to 50 000 tons (2.9%) of national production) in 2000. Consumption patterns suggest that wheat can be a substitute to maize. An increase in wheat production could lead to reduction in production of maize. However, availability of water for irrigation would limit the expansion of area under wheat. Cotton: The main production areas in the province comprise the Springbok Flats in Waterberg District, where 92% of the area under cotton (and 87% of production) is found. Other areas include Mopani District and the Limpopo valley. Cotton is mainly cultivated under irrigation. The area planted increased from 76 352 hectares in 1980/1 to 115 658 hectares in 1988/9 and production increase from 47 587 tons to 117 684 tons over the same period.

11

Groundnuts: The main areas of production in Waterberg District, which account for 87% of total area and 88% of output in the Province. There has been a decrease in production attributed to poor weather conditions, the problem of labour and management, high cost of mechanisation and diseases. As a result, some groundnuts had to be imported to meet local demand. Sunflowers: This is a drought-resistant dry-land crop, almost entirely cultivated in the heavy soils on the Springbok flats, Dwaalboom and Northam in Waterberg District. Production in the Province in 2000 was 21 000 tons, about 4.6% of the national production. Sorghum : Sorghum is indigenous to South Africa and a substitute to maize for Consumption. It is also used to brew beer. Production in the former Homeland areas remain a profitable farming activity. The area under production here nearly equals that in the commercial sub-sector. Following peak production (64 959 hectares) in 1987, the area under sorghum stagnated between 1980/1 and 1988/9 (i.e. 32 270 ha and 33 348 ha). In 1996, the area cultivated declined to 10 440ha and output stood at 27 500 tons. This fell to 24 000 tons in 2000, representing 7.1% of national production. Soya bean : Production of soya beans is small, but registered a significant increase between 1980/1 and 1988/9 (4 607 to 11 035 tons ). This was accounted for by expansion in the area planted, particularly in Waterberg district (from 2 116ha to 5 788ha) and yield increases resulting from the use of new high-yielding cultivars. However, production fell to 9 100 tons in 2000 (6.3% of national production).

12

Cassava:

Production of cassava for starch purpose is on the increase in the Province. An area of 3 000ha is under cassava production with an estimated yield of 3 tons of starch per ha. Cost of 1 ton of cassava starch is R1 300-00. (Refer to Table 8)

Table 8 : The Production Statistics by Commercial Farmers in the Province are as detailed below:Commodity Maize Year 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 98 99 2000 01 02 98 99 2000 01 02 98 Province (ha) 67500 208036 210480 41600 41500 17 000 9000 8000 15000 13500 7000 7500 5000 10500 6800 9000 3128 2700 3000 4500 5000 43765 28000 21000 29000 28000 3003 Province (tons) 93340 204600 190939 97200 94200 182500 88000 82250 31067 52275 40416 64473 68000 35000 50700 46500 40500 14900 27500 15000 17000 3000 24150 14280 4300 1700 31200 4950 7500 31000 1700 21000 26100 28000 7800

Wheat

Sorghum

Ground nuts

Sunflowers

Soya beans

13

99 2000 01 02 Dry beans 98 99 2000 01 02 Potatoes 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 (Northern Province Department Statistics.) Relevance of the study:

of

4000 3500 6500 9000 56 1000 1200 1240 600 7492 7732 7603 7164 8330 7538 6973 Agriculture

and

10700 9100 20800 24300 90 1300 1320 1488 720 277533 277983 281145 267679 335377 258095 234075 Environment, Production

Improving the production of low external input agriculture (LEIA) is considered important on three counts, viz, Social justice: Estimates are that about 1.4 billion people or 1/4 of the world's population depend for their livelihood on low external input agriculture. These numbers are likely to remain high in the future. The challenge is to enable many of these farmers to secure better and more sustainable livelihoods Food production: Despite decades of development planning, food shortage and malnutrition are still widespread problems in the developing world and is therefore important to explore and use whatever potential there is in increasing the output of low external input agriculture. Employment: improvement of agricultural production on low external input agriculture farms could make a contribution to the sustenance or expansion of employment opportunities in the rural areas through an increase in activities. Without this improvement, such farmers will most likely be further marginalised and many will be forced to seek employment elsewhere. Crop production among many small/subsistence and emerging farmers is constrained by adverse environmental conditions and the lack of possibilities to mitigate them. This situation is mainly caused by socio-economic factors. Such farmers usually select crops and inputs of

