Date: 19/09/2006
Source: Department of Agriculture
Title: Mayisela: Third national LandCare Conference
Keynote address by North West MEC of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment Eliot Mandenkosi Mayisela at the third national LandCare Conference, Nelspruit
"Age of hope, a national effort in reflecting on LandCare progress and strengthening the future"
Chairperson
Mr Thabang Makwetla, Premier of the Mpumalanga
Mr Madala Masuku, MEC for Agriculture and Land Administration
Other distinguished guests
Our East African guests
Ladies and gentleman
I thank you for the opportunity given to address this, the Third National LandCare Conference as a messenger of LandCare. It is fitting that the theme of this year's Conference is “Age of hope - a national effort in reflecting on the LandCare progress and strengthening the future”.
This is so because since 1997 National Government has been working together with provinces to strengthen the implementation of the LandCare Programme. This is an opportunity to tell our success stories of good LandCare practices implemented by our communities and LandCare groups within South Africa. We need to assess where we are with LandCare in South Africa and test whether we have laid a firm foundation on which we can build for the coming years.
We also need to asses whether we have the knowledge and capacity to successfully overcome the present and future challenges. For South Africa the launching of the LandCare programme in 1997 was propitious due to political and government system changes after the apartheid regime. The supreme challenge was to introduce fundamental changes needed in the political, administrative and delivery systems governing the sector in order to conform to the new democratic constitution of South Africa. These changes meant that first and foremost we had to place at the centre of the agricultural sector and rural development, focus on the black majority as primary participants in addressing their own needs.
In addition, it has been necessary to work together with a number of key stakeholders to realise our 1994-stated vision of equitable access and participation in a globally competitive sector that contributes to community development, income generation, employment creation, food security and a better life for all in a sustainable manner. LandCare, I believe, has been one of the programmes that have served as a vehicle to realise this vision.
In 1999, following our second democratic elections, government assessed the implementation of agricultural policies. It has realised that economic growth, employment, equity and development challenges cannot be addressed only through state intervention or action, but that partnership with civil society is necessary for a facilitated agreement, common vision and joint responsibility for the future.
On establishing a Presidential Working Group on Agriculture, President Thabo Mbeki challenged all key-role players within the sector to identify a common vision and strategy that would unite the sector. In response to this challenge, the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the National African Farmers' Union (NAFU) and Agri SA forged a partnership across the entire agricultural value chain and produced the Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture in November 2001. The strategy articulates the long-term vision for the sector, which is to create “A united and prosperous agricultural sector”.
Under this agreement, government and its partners have taken joint responsibility for working towards actions that will tackle the sector's present and future challenges. Today, therefore, we have a common vision for agriculture in South Africa. This vision includes one where the sector uses and manages the natural resources available for production in a sustainable manner.
We have set ourselves the following strategic goal for the sector plan “To generate equitable access and participation in a globally competitive, profitable and sustainable agricultural sector contributing to a better life for all”. In pursuing this goal a number of outcomes should be achieved which are consistent with the outcomes of the LandCare programme, Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) being implemented currently.
Such outcomes are the following:
• increased creation of wealth in agriculture and rural areas
• increased sustainable employment
• increased incomes
• reduced poverty and inequalities in land and enterprise ownership
• improved farming efficiency
• improved national and household food security
• stable and safe rural communities and • pride and dignity in agriculture as an occupation and sector.
Sustainable resource management remains one of the core strategies of the Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture. We need to enhance the capacity of our farmers to use the natural agricultural resources in a sustainable manner and to ensure that these resources are used wisely and managed correctly. We all know that farmer participation is the key to the success of this strategy. Innovative approaches that link natural resource management to support programmes could provide a win-win situation resulting in short-term economic benefits for the farmers but at the same time contributing to the longer-term objective of maintaining the natural resource base.
