Question NW2770 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
14 October 2022 - NW2770
Masipa, Mr NP to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
What is the (a) total number of extension officers in each (i) farm and (ii) province, (b) ratio of extension officers in each (i) commercial, (ii) emerging commercial, (iii) smallholding and (iv) subsistence farm in each (aa) province and (bb) district?
Reply:
(a) (i) Extension Practitioners (officers) are allocated to districts and not placed per farm.
(ii) The number of Extension Practitioners (officers) per Province is as follows:
|
PROVINCE |
NUMBER OF EXTENSION PRACTITIONERS |
|
Eastern Cape |
496 |
|
Free State |
115 |
|
Gauteng |
119 |
|
KwaZulu-Natal |
522 |
|
Limpopo |
310 |
|
Mpumalanga |
146 |
|
Northern Cape |
43 |
|
North West |
181 |
|
Western Cape |
60 |
|
TOTAL |
|
(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv) The current Extension Practitioners are not allocated according to the specified producer categories; hence no ratio is available.
(b)(aa) Ratio per Province
The current ratio of Extension Practitioners to farmers is based on the July 2021 General Household Survey (GHS) by Statistics South Africa which measures the number of households practicing agriculture and is therefore not specific to categories of farmers. The Ratio of Extension Practitioners (officers) to farmers per province (as of September 2022) is outlined below:
|
PROVINCE |
Ratio |
|
Eastern Cape |
1:1162 |
|
Free State |
1:1672 |
|
Gauteng |
1:2896 |
|
KwaZulu -Natal |
1:1216 |
|
Limpopo |
1:2058 |
|
Mpumalanga |
1:3085 |
|
Northern Cape |
1:1097 |
|
Northwest |
1:809 |
|
Western Cape |
1:977 |
|
NATIONAL AVERAGE |
1:1 663 |
The estimated number of farmers as the GHS (July 2021) and the number of Extension Practitioners (officer) per province are shown on the table below:
|
PDAs |
Number of Extension officials |
Total number of Extension Officials |
Number of households per province |
% Of households involved in agriculture |
Estimated # farmers [GHS 2021, StatsSA] |
Extension to farmer ratio (current) |
|
|
Managers |
Extension Practitioners |
||||||
|
EC |
31 |
496 |
527 |
1 725 000 |
33% |
576 150 |
1 162 |
|
FS |
11 |
115 |
126 |
952 000 |
20% |
192 304 |
1 672 |
|
GP |
8 |
119 |
127 |
5 384 000 |
6% |
344 576 |
2 896 |
|
KZN |
60 |
522 |
582 |
3 111 000 |
20% |
634 644 |
1 216 |
|
LP |
11 |
310 |
321 |
1 684 000 |
38% |
638 236 |
2 058 |
|
MP |
41 |
146 |
187 |
1 399 000 |
32% |
450 478 |
3 085 |
|
NC |
8 |
43 |
51 |
363 000 |
13% |
47 190 |
1 097 |
|
NW |
31 |
181 |
212 |
1 308 000 |
11% |
146 496 |
809 |
|
WC |
8 |
60 |
68 |
2 021 000 |
3% |
58 609 |
977 |
|
TOTAL |
209 |
1 992 |
2 201 |
17 947 000 |
17% |
3 086 884 |
1 663 |
(b) (bb) The breakdown of Extension Practitioners (officers) per District excludes Managers.
|
Province |
Number of Extension Practitioners per district |
Province |
Number of Extension Practitioners per district |
|
1. Eastern Cape |
5. Western Cape |
||
|
Sarah-Baartman |
35 |
Cape Winelands |
12 |
|
Amathole |
153 |
Little Karoo |
6 |
|
Chris Hani |
74 |
Swartland |
5 |
|
Joe Gqabi |
31 |
Cape Metropole |
8 |
|
O.R. Tambo |
116 |
Garden Route |
9 |
|
Alfred Nzo |
87 |
Northwest |
6 |
|
Total |
496 |
Overberg |
7 |
|
Central Karoo |
5 |
||
|
Provincial office |
2 |
||
|
Total |
60 |
||
|
2. Free State |
6. North West |
||
|
Provincial office |
9 |
Bojanala |
55 |
|
Xhariep |
14 |
Dr Ruth S Mompati |
42 |
|
Mangaung |
23 |
NMM |
58 |
|
Thabo M |
32 |
Dr Kenneth Kaunda |
26 |
|
Lejwe L |
21 |
Total |
181 |
|
Fezile D |
16 |
||
|
Total |
115 |
||
|
3. Gauteng |
7. Northern Cape |
||
|
Germiston |
40 |
John Taolo Gaetsewe |
12 |
|
Pretoria |
41 |
Frances Baard |
7 |
|
Randfontein |
38 |
ZF Mgcawu |
8 |
|
Total |
119 |
Namakwa |
7 |
|
Pixley ka Seme |
9 |
||
|
Total |
43 |
||
|
4. KwaZulu-Natal |
8. Mpumalanga |
||
|
Amajuba |
46 |
Bohlabela |
34 |
|
Ugu |
50 |
Ehlanzeni |
29 |
|
Ethekwini |
33 |
Gert Sibande |
33 |
|
uThukela |
29 |
Nkangala |
50 |
|
uMkhanyakude |
52 |
Total |
146 |
|
King Cetshwayo |
73 |
9. Limpopo |
|
|
Zululand |
71 |
Capricorn |
72 |
|
Umzinyathi |
38 |
Mopani |
53 |
|
Ilembe |
45 |
Sekhukhune |
59 |
|
Harry Gwala |
41 |
Vhembe |
93 |
|
Umgungundlovu |
44 |
Waterberg |
33 |
|
Total |
522 |
Total |
310 |
|
GRAND TOTAL |
1 992 |