TO address poverty and malnutrition and promote sustainable agricultural development, the Eastern Cape Provincial Government’s Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) launched an R80 million cropping programme on World Food Day.
The launch took place at Ngxakaxha village in Mbhashe Local Municipality and focused on this year’s theme, “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future,” emphasising the human right to access adequate food.
Mawande Jama, a sorghum farmer and beneficiary of the programme, praised its transformative impact. “This project has helped us immensely. We planted sorghum, creating job opportunities from soil preparation to harvesting,” he said.
Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe lauded the initiative, noting, “Empowering people with skills to produce their food reduces dependence on social grants.”Tolashe urged a national replication of this programme, stressing its potential to alleviate food insecurity.
Nozibele Nyalambisa, a Member of the Portfolio Committee on DRDAR, added, “By empowering people to produce their food, we’re fostering self-sufficiency and reducing reliance on social grants. The collaboration between farmers and extension officers will yield tangible results.”
The programme aims to plant 22,564 hectares of land, benefiting 10,953 communal and emerging farmers. Additionally, R21.6 million is allocated for the Import Substitute project, supporting smallholder poultry producers.
According to the provincial government, between 2009 and 2023, the department planted 309,930 hectares, benefiting 51,847 smallholder producers, and yielding over 538,000 tons of maize. DRDAR Chief Director Nandi Ndudane emphasized the programme’s potential for sustainable change, urging farmers to begin planting summer crops to combat poverty.