Further degradation of our soil and water resources poses a threat to the productive base of the country. To address this we need to have strategies in place that are designed to overcome the causes of degradation. We also need to invest in infrastructure and services that support sustainable land use.
Principles of sustainable management of the natural resources need to be built into production systems that are integrated and environmentally friendly. At this Conference you will be able to access information and literature about the LandCare programme in the country. In these documents you will find that the applicable principles of the Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture are embedded in the strategy of the National LandCare Programme.
You will also note in our LandCare literature that mention is made of the LandCare approach.
These basic principles form the foundation to the way the programme should be operating within our farming and rural communities.
The principles are as follows:
Community-based natural resource management:
Groups of people talking about mutual problems and coming up with solutions.
Partnerships:
Building partnerships among the public, community and private sectors.
Local action:
People are encouraged to take local action, promoting local economic development.
Food security:
* Socio-economic benefits add value to LandCare * Integrated and innovative approaches:
The causes of environmental and resource degradation are addressed rather than the symptoms.
Redress
LandCare assists resource-poor communities from rural areas and addresses the needs of formerly disadvantaged groups.
Training and skills development:
In implementing projects, opportunities are sought to give informal and accredited training to community individuals and to provide them with skills to seek permanent job or entrepreneurial opportunities.
Promoting livelihoods and economic opportunities:
LandCare adds value to the resource base and improved management of the resources should lead to improved economic opportunities for community members.
The beginning of 2004 saw the introduction of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and its implementation of which LandCare is part. This programme is a nationwide effort which seeks to draw significant numbers of the unemployed into the productive sector of the economy to afford them an opportunity of gaining skills while they work and thereby improving their capacity to earn an income.
The programme is divided into four sectors, being Environment and Culture; Social; Economic and lastly Infrastructure, under which a number of government departments are found with one department to lead each sector. The Department of Agriculture is part of the Environment and Cultural Sector, which is lead by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. This sector has four government departments, the other two being Water Affairs and Forestry, and Arts and Culture.
All four of these Departments in the Environmental Sector have been involved in recent years, to a greater or lesser extent, in programmes that support the aims of the EPWP. LandCare is one of these programmes, and other well-known programmes are, for example, Working for Water and Working for Wetlands. These programmes collectively support the creation of land-based livelihoods and community-based natural resource management. This sector therefore has a powerful combination in terms of building South Africa's natural and cultural heritage and in utilising this heritage to create both immediate and long-term jobs and social benefits. This also implies particular ways of working with communities, building on their historical custodianship of these resources and locating projects within a broader sustainable development strategy.
The objectives of the programmes within this sector are to achieve the immediate social benefits of the overall EPWP; while at the same time it will be generating useful outputs in the fields of environment, heritage, biodiversity and LandCare.
These objectives fit within the broader objectives of government such as poverty reduction, transformation, empowerment, urban and rural development, growth and job creation.
In keeping with the theme of the Conference, “Age of hope - a national effort in reflecting on LandCare progress and strengthening the future” allow me to give some funding statistics. Poverty relief funding of the LandCare programme due to improved institutional arrangement has resulted in a continued increase in financial support. This has increased per year from R25 million in 1998 to R68 million for this year. The number of projects for this period has been 469 starting with 14 in 1998.
I acknowledge the presence of the East Africa delegates in our audience this morning. Together with the South African team they will play an important part in developing the African LandCare Network to ensure that this concept of creating livelihoods with the agricultural natural resources continues to receive attention of all the delegates at this Conference I trust you have a fruitful three days and that much is learnt that will carry LandCare forward and make it a champion for the realising both the objectives of government and of the agricultural sector.
Today will be celebration of LandCare. Tomorrow there will be field visits where much can be learnt as you come into direct contact with our LandCare communities. Thursday will involve sharing your experiences and vision for the future. We all have the opportunity over these coming days to make a great contribution to LandCare, so let us use it.
