Faculty of AgriSciences

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https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/9

The Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) is held in high esteem at national and international levels for the quality of its training and research and also as consultant in the agricultural and forestry industry.

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Browsing Faculty of AgriSciences by Author "Abdoll, Caitlyn"

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    A critical analysis of the PALS initiative to determine its contribution to land redistribution and agricultural development in South Africa
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Abdoll, Caitlyn; Kirsten, Johann; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Agricultural Economics.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: Since the start of South Africa’s democracy in 1994 and the deregulation of the country’s agricultural market in 1997, the agricultural sector has been undergoing transformation. In 1994, the newly elected ANC government set the target to redistribute 30 percent of white-owned agricultural land by 2014. This process is facilitated through a three-pronged approach to land reform consisting of land restitution, land redistribution, and tenure reform. Progress has been made with respect to land transfers, but a more effective approach is needed to accelerate the pace of land redistribution and agricultural development. In February 2021, President Ramaphosa announced the creation of a Land Reform and Agricultural Development Agency to address the issue of land ownership inequality. This concept of the land reform agency has many similarities to, and seemed to build on, the framework of the Partners in Agri Land Solutions (PALS) initiative which was launched in August 2014. The primary objective of this research was to do a critical analysis of the PALS initiative, its different projects, and its reported success in redistributing agricultural land and establishing commercial black farmers on this land. This analysis helped to understand whether it is feasible to use the PALS framework as the blueprint for the Local Land and Agricultural Development committees as part of the proposed Land and Agricultural Development Agency. A literature review identified land access, beneficiary selection, access to capital, market access, post-settlement support, and an exit strategy as the challenges impacting land reform and agricultural development in South Africa. A case study analysis was conducted on 20 implemented Witzenberg PALS projects. Qualitative primary data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews and reviewing official project documentation of the projects. The projects were measured against the seven factors and the level of empowerment created through the private redistribution of land. The results indicated that Witzenberg PALS has facilitated the redistribution of 19 997.16 hectares of farmland through substantial black-owned private land redistribution projects. However, 6 388.86 hectares of redistributed land was transferred by means of an equity share scheme arrangement. Two of the implemented Witzenberg PALS projects are classified as equity share schemes, with minority black shareholding, where the commercial partner oversees all farming activities. Of the 468 beneficiaries involved in the Witzenberg PALS projects, only 64 were permanently employed by the respective joint ventures. This limited the empowerment of the historically disadvantaged beneficiaries as they were not involved in the project’s day-to-day farming operations. The PALS initiative should address the nature of employment and management conditions of the equity share scheme projects to improve the empowerment of the beneficiaries. The PALS centre can be replicated and adapted as the Local Land and Agricultural Development Office in the proposed land reform agency. It is recommended that the government should enable a supportive environment to promote public private partnerships and involve the private sector in the implementation of land redistribution. The results of this study are not generalisable as it was restructured to measuring the private implementation of land redistribution in the Western Cape only. Future studies could include the impact of the private sector in other regions of South Africa.