Good morning, ladies and gentlemen
It is my pleasure to have this opportunity to publicly discuss the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s elaboration on the State of the Province Address delivered by the Honourable Premier Nomvula Mokonyane on 22 February 2010.
Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's (GDARD) programme is still guided by the strategic priorities of the province as stipulated by the Premier during her State of the Province Address in June 2009. GDARD leads programmes on “stimulating rural development and food security”.
The Premier alluded to the fact that “in line with our national government’s approach, the emphasis and focus of our activities will be on outcomes, which means that all our energies will be channelled towards what our people need and not what we think they need”. GDARD will therefore be the leading department to ensure the implementation and achievement of the following national outcomes in the Gauteng province:-
* Creating vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities contributing towards food security for all.
* Protect and enhance our environmental assets and natural resources.
My remarks here today will reflect progress made during the past nine months on strategic plans completed, on service delivery work done, on the 2010 to 2014 commitments and 2010 to 2011 programme of action.
On Rural and Agricultural Development, GDARD has finalised the rural development strategy in consultation with all relevant stakeholders and will soon be discussed and approved by the executive council. This program will then be launched in Devon, in Lesedi during the first quarter of 2010/11 in partnership with the Lesedi/Sedibeng municipalities and other provincial departments and will then be rolled out to other rural and peri-urban areas of Gauteng in order to improve their social and economic infrastructure and services. The department has been doing work in these areas including the launch of about 150 agricultural co-operatives specialising on crops/vegetables and livestock farming and agro-processing, with 18 of these cooperatives benefiting from R5 million worth of contracts through the Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC).
This has resulted into job-creation and sustainable socio-economic livelihoods of the people involved. The department is finalising another roll out of economic empowerment and commercialisation of agricultural co-ops with an estimated R10 million worth of contracts for 20 beneficiaries from the rural areas of Gauteng during 2010/11 with plans to increase the target to at least 60 by 2014. Other rural development commitments for 2010 to 2014 include:
* Provision of rural agricultural/agro-processing infrastructure support to at least 40 secondary farmers, including roads, electricity linked to market access & transport
* Provision of relief to 70 percent of farmers who suffer from agriculture related disasters such as hail storm, floods, veld fires etc, as well as education and empowerment on disaster mitigation and adaptation.
* Provision of comprehensive agricultural (post-settlement infrastructure) support programme (CASP) to 100 land reform beneficiaries to improve their capacity to manage their own farms productively and 320 more general farmers throughout Gauteng.
* Expansion of food production schemes in rural and peri-urban areas to grow their own food with implements, tractors, fertilisers, and pesticides.
The department will also contribute to the aggressive national land reform/review programme aimed at promoting land ownership by South Africans, by ensuring that the national Department of Rural Development and Land Reform purchases about 84 farms from the seven agricultural hubs in Gauteng by 2014.
On food security and agriculture in the whole of Gauteng, GDARD has finalised the Gauteng integrated food security strategy which incorporates agricultural mechanisation plan, the Agricultural Disaster Management Plan, and the Agro-processing strategy. The department is rehabilitating agricultural hubs and old agricultural land across the province to be effectively utilised for high and sustainable agricultural production and is currently developing a policy to protect the high potential agricultural land in these hubs.
Over the past nine months, as part of the Letsema/Ilima access to food production scheme, 9 232 households, community and school gardens have been established in urban and rural areas of Gauteng and the target for 2014 is 36 900 food gardens to ensure that no one goes to bed hungry, especially in the 50 prioritised wards within the 20 Prioritised townships.