I trust you will enjoy your stay in South Africa and that this Conference be one of your highlights for the year.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture
19 September 2006
Source: Department of Agriculture
Title: Mayisela: Third national LandCare Conference
Keynote address by North West MEC of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment Eliot Mandenkosi Mayisela at the third national LandCare Conference, Nelspruit
"Age of hope, a national effort in reflecting on LandCare progress and strengthening the future"
Chairperson
Mr Thabang Makwetla, Premier of the Mpumalanga
Mr Madala Masuku, MEC for Agriculture and Land Administration
Other distinguished guests
Our East African guests
Ladies and gentleman
I thank you for the opportunity given to address this, the Third National LandCare Conference as a messenger of LandCare. It is fitting that the theme of this year's Conference is “Age of hope - a national effort in reflecting on the LandCare progress and strengthening the future”.
This is so because since 1997 National Government has been working together with provinces to strengthen the implementation of the LandCare Programme. This is an opportunity to tell our success stories of good LandCare practices implemented by our communities and LandCare groups within South Africa. We need to assess where we are with LandCare in South Africa and test whether we have laid a firm foundation on which we can build for the coming years.
We also need to asses whether we have the knowledge and capacity to successfully overcome the present and future challenges. For South Africa the launching of the LandCare programme in 1997 was propitious due to political and government system changes after the apartheid regime. The supreme challenge was to introduce fundamental changes needed in the political, administrative and delivery systems governing the sector in order to conform to the new democratic constitution of South Africa. These changes meant that first and foremost we had to place at the centre of the agricultural sector and rural development, focus on the black majority as primary participants in addressing their own needs.
In addition, it has been necessary to work together with a number of key stakeholders to realise our 1994-stated vision of equitable access and participation in a globally competitive sector that contributes to community development, income generation, employment creation, food security and a better life for all in a sustainable manner. LandCare, I believe, has been one of the programmes that have served as a vehicle to realise this vision.
In 1999, following our second democratic elections, government assessed the implementation of agricultural policies. It has realised that economic growth, employment, equity and development challenges cannot be addressed only through state intervention or action, but that partnership with civil society is necessary for a facilitated agreement, common vision and joint responsibility for the future.
On establishing a Presidential Working Group on Agriculture, President Thabo Mbeki challenged all key-role players within the sector to identify a common vision and strategy that would unite the sector. In response to this challenge, the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the National African Farmers' Union (NAFU) and Agri SA forged a partnership across the entire agricultural value chain and produced the Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture in November 2001. The strategy articulates the long-term vision for the sector, which is to create “A united and prosperous agricultural sector”.
Under this agreement, government and its partners have taken joint responsibility for working towards actions that will tackle the sector's present and future challenges. Today, therefore, we have a common vision for agriculture in South Africa. This vision includes one where the sector uses and manages the natural resources available for production in a sustainable manner.
We have set ourselves the following strategic goal for the sector plan “To generate equitable access and participation in a globally competitive, profitable and sustainable agricultural sector contributing to a better life for all”. In pursuing this goal a number of outcomes should be achieved which are consistent with the outcomes of the LandCare programme, Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) being implemented currently.
Such outcomes are the following:
• increased creation of wealth in agriculture and rural areas
• increased sustainable employment
• increased incomes
• reduced poverty and inequalities in land and enterprise ownership
• improved farming efficiency
• improved national and household food security
• stable and safe rural communities and • pride and dignity in agriculture as an occupation and sector.
Sustainable resource management remains one of the core strategies of the Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture. We need to enhance the capacity of our farmers to use the natural agricultural resources in a sustainable manner and to ensure that these resources are used wisely and managed correctly. We all know that farmer participation is the key to the success of this strategy. Innovative approaches that link natural resource management to support programmes could provide a win-win situation resulting in short-term economic benefits for the farmers but at the same time contributing to the longer-term objective of maintaining the natural resource base.
Further degradation of our soil and water resources poses a threat to the productive base of the country. To address this we need to have strategies in place that are designed to overcome the causes of degradation. We also need to invest in infrastructure and services that support sustainable land use.
