Africa > Southern Africa > Agriculture

Agriculture in Southern Africa

  • South Africa to limit farm sizes to speed land redistribution

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2016/05/22 South Africa's government is planning to impose limits on farm sizes to free up parcels of land to hand over to blacks, a minister said on Saturday, giving an insight into the workings of a divisive redistribution scheme. Gugile Nkwinti, the minister of rural development and land reform, told Reuters the government was planning to set a range of limits - from a 1,000-hectare (2,470-acre) "small-scale" farm, up to the major allowed, at 12,000 hectares. "If you are a small-scale farm and have 1,400 HA, we will buy the 400, and leave you with your 1,000. We will buy the additional and redistribute it to black people," the minister said.
  • In Central Africa an estimated 80% of cultivated land is worked manually.

    AFRICA, 2015/11/21 Most of sub-Saharan Africa’s economies are dominated by the agriculture sector. On average, agriculture accounts for 32% of gross domestic product and employs 65% of the labour force. In some nations, it contributes over 80% of trade in price and additional than 50% of raw materials to industries. But despite being a crucial sector in a lot of economies, agricultural productivity on the continent is very low. Yields of maize and other staple cereals have typically remained at about one tonne per hectare – about 1/3 of the average completed in Asia and Latin America. During the completed 30 years, the competitiveness of a lot of sub-Saharan Africa export crops has declined and the region’s dependence on imported food crops has increased. In the years ahead, world warming is expected to intensify the current constraints on food production.
  • Winter Maize Gets Lifeline Tagged in Zimbabwe

    ZIMBABWE, 2015/06/07 Lowveld sugar producer Tongaat Hulett has revived winter maize production in Chiredzi, with 329 hectares instantly under development to plant the staple crop. This is part of efforts to mitigate effects of successive crippling droughts experienced across Masvingo in recent seasons. The move by Tongaat followed a request from Government and the Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial leadership led by secretary for production Cde Josaya Hungwe. At least 1 000 tonnes of maize will be produced under the project, with harvesting of the winter crop expected around September this year.
  • Is Southern Africa's Agro-Industry Delivering Food Security?

    ZIMBABWE, 2015/03/19 Has the predominance of the agricultural sector in Southern Africa translated into food and nutrition security in the region? Evidently not! Food security remains a major socio-economic and political challenge in the region with some analysts arguing that food insecurity is a new threat to national security. Agriculture is the dominant economic sector in the SADC regional economy contributing up to 35 % to its GDP. Approximately 70 % of the people in Southern Africa depend on agriculture for food, gain and employment while agricultural commodities and produce are the principal exports in a lot of nations, on average contributing approximately 13 % to total export earnings and 66 % to the price of intra-regional trade.
  • Zimbabwe: Pioneer Scales Down Seed Production

    ZIMBABWE, 2014/11/27 "We are not planting any seeds this farming season because we have enough to supply the country for the next two years," he said. "Our farmers will not have a challenge of seed shortage for the meantime time because we have enough in stock," he said. Mr Myers, however, said the company had increased prices for maize seed by 15 %. "We have not changed prices in the completed three years," he said, adding the liquidity crunch had slowed down sales.
  • Remaining White Farmers Must Go - Zimbabwe

    ZIMBABWE, 2014/07/07 PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Wednesday ratcheted up pressure against few hundred white remaining farmers saying they too must go adding whites would no longer be allowed to own land in Zimbabwe. In an address filled with anti-western rhetoric at the launch of the A1 Model Settlement Tenure Permit in the Zanu PF heartland of Mashonaland West, Mugabe said Zimbabwe was no country for whites as far as the land was concerned. "There are white farmers who are still on the land and have the protection of some cabinet ministers and politicians inclunding traditional leaders," he said.
  • Tobacco growers want their voices heard

    ZIMBABWE, 2014/07/06 Representatives of tobacco growers in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya and South Africa together with representatives of the International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA) have called on all governments, particularly those from the tobacco-growing regions, to include them in discussions of policies that will have a direct impact on their lives. They made the call next their conference in Harare, Zimbabwe, over the completed three days to discuss issues that will have a major impact on their livelihoods ITGA President Francois van der Merwe said that tobacco growers are alarmed that recommendations on tobacco proposed for the next Conference of the Parties (COP6) of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will penalise growers for whom tobacco crops are a route out of poverty and a way of life.
  • Nkosazana-Dlamini-Zuma

    ETHIOPIA, 2014/01/31 Africa needs to find a way of making agriculture attractive to young people who can become an engine for industrialization, African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson, Dr. Nkozasana Dlamini Zuma, has said. Dlamini Zuma was addressing a news conference Wednesday in Addis Ababa on “Agriculture and Food Security” as the theme of the 30-31 January 22nd ordinary summit of AU heads of National and Government. According to the South African diplomat, in almost all African nations the majority of people involved in agriculture are old persons in a continent where about 75% of the people is below the age of 25 years.
  • Mr. Jose Graziano da Silva, the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation

    AFRICA, 2014/01/30 Mr. Jose Graziano da Silva, the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Wednesday stressed that agriculture is the engine of increase needed to eradicate hunger and boost food production in Africa.   Mr. Graziano de Silva made the assertion, ahead of the launch later this week of the 2014 African Year of Agriculture and Food Security. In a statement obtained by PANA, the FAO chief noted that several African nations had by presently reached the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) hunger target of reducing by half the proportion of undernourished people between 1990 and 2015.
  • Zifa to Venture Into Farming in Zimbabwe

    ZIMBABWE, 2013/12/08 ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube says his association will venture into farming and mining to generate gain for the national teams and the organisation's operations from next year. The association have by presently launched a platform dubbed "Dollar for Football" project to appeal to each Zimbabwean to spare, at least a dollar or its equivalent, for football. That money will be poured into general government, grassroots development, marketing, competitions, infrastructural development, equipment, high-profile events and national teams. Speaking at a fundraising dinner organised by the Golden Jubilee Committee on Thursday night, Dube said it was time that Zifa diversify its operations.