Various implements like tools, hosepipes, fertilisers and seeds have been distributed to people developing these food gardens. The Premier’s Office, working with Social Development, GDARD and various community organisations, launched the first food bank in the West Rand as part of the emergency food relief program for poor households in the province. This programme will be rolled out to other needy areas. The following are other food security programmes to be implemented during this term:
* Revival/development of the maize triangle project by 2014 for maize growing farmers within Sedibeng District Municipality that is Emfulweni, Midvaal and Lesedi Agricultural Hubs, incorporating the Kungwini Agricultural Hub in Metsweding Municipality and the West Rand District, working together with the Roads and Transport Department to improve logistics for food distribution
* Assist in the development of 80 agro-processing/agri-businesses by 2014 to stimulate decent work within the Gauteng’s four of the seven Agricultural Hubs.
* Further collaboration with sister departments, such as the Departments of Education, Health and Social Development on food for all program including secondary school nutrition roll-out for our children on an ongoing basis.
* Revival of Agri Expo’s during 2010/11 to promote agricultural products within the province and to expose farmers to better agricultural technology that improves productivity and quality of produce.
* Establishment of the agricultural training centre in the West Rand, during 2010/11 which will help in developing skills and empower people in agriculture and agro-processing in particular, especially young people who want to follow career in the agriculture/agro-processing sector
* Establishment of a bio-science park, at the innovation hub and supporting 120 small-holder farmers to adopt improved food technological solutions by 2014
* Explore through a feasibility study, the establishment of an agricultural co-operative bank that will provide affordable loans to farmers, and interact with national government on transformation of Land Bank to play a developmental role in sustainable food production and rural development
* Continue to perform inspection (6 200), vaccination (280 000) and diagnostic tests (480 000) of animals for disease control and empower communities on this matter.
On protecting and enhancing our environmental assets and natural resources, GDARD has launched the Clean and Green Environment Campaign in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni Metro as part of the department’s commitment to ensure promotion of a healthy environment with the people in the province, and continues with the clean up campaigns and planting of trees to mitigate the effects of climate change. GDARD will intensify the Bontle Ke-Botho Campaign ensuring that at least 50 percent of municipalities together with their wards and schools participate and distribute incentives on time by 2014.
The department is supporting the Department of Roads and Transport with the beautification of Albertina Sisulu R21 highway, a 2010 and beyond legacy project of the province. The department has also finalised the waste management and air quality plans, and will assist all municipalities to develop their local plans by 2014. Through these plans, we encourage recycling, reducing and re-using of waste materials. We admit that the province produces a lot of waste and because of its industrialised nature; it contributes a great deal toward climate change. This means we must change the way we handle waste and air pollution in communities in Gauteng. GDARD will finalise and implement the climate change strategy to reduce global warming.
As GDARD celebrated the Wetland and Water Month, we continue to commit to protect and rehabilitate wetlands across the province including wetland and river cleaning as part of a three year cycle through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to increase the number of job opportunities created from 700 to 2 800 from Sebokeng and Soshanguve Wetland Rehabilitation LandCare projects; the Esselen Park Wetland Rehabilitation EPWP project; the Jukskei River Clean-up EPWP project. We are committed to ensure that in the process of removing alien trees, mostly within the wetlands, no one will use bulldozers or any activities that will destroy the biodiversity of the area.
GDARD will support and ensure that all municipalities have Environment Management Frameworks linked to their IDPs to guide sustainable development in the province. The Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs), known as the Green Scorpions, will be out in full force during the coming FIFA World Cup. The department has a clear understanding that some people will take advantage of the event and practice illegal activities. The department will deploy Green Scorpions at all the entry points of the province as a strategy to minimise and rid of illegal practices. GDARD will also undertake another State of the environment during report 2010/11 aimed at assessing improvement of the state of our biodiversity, land, water and air quality.
In conclusion GDARD hopes to create at least 100 280 jobs linked to skills training by 2014 through all the above mentioned initiatives. We remain committed to work together with all role-players and stakeholders to speed up effective service delivery to improve the quality of lives of our people in Gauteng, being mindful of the environmental, economic conditions and availability of resources.
Enquiries:
Makoko Lekola
Tel: 011 355 1326
Cell: 072 274 3692
Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gauteng Provincial Government
24 February 2010