Principles of sustainable management of the natural resources need to be built into production systems that are integrated and environmentally friendly. At this Conference you will be able to access information and literature about the LandCare programme in the country. In these documents you will find that the applicable principles of the Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture are embedded in the strategy of the National LandCare Programme.
You will also note in our LandCare literature that mention is made of the LandCare approach.
These basic principles form the foundation to the way the programme should be operating within our farming and rural communities.
The principles are as follows:
Community-based natural resource management:
Groups of people talking about mutual problems and coming up with solutions.
Partnerships:
Building partnerships among the public, community and private sectors.
Local action:
People are encouraged to take local action, promoting local economic development.
Food security:
* Socio-economic benefits add value to LandCare * Integrated and innovative approaches:
The causes of environmental and resource degradation are addressed rather than the symptoms.
Redress
LandCare assists resource-poor communities from rural areas and addresses the needs of formerly disadvantaged groups.
Training and skills development:
In implementing projects, opportunities are sought to give informal and accredited training to community individuals and to provide them with skills to seek permanent job or entrepreneurial opportunities.
Promoting livelihoods and economic opportunities:
LandCare adds value to the resource base and improved management of the resources should lead to improved economic opportunities for community members.
The beginning of 2004 saw the introduction of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and its implementation of which LandCare is part. This programme is a nationwide effort which seeks to draw significant numbers of the unemployed into the productive sector of the economy to afford them an opportunity of gaining skills while they work and thereby improving their capacity to earn an income.
The programme is divided into four sectors, being Environment and Culture; Social; Economic and lastly Infrastructure, under which a number of government departments are found with one department to lead each sector. The Department of Agriculture is part of the Environment and Cultural Sector, which is lead by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. This sector has four government departments, the other two being Water Affairs and Forestry, and Arts and Culture.
All four of these Departments in the Environmental Sector have been involved in recent years, to a greater or lesser extent, in programmes that support the aims of the EPWP. LandCare is one of these programmes, and other well-known programmes are, for example, Working for Water and Working for Wetlands. These programmes collectively support the creation of land-based livelihoods and community-based natural resource management. This sector therefore has a powerful combination in terms of building South Africa's natural and cultural heritage and in utilising this heritage to create both immediate and long-term jobs and social benefits. This also implies particular ways of working with communities, building on their historical custodianship of these resources and locating projects within a broader sustainable development strategy.
The objectives of the programmes within this sector are to achieve the immediate social benefits of the overall EPWP; while at the same time it will be generating useful outputs in the fields of environment, heritage, biodiversity and LandCare.
These objectives fit within the broader objectives of government such as poverty reduction, transformation, empowerment, urban and rural development, growth and job creation.
In keeping with the theme of the Conference, “Age of hope - a national effort in reflecting on LandCare progress and strengthening the future” allow me to give some funding statistics. Poverty relief funding of the LandCare programme due to improved institutional arrangement has resulted in a continued increase in financial support. This has increased per year from R25 million in 1998 to R68 million for this year. The number of projects for this period has been 469 starting with 14 in 1998.
I acknowledge the presence of the East Africa delegates in our audience this morning. Together with the South African team they will play an important part in developing the African LandCare Network to ensure that this concept of creating livelihoods with the agricultural natural resources continues to receive attention of all the delegates at this Conference I trust you have a fruitful three days and that much is learnt that will carry LandCare forward and make it a champion for the realising both the objectives of government and of the agricultural sector.
Today will be celebration of LandCare. Tomorrow there will be field visits where much can be learnt as you come into direct contact with our LandCare communities. Thursday will involve sharing your experiences and vision for the future. We all have the opportunity over these coming days to make a great contribution to LandCare, so let us use it.
I trust you will enjoy your stay in South Africa and that this Conference be one of your highlights for the year.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture
19 September 2006
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