WORCESTER – The Breede Valley Municipality (BVM) has established a local agricultural forum in Zwelethemba in collaboration with the national and provincial Departments of Agriculture to support emerging farmers. It aims to address various challenges encountered by farmers in the community, including access to land, water rights, funding, infrastructure, education and training and medical assistance, particularly in light of the recent African Swine Fever outbreak affecting smallholding farmers in George.
The forum brings farmers from diverse backgrounds together, representing different aspects of the agricultural value chain. Colin January, the BVM’s Local Economic Development Manager, emphasised its significance as being the first of its kind, focused on addressing the multitude of challenges faced by the local agricultural sector.
He highlighted the forum’s role in coordinating support for emerging farmers, acknowledging the complexity of the issues and the need for a comprehensive approach.
Aligned with national and provincial strategic goals, it aims to foster a resilient, sustainable, climate-smart and environmentally friendly food and agriculture system. While the provision of agricultural services is not directly the municipality’s responsibility, it is committed to assisting farmers with their immediate challenges, with support from national and provincial departments.
The creation of the agricultural forum represents a proactive step towards addressing the needs of farmers within the Breede Valley municipal area.
Lerato Mniki, LED Officer, explained the municipality’s role as a channel between the National/Provincial Government and the farming community.
“Going forward, a detailed action plan will be developed to guide the forum in fulfilling its mandate,” he said, “and providing necessary support to the local farming community, the municipality is committed to facilitating services for the farming community, despite the LED office’s limited capacity to directly assist farmers.”
