Question NW816 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
21 December 2020 - NW816
Cebekhulu, Inkosi RN to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What mechanisms did her department put in place to encourage and assist persons and/or communities in rural areas to utilise the land for food production and food security, since most productive agricultural land in communal areas is fast becoming residential developments; (2) what policies does her department have in place to revive the farms that are lying fallow because of land beneficiaries fighting over resources, to pursue achieving Goal 1 of Agenda 2063 in the next 43 years?
Reply:
1. In an effort to encourage and assist persons and /or communities in rural areas to utilize the land for food production and food security, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has developed the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan which focuses on district-based commodity production schemes driven through mass production by rural communities and households within a given radius and supported by a Production Support Centre. All existing farmer support programmes of DALRRD are being aligned to this plan which should ensure that at least 1 270 340 rural households are food-secure by 2030.
The issue about agricultural land in communal areas fast becoming residential developments is a function that is currently being managed by traditional councils in whose area of jurisdiction the land currently falls. DALRRD stands ready to assist traditional councils and communities to develop land use schemes that will provide a legal and orderly basis on which the land use can be regulated.
2. DALRRD’s position is that no development or support can be provided on farms that are lying fallow due to land beneficiaries fighting over resources until the dispute is resolved through social facilitation.