14

which they have acquired knowledge and adopt those that suit their resource level, environmental conditions, existing institutions and infrastructure. They usually do not adopt fixed packages recommended as the inputs recommended are often less complimentary under farmers conditions and resources. These farmers have many characteristics in common, and yet should not be assumed as a homogenous group as there are differences in the income and resource base, and thus in the possibilities to overcome constraints. The survey conducted in the Limpopo Province by the members of the School of Agriculture among the subsistence, marginal and smallfarmers revealed the following data as tabled from 9 20. It includes the area cultivated and area under each crop per district in the province. Table 9 : Production particulars within the Province District Wise District Bohlabela (N) Mean Capricorn (N) Mean Mopani (N) Mean Sekhukhune (N) Mean Vhembe (N) Mean Waterberg (N) Mean Total Area 299 1.84911 286 4.40256 435 3.24999 216 6.83789 349 4.11825 190 14.23329 Cultivated 95 1.61395 119 23.05666 190 4.92737 50 2.12320 119 4.11277 95 16.68737 In Hectares 293 2.36761 277 53.93930 437 5.02365 224 2.78969 300 10.62995 206 40.39993

15

Table 11 : Case Summary on Maize Production District Bohlabela N 279 261 217 Capricorn 225 220 107 Mopani 346 294 235 Sekhukhne 143 137 118 Vhembe 319 269 264 Waterberg 118 102 87 TOTAL 1430 1283 1028 2.89 1294.93 4028.76 5.39 506.90 1751.38 3.52 2228.05 8433.28 3.92 982.20 1940.57 2.58 2130.15 3707.76 2.06 595.75 3455.88 Mean (ha) 1.38 453.45 1348.94 Area Output (kg) Gross (R) Income

16

Table 12 : Case Summary on Sorghum Production District Bohlabela N 7 6 6 Capricorn 27 29 1 Mopani 3 2 1 Sekhukhune 48 47 43 Vhembe 2 1 1 Waterberg 12 11 8 TOTAL 99 96 60 44.72 336.36 1055.18 1.28 104.18 728.38 2070.50 300.00 750.00 4.56 524.07 1196.37 0.83 31.50 60.00 1.41 180.64 000.00 Mean (ha) 1.57 150.00 871.67 Area Out Put (kg) Gross (R) Income

Table 13 : Case Summary on Beans Production District Bohlabela N 44 41 Mean (ha) 1.20 126.63 Area Out Put (kg) Gross (R) Income

17

39 Capricorn 11 16 6 Mopani 54 43 33 Sekhukhune 20 18 16 Vhembe 45 40 40 Waterberg 25 24 19 TOTAL 199 176 153 6.23 272.03 0.99 154.17 0.57 136.42 50.86 52.94 2.01 707.65 0.95 214.60

768.08

268.17

2101.52

226.88

609.75

1425.89

1019.78

18

Table 14 : Case Summary on Groundmill Production District Bohlabela N 59 57 49 Capricorn 6 6 4 Mopani 100 88 72 Sekhukhune 3 3 3 Vhembe 81 77 79 Waterberg 6 5 3 TOTAL 255 236 210 0.95 364.36 1419.56 1.13 175.20 2260.00 0.72 507.09 2098.24 1.07 115.00 243.33 1.02 411.62 1276.81 1.25 242.00 277.50 Mean (ha) 1.09 141.18 648.90 Area Out Put (kg) Gross (R) Income

19

Table 15 : Case Summary on Sunflower Production District Bohlabela N Capricorn 3 3 3 Mopani 1 1 1 Sekhukhune 1 2 2 Vhembe 2 1 1 Waterberg 7 5 8 TOTAL 14 12 15 180.21 25650.83 33643.67 102.49 60971.20 62025.62 900.50 1.00 200.00 0.50 48.00 750.00 0.50 240.00 1400.00 1.17 872.33 1783.33 Mean (ha) Area Out Put (kg) Gross (R) Income

