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September 2025
SOUTH AFRICA IS CURRENTLY FACING A SEVERE HUNGER CRISIS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY IMPACTING CHILDREN. ACCORDING TO THE DG MURRAY TRUST, HUNGER IN SOUTH AFRICA IS A ‘SILENT EPIDEMIC’, AS SYSTEMIC ISSUES HAVE LEFT MANY CITIZENS, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN, WITHOUT ADEQUATE ACCESS TO FOOD AND NUTRITION – A RIGHT ENSHRINED IN THE CONSTITUTION.
In the Eastern Cape, the South African Human Rights Commission’s 2023 Report on Child Malnutrition highlights the devastating consequences, revealing that malnutrition is a primary underlying cause of death in one third of child fatalities every year.
Statistics underscore the extent of this crisis:
DEVELOPING FARMERS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
These challenges have intensified the focus on food security as a basic human right. Grain SA’s Phahama Grain Phakama (PGP) programme plays a critical role in addressing food security by supporting small-scale and developing farmers in the sustainable and productive use of available land for grain production.
However, within the South African context, there is also a strong drive to establish black commercial farmers where access to land is not limited to 1 ha fields. Although this focus has received considerable attention, the results remain disappointing due to several factors beyond the scope of this project.
These factors include low-potential soils, degraded soils with no funding for soil rectification, a lack of mechanisation, a lack of skills, challenging selection of farmers by government programmes and limited land, which does not allow for economies of scale, to mention a few.
Beyond Abundance Project
In the 2013/2014 production year, Bayer (then known as Monsanto) approached the Farmer Development team of Grain SA to inform them that they had very good seed, but the seed shape was small and round and not preferred by the commercial farmers, whose planters struggle with that size and shape. Monsanto offered bags of this excellent Roundup Ready and BT seed to the small farmers in the development programme. This was the beginning of a project that has changed the lives of many previously food-insecure families.
The Farmer Development Programme (FDP) entered into an agreement with the Jobs Fund in 2015/2016. The purpose of this project was to enable farmers to make their own contribution towards their inputs and be given the most modern production inputs with mentoring to assist them in achieving commercial yields. This project was known as ‘From Subsistence to Abundance’.
After the four-year term ended, the team realised the great need to continue. This is when the FDP initiated the Beyond Abundance (BA) programme, which still exists today. Table 1 shows that there has been a considerable increase in the numbers from last season to the coming season.
How PGP supports the farmers
After much negotiation with suppliers for bulk discounts and requests for sponsorships, the amount is calculated that each farmer has to contribute to buy the inputs for 1 ha. Those farmers deposit their cash contributions into the Grain SA (PGP) accounts opened specifically for this purpose. The farmers are given the choice of white or yellow maize
– 5 kg for 0,5 ha and 10 kg for 1 ha.
PGP then orders and arranges the delivery of the following inputs:
At the beginning of the initial project, a baseline survey was conducted, and it was discovered that the average yield of maize in these areas is 1 t/ha. Most of the farmers in this project produce for their own consumption and sell their surplus locally. However, there are some farmers who have progressed to planting as much as 60 ha, having started with 1 ha.
It is essential to remember that development is about the dreams of the individual. Nobody can impose outside aspirations on someone else. People must want to grow and change their ways.
During the June/July period, a total of 49 farm visits were done, where farmers were assisted with harvesting and marketing by the Farmer Development Team. It is clear that farmers face many challenges.
Farmer Isaac Sello Malakoane, who is mentored by Johan Roux in the Free State, demonstrated that where there is a will, there is a way. Here he is picking up soybeans by hand in the wet areas, as he did not want to lose any of his yield.
Harvesting was a slow process on the farm of Nomlala Siyabonga in the Kokstad region. The combine kept getting stuck in the wet areas.
The combine harvester arrived at short notice at the farm of Thanduyise Shelembe. He had to direct the combine to the right areas, as some of the maize was still wet and some rain-damaged maize had to be harvested separately.
Farmer Xolani Gumede has finished harvesting his soybeans – apart from 5 ha, where the soil is still too wet. More than 15 ha of soybeans had to be written off as too wet conditions caused it to rot. The wind had also blown over a lot of the maize, which must be picked up by hand.
Harvesting before doing a moisture test causes a problem this farmer discovered. The maize cannot be stored in the silo, so the farmer will have to find a place where the maize can be dried before it can be stored.
Mentor Timon Filter from the Louwsburg region found that the drum speed of the combine harvesting Sizwe Ngwenya’s maize was too high. This caused a lot of crushed mealies.
It was a busy time for the team, with 82 study group visits taking place between 13 June and 11 July. This is an opportunity where farmers can meet to share and learn from each other.
At the Zweliha Study Group in Dundee, the hand-held planters were explained and demonstrated. The older farmers were especially impressed by the hand rest.
A large crowd of farmers gathered for the meeting of the Dukuza Study Group near Dundee. Farmers in this area view agriculture as more than just food security – farming is a business for them.
A large group attended the Legolaneng Study Group’s meeting, where Jerry Mthombothi from the Mbombela regional office discussed soil tillage practices.
Farmers from the Siyeza ePuka Study Group near Kokstad were eager to boast about their good yields.
Farmer Mkhanyiselwa Khoza was featured on the cover of the August issue. He was very excited to see his photograph on the cover when he received the magazine at the Gourton Study Group meeting.
Publication: September 2025
Section: Pula/Imvula