Failing SA land reform endangers food security

"It is remarkable that a democratically elected government, enjoying such an overwhelming parliamentary majority and popular support, has failed so spectacularly, in such an important area of governance, for so long," he says. Land reform issues have not yet been tackled sufficiently robustly by SA's democratic government. Early reform processes "bumbled along with good intentions but with little impact."

Government's support for an industrial farming model which depends on high input, energy-intensive farming using genetically modified seed is an anomaly - as it contributed to decreasing numbers of white commercial farmers owning increasingly large farms. This, Ashton says, is the antithesis of farming practice required for land and agrarian reform. The global consensus is that "diversified, smallholder led, sustainable farming practices are required to feed a growing global population in the face of climatic and economic uncertainty."

Land reform, food security, market reform and access to a balanced diet are each distinct aspects of the same problem, none of which have been adequately addressed, let alone resolved. National levels of mal- and under nutrition remain a disgrace in a food exporting nation like South Africa, Ashton says.

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