20

Table 16 : Case Summary on Cowpea Production District Bohlabela N 14 14 16 Capricorn 4 4 4 Mopani 8 8 6 Sekhukhune 14 11 11 Vhembe 4 1 4 Waterberg 6 5 5 TOTAL 50 43 46 1.20 250.26 893.28 2.23 72.60 280.00 1.00 2.00 108.75 1.16 560.91 2392.82 0.88 309.38 855.00 0.88 146.50 101.25 Mean (ha) 1.14 83.21 462.50 Area Out Put (kg) Gross (R) Income

21

Table 17 : Case Summary on Millet Production District Bohlabela N 16 15 17 Capricorn 3 6 1 Mopani 15 11 13 Sekhukhune 9 9 8 Vhembe 50 51 50 Waterberg 25 20 21 TOTAL 118 112 110 22.12 9605.88 19239.53 2.26 224.45 1178.95 4.21 20560.22 40715.70 56.59 471.11 1075.00 120.84 1531.82 2877.31 1.50 76.83 700.00 Mean (ha) 1.06 83.20 535.29 Area Out Put (kg) Gross (R) Income

Table 18 : Case Summary on Sugarcane Production District Bohlabela N 3 2 Mean (ha) 0.58 940.00 Area Out Put (kg) Gross (R) Income

22

2 Capricorn 3 2 3 Mopani 8 5 7 Sekhukhune 7 7 7 Vhembe 11 11 12 Waterberg 5 6 6 TOTAL 37 33 37 0.81 2412.97 1.00 229.17 0.81 2189.64 1.09 136.43 0.70 10246.00 0.40 57.00

975.00

350.17

4052.86

972.86

2287.50

415.33

1841.15

23

Table 19 : Case Summary on Potato Production District Bohlabela N 6 4 5 Capricorn 2 3 3 Mopani 12 9 12 Sekhukhune 5 5 5 Vhembe 14 12 12 Waterberg 13 11 10 TOTAL 52 44 47 80.64 625.71 2517.17 4.42 384.29 3046.70 0.59 1189.17 2672.08 1.30 12.80 590.00 342.82 777.44 4656.33 1.50 197.00 913.33 Mean (ha) 0.74 345.50 703.00 Area Out Put (kg) Gross (R) Income

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Table 20 : Case Summary of Other Cultivated Area District Bohlabela N 22 15 23 Capricorn 6 7 4 Mopani 25 19 25 Sekhukhune 3 3 3 Vhembe 31 25 28 Waterberg 23 21 24 TOTAL 110 90 107 1.44 2187.27 4627.45 2.62 489.57 4548.96 0.87 4157.36 2797.07 0.67 1800.00 1200.00 1.42 3162.84 6186.56 2.78 611.14 30115.34 Mean (ha) 0.76 857.80 1257.35 Area Out Put (kg) Gross (R) Income

IDP Reports for the Different Districts within the Province 2002 2003 A review of the projects in the District show that very little emphasis is placed in Agriculture and Agricultural Development in the province. This s a very poor

25

reflection in terms of promoting interests of farmers in the province. A brief different projects related to agriculture are: 1. Mopani Disrict Municipality

on

(a) Establishing liaison with organized farmers unions to impart skills to aspirant and subsistance farmers. (b) Engage with farmers unions for involvement of all role players in Agricultural Developments (c) Eradication of noxious alien invader plants from farm lands with supply of herbicides to commercial farmers and eradication of weeds by farmers 2002 2006. 2. Capricorn District Municipality Environmental problems: (a) Deforestation that affects most areas of the CDM along with (b) Overgrazing due to overstocking and erosion due to the above factors 3. Bohlabela D M (a) Pilot Sugar cane Production Revamping of IRDC Projects

4. Waterberg (a) To develop land use guide lines for urban and rural agriculture. 5. Vhembe (a) Infrastructure for SMMEs to transport produce to the markets. 6. Sekhukhune (a) Emerging farmers support programme (b) Study on the Agricultural Potential of the District

