Under construction
IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
Through the Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiative (PESI), the DALRRD identified 131 595 subsistence producers to be supported with agricultural production inputs for commodities like vegetables, crops, poultry, small and large stock, through an e-voucher system. The support targeted women, youth, child-headed households, people living with disabilities and military veterans and the support amount ranged from R1 000 to R9 000 per household. The department was allocated R750 million to implement the second phase of the PESI in the 2020/21 financial year. The department will continue to support vulnerable and marginalised subsistence producers with production inputs.
The department assisted farmers across the country whose requests came through provincial departments of agriculture (PDAs) with drilling of boreholes for agricultural use, more specifically for stock water purposes. The boreholes are sited, drilled and tested by the DALRRD and then equipped by the implementation agents who are from the PDAs. This service assists the farmer with reduced used of municipal water to decrease production costs and to ensure a stable water supply to assist with food security, which is vital in the agricultural sector.
FOOD SECURITY
The Farmer Production Support Unit (FPSU) is a rural outreach and capacity building unit that links farmers with markets. The broad tasks of the FPSU include primary collection, some storage, provides some processing for the local market and extension services including mechanisation. In a sense, FPSUs are one of the key pillars on which the Agri-Parks programme is founded. Agri-parks are smallholder farmer/ cooperative-led rural development networks achieving the national goals of inclusive rural development and integration, employment creation, poverty eradication and inequality reduction. Functionality refers to: The FPSUs are located at the beginning of the agricultural value chain and facilitates access to inputs, services and facilities for the benefit of the small scale emerging farmers. The FPSU is brought to initial working state with support into the basic components. (1) Input support; (2) Mechanisation support; (3) Governance structure; (4) Human resources support; and (5) Producer registration.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The department sincere in developing channels in Integrated and inclusive rural economy, i.e
- Increased job opportunities and development of skills through NARYSEC programme
- Infrastructure development to support rural economic transformation