1

CHAPTER 7

CROP PRODUCTION IN THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE

R. THOMAS Department of Plant Production

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 agro-

processing 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

2

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 government-

developed 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 &

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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.

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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 Numbers of Farms <5ha 5 - 9ha 10 – 19ha 20 – 49ha 50 – 99ha 100 – 199ha 200 – 299ha 300 – 399ha 400 – 499ha 500+

1975 1234 771 654 258 102 30 8 6 15

Agricultural Sector Profile Appendix 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.

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1.2. Agricultural Land Area

Total farm land in the Limpopo Province will be as follows:-

Table II

i. Limpopo

Total Area - 11 960 600ha

Farm land - 10 548 290ha

Percentage - 88.2%

Potential Arable Land - 1 700 422ha

Percentage - 14.2%

Grazing - 8 847 848ha

Percentage - 74%

Nature Conservation - 1 161 600ha

Forests - 65 410ha

Others - 185 300ha

ii. Developing Agriculture in Former Homelands

Total Area - 3612400ha

Farm Land - 3 394 578ha

Percentage - 87.0%

Potential Arable Land - 951975ha

Grazing - 2360898ha

Percentage - 62%

Nature Conservation - 127 200ha

Forests - 6 060ha

Others - 84 622ha

iii. Commercial Agriculture

Total land 8 348 200ha

Percentage 85.7%

Farm land 7 153 722ha

Potential Arable 1 169 742

Percentage 14%

Arable utilized 660 090

Grazing 5 984 030

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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% of farms were in excess of 50ha and

accounted for 14% of total farm land.

1.3. Employment

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 AREA OWNED (HA) AREA RENTED (HA) FARMED ON

SHARES (HA)

1994 4003 804ha 161 3634ha 395 988ha

1995 4098 368ha 874 916ha 463092ha

1996 4572 871ha 876 418ha 39 342ha

Agriculture Sector Profile, Appendix 2.

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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 Province’s 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 GROSS INCOME PERCENTAGE

Animal and Products 51%

Horticulture 32%

Field-crops 17%

Forestry and Others <1%

Agriculture Sector Profile, Appendix 2.

1.5. Expenditure and Debt

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 (Value in R)CAPITAL (000) (Value in R) CURRENT (000)

1994 R264 745 R182 8790

1995 R344 383 R214` 354

1996 R392 346 R225 5279

Agriculture Sector profile, Appendix 2.

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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 well-

developed infrastructure and market outlets, and the farmers are represented

in farm unions (Putter, H., et al. 1995). This sector contributed 70% of the

Province’s 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.

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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 Value (R) N. Province (%) S. Africa (%)

Animal Production 2 011 175 51 15.2

Horticulture 1 263 681 32 13.9

Field Crops 652 899 26 7.7

Forestry & Other 6 625 0.2 0.4

Total 3 934 539 100 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 Quantity (Tons) National Share (%)

Potatoes 281 145 17

Wheat 36 954 2

Sunflower 46 447 7

Maize 58 000 8

Wheat 50 000 2.9

Sorghum 24 000 7.1

Soya beans/Dry beans 1 320 2

Cotton 34 616 2

Groundnuts 31 200 0.3

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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.

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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).

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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 Year Province (ha) Province (tons) Maize 94

95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02

- - - - 67500 208036 210480 41600 41500

- 93340 204600 190939 97200 94200 182500 88000 82250

Wheat 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02

- - - - 17 000 9000 8000 15000 13500

31067 52275 40416 64473 68000 35000 50700 46500 40500

Sorghum 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02

- - - 7000 7500 5000 10500 6800 9000

- - 14900 27500 15000 17000 3000 24150 14280

Ground nuts 98 99 2000 01 02

3128 2700 3000 4500 5000

4300 1700 31200 4950 7500

Sunflowers 98 99 2000 01 02

43765 28000 21000 29000 28000

31000 1700 21000 26100 28000

Soya beans 98 3003 7800

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99 2000 01 02

4000 3500 6500 9000

10700 9100 20800 24300

Dry beans 98 99 2000 01 02

56 1000 1200 1240 600

90 1300 1320 1488 720

Potatoes 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02

7492 7732 7603 7164 - 8330 7538 6973 -

- 277533 277983 281145 267679 335377 258095 234075 -

(Northern Province Department of Agriculture and Environment, Production

Statistics.)