26

It would therefore be explicit if an integrated approach to farming could be put to optimal uses, for example, rotations of the most important field crops in such a manner that it would benefit the small farmer and also cater to sustainable agricultural production systems. Maize. The province has large quantities of land suitable for dry-land production of the crop. Climatic variation could lead to variations in yields. As a staple food maize has a large and stable market and is the most important agricultural product in South Africa. Wheat. The province has good infrastructure for the production and marketing of wheat. The advantages of growing wheat are : (a) input cost of wheat under dry-land is (R1868 per hectare) (b) a winter grain that offers benefits in respect of rotational cropping (c) the market in South Africa is large and growing (d) wheat prices of local crops are relatively high Sunflower. Sunflower is cultivated under dry-land conditions in all Districts of the province. The advantages of growing the crop are: (a) The crop is adaptable and easy to manage (b) Current input cost of sunflower (dry land) is R1480 per ha (c) Due to a short growing season, sunflower replaces other dry-land crops, especially in the case of late rains (d) The crop is ideal for heavier soils (e) Current selling price is R2000 per ton (f) Existing good market for processed sunflower products (g) A ready concentrate for animal production Groundnuts : The potential on dry-land is high. The advantages of the crop are: (a) The crop is drought resistant (b) Production costs is R4 400 per ha (c) Groundnuts are legumes and improve the soil

27

(d) The production and processing of groundnuts are labour intensive and play an important role in employment creation (e) Groundnuts enjoy a stable market Soya beans : Soya beans have a good long-term potential as a source of protein. Being a legume it also improve the soil and the advantages can be summarised as (a) Lend themselves to rotation cropping (b) Production costs is +R1 500 for dry-land cultivation (c) They have industrial potential too (d) Storage and processing facilities are also available in the province Cotton. Cotton can be grown well under dry-land farming with an yield range of 500 575kg/ha. The advantages of the crops are: (a) cost of production under dry-land is R1900 (b) Cotton is non-perishable, adaptable and drought resistant cash crop (c) The planting season is short, when aiming at optimal yields (d) Seed cotton consists of 3 products (mint, seed and oil) as well as secondary by products with large potential markets (e) Cotton production lends itself to small scale production and holds promise for employment creation. Sorghum : Sorghum is cultivated under dry-land continuous and by far, having the greatest potential in the province. The advantages of the crop are: (a) The crop is adaptable and easy to manage (b) Sorghum and millet are rotated within small scale farming and subsistence farming activities (c) The crop is ideal for heavy soils. Pulses/Dry-beans. The potential for dry-bean production in the province is medium and is cultivated for local consumption and commercial purposes. Several pulse varieties can be grown inter-cropped with cereals that would improve the soil and also provide an addition protein component to small/subsistence farmers.

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It is therefore vital that emerging/small subsistence farmers from associations within districts, consolidate small scale agricultural projects and spearhead creation of successful black emerging farmers communities. The challenge would be to continue developing the know how that will help our country meet the challenges of a better life for all. 7. Problems and Constraints In contrast to white farmers, black farmers are not served by a comprehensive agrosupport system, physical infrastructure, extension, training, research, financing, cooperative, marketing support and political lobbying power due to the inequality in agriculture because of the skewed distribution of access to resources, market and power (Fenyes, Van Zyl and Vink : 1988). However the following problems and constraints have been identified:i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. xi. xii. xiii. Poor planning and management of agricultural programmes Lack of or poor implementation of development strategies Lack of participation of farmers in development programmes Resources allocated to small farmers are small and uncertain Lack of weak complimentary services to farmers from agricultural institutions (inputs, credit, land and market facilities) Poor linkages between and among private public and training institutions and service providers Lack of trained extension personnel Inadequate farmer training opportunities Gap between policy makers or implementers Environmental degradation and inability to integrate environmental protection with development High post harvest losses Lack of market information on demand and supply of produce Increased incidence of noxious weeds, diseases and pests and lack of knowledge to contain them 8. Intervention and Government Policies

