Chapter 10 – Feeding the
Nation
(Image: Ideogram)
By the end of 2030, as the housing drive transformed skylines and the
industrial sector surged, Harvey Jacobs and the Council turned their attention
to a matter even more fundamental than shelter — food security.
For decades, South Africa’s agricultural sector had suffered from neglect,
mismanagement, and political interference. Once the breadbasket of the region,
it had been undermined by land uncertainty, violent crime, failing
infrastructure, and erratic policy.
At the Council’s annual policy retreat held in Kimberley in early 2031,
Jacobs opened proceedings with characteristic directness:
“No nation that cannot feed itself is free. Food is sovereignty; the farmer
is the first defender of the Republic.”
Stabilising the Countryside
The Council recognised that agriculture could not thrive without security.
Farm attacks, stock theft, and rural banditry had driven thousands of skilled
farmers from the land, devastating production and morale.
Under the direction of Minister of Justice and Police Sakena
Moloketsi, the government expanded the Rural Protection
Command, a specialised branch of the police supported by the military
and private security companies.
Modern surveillance systems, drones, and communication networks linked
farming communities into rapid-response grids. Rural roads were repaired, and
satellite patrol bases established to reduce response times. Within a year,
incidents of rural violence dropped by more than 60%, and
farmers — both commercial and emergent — reported a renewed sense of
confidence.
Land Policy without Chaos
The Council also resolved one of the most contentious issues in
post-apartheid history: land reform.
Rejecting populist demands for expropriation without compensation, Jacobs
declared an unambiguous principle:
“The land will be shared, not seized. It will be productive, not political.”
Under the new National Agricultural Partnership Programme (NAPP),
arable state-owned land was identified and released for
redistribution. Additional parcels were purchased at fair market value from
willing private sellers.
Prospective emergent farmers were required to undergo formal
agricultural training, covering crop management, soil science,
irrigation, and financial literacy. Only those who completed the programme
successfully were allocated land, ensuring that recipients were equipped to
succeed rather than destined to fail.
Each was paired with an experienced mentor — often a
retired or semi-retired commercial farmer — who provided hands-on guidance for
the first five years. These mentors were compensated through a state stipend
and tax incentives.
Cooperative Farming and Shared Machinery
To overcome the barrier of capital costs, the government encouraged cooperative
models. Machinery, irrigation systems, and storage facilities were
shared among clusters of small farmers through locally managed agricultural
cooperatives.
This model, adapted from successful schemes in Kenya and Brazil, allowed
emerging farmers to access high-quality equipment without crippling debt. It
also built community resilience, as members supported one another through
fluctuating seasons and markets.
Expanding Infrastructure
Parallel to these reforms was a massive investment in rural
infrastructure. Roads, silos, and cold-chain transport systems were
upgraded to ensure that perishable produce reached markets quickly.
Provincial departments collaborated with the national Transport
Ministry to rehabilitate thousands of kilometres of secondary roads
linking rural areas to urban centres. Within two years, logistics costs dropped
by nearly 25%, revitalising agricultural exports and local
distribution alike.
Keeping People on the Land
A recurring problem in the previous decades had been the relentless
migration of rural youth to overcrowded cities in search of opportunity. The
Council moved decisively to reverse this trend by improving
the quality of life in rural areas.
Basic services — electricity, healthcare, internet connectivity, and
schooling — were extended to remote villages through targeted programmes.
Agricultural towns were reclassified as rural development nodes,
prioritised for investment in housing and micro-enterprise.
New vocational colleges specialising in farming technology, animal
husbandry, and agribusiness management were established to train the next
generation of rural entrepreneurs.
Technological Innovation
The Department of Agriculture and Food Security, working
closely with universities and private-sector partners, launched a national
drive for agricultural innovation.
Pilot projects introduced satellite-driven irrigation scheduling,
soil-sensor technology, and drone-assisted crop monitoring. Mobile apps were
developed to give farmers real-time access to weather data, pest alerts, and
market prices.
Within five years, these technologies helped to increase average yields by 20–30%,
especially among small and medium-sized producers.
Diversification and Sustainability
Environmental scientists on the Council insisted that expansion must not
come at the cost of sustainability. Water management policies were tightened,
with subsidies for drip irrigation and drought-resistant crops.
The government also incentivised agro-processing industries,
encouraging local production of packaged foods, oils, and dairy products to
reduce dependence on imports.
These value-added industries created jobs and boosted export capacity —
particularly into Southern Africa, where demand for South African produce and
processed goods rose steadily.
A Spirit of Cooperation
Perhaps the most remarkable change, however, was psychological.
The rhetoric of racial hostility that had poisoned debates about land began to
fade.
White commercial farmers, once vilified, were again regarded as national
assets, while black emergent farmers were celebrated as the vanguard of
renewal. Farmworkers, for the first time, were guaranteed profit-sharing
agreements under the Rural Fairness Charter, ensuring that
those who laboured on the land also shared in its rewards.
Jacobs summarised the new spirit succinctly:
“We have ended the war over land by ending the war in our hearts.”
HJ’s Address to the Nation
In his 2031 address, broadcast from the newly rebuilt
Bloemfontein Agricultural College, Jacobs reflected on the transformation:
“When we took office, our shelves were empty, our fields neglected, our
farmers afraid. Today, our granaries are filling, our markets are expanding,
and the children of farmworkers are learning the science of soil and seed. This
is how nations feed themselves — not by slogans, but by labour, courage, and
knowledge.”
He praised the partnerships that had taken root between commercial
agriculture, cooperatives, and the state, and ended with a call for vigilance:
“Let us never again confuse justice with vengeance. Let us never again
destroy what feeds us in the name of politics. The soil belongs to all — but it
yields only to those who care for it.”
The Harvest of Stability
By the close of 2032, agricultural exports had increased by
nearly 40%, food prices stabilised, and South Africa once
again achieved regional self-sufficiency.
In rural areas, crime rates fell, and young families began to return from
the cities. Villages that had been fading into memory now hummed with life —
grain silos, cooperatives, and small factories anchoring renewed local
economies.
The countryside, long neglected, had become the quiet engine of the
Revolution.