Relevance of the study:

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

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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 small-

farmers 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 Total Area Cultivated In Hectares

Bohlabela (N)

Mean

299

1.84911

95

1.61395

293

2.36761

Capricorn (N)

Mean

286

4.40256

119

23.05666

277

53.93930

Mopani (N)

Mean

435

3.24999

190

4.92737

437

5.02365

Sekhukhune (N)

Mean

216

6.83789

50

2.12320

224

2.78969

Vhembe (N)

Mean

349

4.11825

119

4.11277

300

10.62995

Waterberg (N)

Mean

190

14.23329

95

16.68737

206

40.39993

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Table 11 : Case Summary on Maize Production

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Output (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela 279

261

217

1.38

453.45

1348.94

Capricorn 225

220

107

2.06

595.75

3455.88

Mopani 346

294

235

2.58

2130.15

3707.76

Sekhukhne 143

137

118

3.92

982.20

1940.57

Vhembe 319

269

264

3.52

2228.05

8433.28

Waterberg 118

102

87

5.39

506.90

1751.38

TOTAL 1430

1283

1028

2.89

1294.93

4028.76

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Table 12 : Case Summary on Sorghum Production

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Out Put (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela 7

6

6

1.57

150.00

871.67

Capricorn 27

29

1

1.41

180.64

000.00

Mopani 3

2

1

0.83

31.50

60.00

Sekhukhune 48

47

43

4.56

524.07

1196.37

Vhembe 2

1

1

2070.50

300.00

750.00

Waterberg 12

11

8

1.28

104.18

728.38

TOTAL 99

96

60

44.72

336.36

1055.18

Table 13 : Case Summary on Beans Production

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Out Put (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela 44

41

1.20

126.63

17

39 768.08

Capricorn 11

16

6

0.95

214.60

268.17

Mopani 54

43

33

2.01

707.65

2101.52

Sekhukhune 20

18

16

50.86

52.94

226.88

Vhembe 45

40

40

0.57

136.42

609.75

Waterberg 25

24

19

0.99

154.17

1425.89

TOTAL 199

176

153

6.23

272.03

1019.78

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Table 14 : Case Summary on Groundmill Production

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Out Put (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela 59

57

49

1.09

141.18

648.90

Capricorn 6

6

4

1.25

242.00

277.50

Mopani 100

88

72

1.02

411.62

1276.81

Sekhukhune 3

3

3

1.07

115.00

243.33

Vhembe 81

77

79

0.72

507.09

2098.24

Waterberg 6

5

3

1.13

175.20

2260.00

TOTAL 255

236

210

0.95

364.36

1419.56

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Table 15 : Case Summary on Sunflower Production

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Out Put (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela -

-

-

-

-

-

Capricorn 3

3

3

1.17

872.33

1783.33

Mopani 1

1

1

0.50

240.00

1400.00

Sekhukhune 1

2

2

0.50

48.00

750.00

Vhembe 2

1

1

900.50

1.00

200.00

Waterberg 7

5

8

102.49

60971.20

62025.62

TOTAL 14

12

15

180.21

25650.83

33643.67

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Table 16 : Case Summary on Cowpea Production

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Out Put (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela 14

14

16

1.14

83.21

462.50

Capricorn 4

4

4

0.88

146.50

101.25

Mopani 8

8

6

0.88

309.38

855.00

Sekhukhune 14

11

11

1.16

560.91

2392.82

Vhembe 4

1

4

1.00

2.00

108.75

Waterberg 6

5

5

2.23

72.60

280.00

TOTAL 50

43

46

1.20

250.26

893.28

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Table 17 : Case Summary on Millet Production

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Out Put (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela 16

15

17

1.06

83.20

535.29

Capricorn 3

6

1

1.50

76.83

700.00

Mopani 15

11

13

120.84

1531.82

2877.31

Sekhukhune 9

9

8

56.59

471.11

1075.00

Vhembe 50

51

50

4.21

20560.22

40715.70

Waterberg 25

20

21

2.26

224.45

1178.95

TOTAL 118

112

110

22.12

9605.88

19239.53

Table 18 : Case Summary on Sugarcane Production

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Out Put (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela 3

