LETTER: Entice youngsters to become farmers

Land Bank and the department of agriculture, land reform & rural development are striving to redress the legacy of racial and gender discrimination by encouraging the youth and previously disadvantaged to engage in farming.

While the department strives to redistribute land to previously disadvantaged individuals through lengthy leasehold contracts with beneficiaries, Land Bank provides financial support to emerging farmers. This empowers them to play a meaningful role in the sector, and also goes a long way in helping the government achieve equitable land ownership, agrarian reform and land distribution.

Because many aspiring farmers do not have sufficient funds to buy land for farming,  the government introduced different programmes, such as the Proactive Land Acquisition Policy, to encourage disadvantaged citizens to engage in farming because, in the long run, agriculture has the potential to create jobs that will go a long way in denting the scourge of  unemployment and poverty and at the same time promote the economy. 

With many unemployed youths out there, vigorous marketing at primary and high school level needs to be carried out by the government to make farming fashionable so that efforts by Land Bank and the department are made appealing to entice more youths to be attracted to farming. This will create much-needed jobs while maintaining food security for all.

Fundiswa Zanele Ndaba
Sterkspruit, Eastern Cape

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