The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

 By the year 2050, internationally, farmers will have to have doubled food production to keep the world’s food basket full. This has to be done in the face of huge challenges such as climate change, huge population growth, urbanisation and plant diseases which increasingly threaten agricultural crops.
 
This upsetting picture of threatening global famine was today painted by Dr. Pieter Mulder, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries during the opening of the 2013 Undercover Farming Expo in Irene, outside Pretoria.
 
In his speech Dr. Mulder said a report of the International Food Policy Research Institute indicates that nearly 25 million more children will be underfed in just 37 years (by 2050) due to the effects of climate change alone. He said that the world’s farmers will in the foreseeable future have to produce 2% more food to provide for the growing demand.
 
“If this reality is kept in mind, I am proud to say that South African farmers are regarded as being amongst the world’s best. Our farmers have to compete on international markets under very difficult circumstances. They have to compete with farmers from countries where their governments offer protection and subsidies which is not the case in South Africa,” Dr. Mulder said.
 
Political factors also impede local farmers to a large extent. Especially uncertainty, caused by irresponsible political propaganda and the problems surrounding, amongst others, land reform, can cause great harm to the agricultural sector and increasingly lead to unemployment.
 
According to Dr. Mulder, undercover farming can against this background play a very big role in future food provisioning as it does not take up much space, use little water and is not seasonally restricted.
 
Undercover farming has been used in South Africa for nearly forty years and is mainly used for the cultivation of vegetables, flowers and seedlings. Huge successes have already been accomplished in this area and nearly 350 undercover farming farmers provide employment to an estimated 70 000 people. As far as flower products alone are concerned, exports amount to about R500 million per annum. Locally, the amount is R300 million.
 
Measured against world standards, the local market is however still in its infancy shoes. In South Africa, only 1 000 hectares are currently being utilised in this manner, while a country like China has more than 2 million hectares undercover and Spain about 60 000 hectares.