2

0.58

940.00

22

2 975.00

Capricorn 3

2

3

0.40

57.00

350.17

Mopani 8

5

7

0.70

10246.00

4052.86

Sekhukhune 7

7

7

1.09

136.43

972.86

Vhembe 11

11

12

0.81

2189.64

2287.50

Waterberg 5

6

6

1.00

229.17

415.33

TOTAL 37

33

37

0.81

2412.97

1841.15

23

Table 19 : Case Summary on Potato Production

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Out Put (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela 6

4

5

0.74

345.50

703.00

Capricorn 2

3

3

1.50

197.00

913.33

Mopani 12

9

12

342.82

777.44

4656.33

Sekhukhune 5

5

5

1.30

12.80

590.00

Vhembe 14

12

12

0.59

1189.17

2672.08

Waterberg 13

11

10

4.42

384.29

3046.70

TOTAL 52

44

47

80.64

625.71

2517.17

24

Table 20 : Case Summary of Other Cultivated Area

District N Mean Area

(ha)

Out Put (kg) Gross Income

(R)

Bohlabela 22

15

23

0.76

857.80

1257.35

Capricorn 6

7

4

2.78

611.14

30115.34

Mopani 25

19

25

1.42

3162.84

6186.56

Sekhukhune 3

3

3

0.67

1800.00

1200.00

Vhembe 31

25

28

0.87

4157.36

2797.07

Waterberg 23

21

24

2.62

489.57

4548.96

TOTAL 110

90

107

1.44

2187.27

4627.45

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 on

different projects related to agriculture are:

1. Mopani Disrict Municipality

(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 SMME’s 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

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(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 agro-

support 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. Poor planning and management of agricultural programmes

ii. Lack of or poor implementation of development strategies

iii. Lack of participation of farmers in development programmes

iv. Resources allocated to small farmers are small and uncertain

v. Lack of weak complimentary services to farmers from agricultural institutions

(inputs, credit, land and market facilities)

vi. Poor linkages between and among private public and training institutions and

service providers

vii. Lack of trained extension personnel

viii. Inadequate farmer training opportunities

ix. Gap between policy makers or implementers

x. Environmental degradation and inability to integrate environmental protection

with development

xi. High post harvest losses

xii. Lack of market information on demand and supply of produce

xiii. 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,

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(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 of loan

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

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

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• 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 Today’s decision.

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Reference

1. Agricultural Statistics Abstract, 2001/2002.

2. Central Statistics, 1998. Women and Men in South Africa.

3. Fenyes, T.I. , Van Zyl, J. and Vink, N., Lange and Small Scale Agriculture.

1988. Structural Imbalances in South Africa’s Agriculture. South African

Journal of Economics 56 (2 and 3).

4. Agricultural Policy in South Africa, 1998.

5. Central Statistical Service, 1997.

6. IPD reports on all 6 districts of the Limpopo Province, 2002/2003

Agriculture: Government Year Book, 2001.

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)

Crop

Estimated Mean

Cultivated area (ha)

Estimated mean

output (kg)

Estimated Mean

Income from crop (Rands)

Estimated Proportion

of smallholders cultivating stated crop

Estimated Total Area

(ha) cultivated in Province by smallholder

s

Estimated total output in Province (tonnes)

Estimated value

(Rands per tonne)

Estimated total Value earned by

smallholders in Limpopo (millions of

rands) Maize 2.86 1318.34 4130.39 0.66 518447 238982 3133.02 748.737

Sorghum 1.53 235.42 921.06 0.04 18790 2891 3912.41 11.312

Beans 0.99 134.89 420.76 0.09 24190 3296 3119.28 10.281

Groundnut 1.00 372.24 1454.18 0.11 31087 11572 3906.57 45.206

Sunflower 2.59 373.63 1968.64 0.01 3645 526 5268.96 2.770

Cowpeas 1.23 256.53 706.78 0.02 7710 1608 2755.16 4.430

Millet 2.75 133.88 995.43 0.05 39754 1935 7435.24 14.390

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