Of the 64 countries globally which have embarked on land reform, 17 had restitution programmes in place and only 11 have claimed to be successful, says Dr Theo de Jager, president of the World Farmers Association.

The agriculture sector survived a year of rising uncertainty in 2018, but with the national elections and the threat of drought looming, 2019 will be every bit as challenging. 

TLU SA have been inundated with enquiries after a report about Dr Theo de Jager’s new agricultural organisation, SAAI, appeared in the Rapport newspaper.

Die Suider-Afrika Agri Inisiatief (Saai) is vandag in Pretoria geloods. Saai is ’n landbou belangenetwerk, vir boere deur boere, wat daartoe verbind is om die regte, waardes, ideale en behoeftes van familieboere in die primêre produksiesektor te beskerm en te bevorder.

On Thursday, a new agricultural organisation called SAAI was launched. SAAI is an acronym for the Southern African Agriculture Initiative, which means "sow" in Afrikaans.

Terwyl die gronddebat weereens in die aanloop tot die verkiesing kookpunt bereik, is heelwat familieboere van regoor die partypolitieke spektrum nog onseker oor die landboubeleid en -visie van politieke partye wat vir hul stemme meeding.

Dr Theo de Jager, executive board chairman of Saai, was re-elected as president of the World Agricultural Organisation (WAO) in Luxembourg on 21 May 2019.

Due to the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s inability, ideological attachment to socialistic models, extensive corruption and nepotism – as pointed out by both the Kgalema Motlanthe report and the special investigating unit – this Department can in its current composition and performance not possibly make a contribution towards creating a class of profitable black farmers,” says Dr Theo de Jager, Chairperson of Saai’s board of directors.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in collaboration with other relevant organisations linked to the United Nations (UN), are handling launch of the UN’s Decade of Family Farming in Rome, Italy, on 29 May 2019.

Die Suider-Afrika Agri Inisiatief (Saai), ’n landbounetwerk vir familieboere, het saam met ervare regslui prosedures ontwikkel om eienaars wie se eiendomme deur die grondeisekommissaris in die Staatskoerant gelys is, by te staan om op die lysting te reageer en hulle te begelei om vir moontlike hofsake voor te berei.

The ANC finds itself in the position where much of what it wanted to cover up by blaming the willing seller principle, and calling for expropriation without compensation, has already been exposed, writes Theo de Jager.

Dr Theo de Jager -Chairman SAAI and  FORMER President of the World Farmers Organisation.

With a dramatic increase in farm attacks and murders, and while public discourse in this regard has been intensifying in South Africa as well as abroad, one of the most polarising issues is the question of whether this atrocity simply is an extension of general lawlessness in rural areas.

Die Suider-Afrika Agri Inisiatief Saai is teleurgesteld met die verslag wat die sogenaamde adviespaneel van kundiges oor grondhervorming aan die kabinet voorgehou het, en wil op hierdie stadium op kernaspekte van die verslag ’n teenoorgestelde standpunt stel.

Dr Theo de Jager was die president van die Wêreld Landbou Organisasie. Hy was in 2017 die eerste Suid-Afrikaner om as president van die WLO verkies te word.

The Southern Africa Agri Initiative (Saai) welcomes the national treasury’s discussion document on economic policy that was released on 27 August 2019.

The Southern Africa Agri Initiative (Saai), a network of family farmers and people with an interest in farming that look after family farmers, on 11 September 2019 presented a farmer’s day at The Hub in Tzaneen. Intense discussions were held with communal farmers, small-scale and settlement farmers, commercial farmers and beneficiaries of land reform regarding their needs, aspirations, frustrations and challenges.

Black family farmers are struggling to farm profitable and sustainable and require serious adjustments to the policy environment to be successful.

“Few black farmers get access to financing because they often don’t own the land on which they farm. The state was last week forced to sell the farm in Limpopo on which David Rakgase has already been farming for 27 years, to Rakgase. Without the broadening of property rights, investments in agriculture will cease to grow, and black farmers made it clear at the farmer’s day that they want title deeds,” says Dr Theo de Jager, Chairperson of the Board that contributed to the facilitation of the day on behalf of Saai.

The poor research to determine the validity of land claims, infighting among the communal property associations (CPA’s) and poor management of state land are setbacks on the road to success.

Farmers that attended the day believe that a special financing mechanism, similar to the old agricultural credit board, will help a great deal in improving the bankability of new entrants.

AFRIKAANS

Boere bespreek behoeftes en uitdagings tydens Re Gola Mmogo-boeredag

Die Suider-Afrika Agri-inisiatief (Saai), ’n netwerk van familieboere en boerderybelanghebbendes wat na familieboere omsien, het op 11 September 2019 ’n boeredag by The Hub in Tzaneen aangebied. Daar is intens met kommunale boere, kleinskaal- en nedersettingboere, kommersiële boere en begunstigdes van grondhervorming gepraat oor hul behoeftes, aspirasies, frustrasies en uitdagings.

Swart gesinsboere sukkel om winsgewend en volhoubaar te boer en het ernstige verstellings aan die beleidsomgewing nodig om vooruit te kan boer.

“Min swart boere kry toegang tot finansiering omdat hulle dikwels nie die grond waarop hulle boer besit nie. Die staat is verlede week gedwing om die plaas in Limpopo waarop David Rakgase reeds 27 jaar boer, aan hom te verkoop. Sonder die verbreding van eiendomsreg sal beleggings in landbou nie groei nie, en swart boere het by die boeredag dit duidelik gestel dat hulle titelaktes wil hê,” sê dr. Theo de Jager, direksievoorsitter wat namens Saai bygedra het tot die fasilitering van dié dag.

Die gebrekkige navorsing om die geldigheid van grondeise te bepaal, binnegevegte onder die kommunale eiendomsverenigings (CPA’s) en swak bestuur van staatsgrond is klippe in die pad na sukses.

Boere wat die dag bygewoon het glo dat ’n spesiale finansieringsmeganisme, soortgelyk aan die ou landboukredietraad, ver kan gaan om die bankbaarheid van nuwe toetreders te verbeter.

The agricultural network for family farmers, Saai, today announced that it would soon be augmenting its livestock theft app, STIC, to prioritise the traceability of the movement of livestock.

“Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts will follow.

Theo de Jager, President of World Farmers Organisation, brings the perspective of farmers to the climate change debate. This guest-post is part of Farming First’s ‘Farmers Taking Action on Climate Change’ campaign for the COP25.