For small-scale farmers to provide food and income for their families, they need help to get started in farming more effectively - to access high-quality seeds and livestock, to learn new ways of farming, and to learn how to work together as an effective farming group.
Thousands of South Africans suffer from hunger and poverty on a daily basis. When Julia Ngwana's two daughters were younger, she used to beg for work to earn money to supplement the tiny food parcel that was the family's only source of food. A few years later she was not only able to feed her family, but supported her daughter in going to university. She did this through goat farming, assisted by a nongovernmental organisation, NGO, that helps rural families to become independent small-scale farmers, by providing training, seeds, trees, livestock and three years of support. More should be done by government to support NGOs like this one which clearly has the ability to deliver results.
Creating a genuinely enabling environment in South Africa for agricultural markets to thrive requires government to invest. Roads need to be built in inaccessible rural areas, irrigation schemes must be set up, and a wide range of highly functional, scientific support institutions have to be maintained. Thank you. The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Hon House Chairperson, hon members of the House, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, and members of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, for the past two days more than 2 000 representatives of smallholder farmers from all provinces have been meeting in Midrand as the African Farmers Association of South Africa, Afasa, to discuss their work as smallholder farmers. They spoke for themselves, about themselves and about where they wanted to go.
The opposition attended the Agri SA Conference, but funnily enough failed to attend the Afasa Conference! Four agricultural unions, including Agri SA and the Transvaal Agricultural Union, Tau, have distanced themselves from the DA, especially from the disparaging remarks of hon member Steyn. What I would like to ask the hon member Steyn is whether the DA still has members left in agriculture, since all the unions, Agri SA and the Transvaal Agricultural Union, Tau, no longer support her or support the DA. Funnily enough, Agri SA has already attended three policy conferences of the ANC and it will certainly be at Mangaung, hon ANC members. [Applause.] [Interjections.]