SA: Deputy minister warns of risks of shrinking farmland

Deputy minister warns of risks of shrinking farmland

Deputy Agriculture Minister Pieter Mulder. Picture: ARNOLD PRONTO

WITH high- and medium-value agricultural land equal to the size of the Kruger National Park lost to mining and urban developments, the decline in arable land for farming in South Africa is threatening food security, Deputy Agriculture Minister Pieter Mulder said last week.

At a symposium on genetically modified crops and food safety, Dr Mulder said non-agricultural developments on agricultural land were increasing.

"This area is no longer available (for farming) and cannot be reclaimed to provide the food, feed, fodder and fibre that is necessary for the continued welfare of the people of South Africa," he said.

A spatial statistical analysis by his department in 2011 had found that the area suitable for crop production which had been "irrevocably converted to non-agricultural uses" was equal to that of the Kruger park — which covers about 2-million hectares, roughly the size of Wales or Israel.

Dr Mulder said the available high-value arable land in South Africa had declined steadily from 0.38ha per person in 1996 to 0.31ha per person in 2005, with the current availability estimated at less than 0.25ha per person. "This is well below the international norm of 0.7ha per person."

He also warned that land used to produce food could be rendered unsuitable by climate change. "The buffering capacity of national and global agricultural markets to absorb supply shocks and stabilise agricultural commodity prices is directly tied to the continued functioning of land and water systems.

"Climate change brings additional risks and further unpredictability of harvests."

Against this backdrop, Dr Mulder said a "mixture of interventions and innovation" was needed.

Genetic modification had a role to play in increasing production to "reduce poverty and increase food security". But he warned it could not be regarded in isolation as an overall solution to South Africa’s agricultural challenges.

"The technology must be viewed as just one of the many biotechnology tools available to the agriculture sector. We therefore advocate that the application of (the) technology be ... used in combination with existing conventional agricultural practices.

"As with any human activity, potential risks are associated with genetic modification and ... should be addressed in a coherent, science-based manner. With the enormous number of food-insecure countries in Africa we do not have the luxury of being influenced by emotional unscientific propaganda," he said.

Grain SA CEO Jannie de Villiers said political instability was often the consequence of food insecurity and could even lead to the overthrow of governments.BDLIVE