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Government Interventions and Policy Recommendations The Department of Agriculture should be committed to achieving sustainable, equitable and efficient agricultural development by: (a) facilitating rather than controlling the agricultural sector encouraging the small farming sector and also providing a more diverse support system for farmers, (b) building an efficient and international competitive agricultural sector, (c) support the emergence of a more diverse structure of production with a large increase in the number of successful small holder farming enterprises, (d) conserve the natural agricultural resources, and (e) put in place policies and institutions for sustainable research use. Land care is an important component that would help (a) communities and individuals adopt an ecologically sustainable approach to the environment and natural resources, while improving their quality of life, (b) promote partnership between communities, government and the private sector for management of natural resources, (c) enhance long term productivity of natural resources, (d) encourage opportunities for the development of business enterprises that focus on sustainable resource management (e) encourage sustainable use of natural resources by implementing policies, programmes and practices Water awareness that would promote development of techniques for water resource management. Veld-care to promote the best grazing systems and erosion prevention practices to improve production and maintaining viable grazing areas throughout rural communities. Soil care to encourage farmers to build innovative structures to prevent soils erosion and has viable sustainable agricultural production systems. The Land bank should

(a) support the development of all elements of the agricultural economy, (b) special attention to the needs of previously disadvantaged people in the sector,

30

(c) ensure financial sustainability, (d) benchmark its operating efficiencies and service delivery, (e) introduction of low-interest loan for historically disadvantaged, first time buyers of agricultural land (f) discount for clients who help the bank achieve its social development goals, (g) grade entry and provide grace periods aimed at reducing the burden repayments in the first few years of establishment (h) introducing a range of insurance products funeral, disability, insurance etc. (i) subdivision of large farms to make land more accessible to aspiring black farmers National African Farmers Union will have to promote interests of the of loan

disadvantaged farming sector through effective communication and capacity building programmes. Conclusion The Provincial agricultural production is relatively good but farming conditions are far from ideal. Rainfall is unreliable and recurring drought can severely limit production of important cash crops such as maize and wheat. Despite this volatility, government policy should be designed to alleviate the plight of subsistence farmers and develop a more profitable black farming sector. Land reform legislation provides the opportunity for labourer tenants to buy the land they occupy. The variety of training and financial institutions as well as farmers unions should promote the interests of farmers in areas such as research, extension services and finance, as most components of agricultural development have been transferred from the National Government to the Province. A really crafted and professional approach should be taken to address these problems by: establishment of a centralised database on cropping practices, area under each crop, average size of holding, and yield data for both small farmers and the commercial farmers. a need for further inventory and assessment studies have to be carried out in each of the districts of the province

31

the dire need for data on the commercial farming sector from each of the districts within the province is wanting coalition building activities based on shared vision and trusting relationships to ensure sufficient and appropriate support

It is well worth remembering that Tomorrows wealth is Todays decision.

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Reference 1. 2. 3. Agricultural Statistics Abstract, 2001/2002. Central Statistics, 1998. Women and Men in South Africa. Fenyes, T.I. , Van Zyl, J. and Vink, N., Lange and Small Scale Agriculture. 1988. Structural Imbalances in South Africas Agriculture. South African Journal of Economics 56 (2 and 3). 4. 5. 6. Agricultural Policy in South Africa, 1998. Central Statistical Service, 1997. IPD reports on all 6 districts of the Limpopo Province, 2002/2003 Agriculture: Government Year Book, 2001.

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Appendix 1 ESTIMATES OF OUTPUT AND INCOME LEVELS FOR SELECTED CROPS IN LIMPOPO PROVINCE (FOR SMALLHOLDERS SECTOR FOR YEAR 2002) (estimates are based on hectarage, output and income information for 2002 as reported by respondents during field work) Estimated Estimated Estimated Total Area total Value Estimated Proportion (ha) earned by of cultivated in Estimated Estimated smallholder Mean s in Limpopo Income smallholder Province by total output value from crop s cultivating smallholder in Province (Rands per (millions of s rands) (Rands) stated crop (tonnes) tonne) 4130.39 0.66 518447 238982 3133.02 748.737 921.06 420.76 1454.18 1968.64 706.78 995.43 0.04 0.09 0.11 0.01 0.02 0.05 18790 24190 31087 3645 7710 39754 2891 3296 11572 526 1608 1935 3912.41 3119.28 3906.57 5268.96 2755.16 7435.24 11.312 10.281 45.206 2.770 4.430 14.390

Crop Maize Sorghum Beans Groundnut Sunflower Cowpeas Millet

Estimated Mean Cultivated area (ha) 2.86 1.53 0.99 1.00 2.59 1.23 2.75

Estimated mean output (kg) 1318.34 235.42 134.89 372.24 373.63 256.53 133.88

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