

Chapter 12



FARMING, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

Farming

Farming is very important for South Africa. We must develop new ways of farming which will protect our resources like land, soil, and water.

Only a small part of our land is very good for farming. Most of this good land is being used to grow crops. There is very little rain in most of the country. This makes it difficult to farm. About half of our water is used for farming.

The big farms have supplied a lot of food to us. But sometimes they have used methods of farming which have damaged the land. They have used a lot of chemicals such as fertilizer and pesticides. They have also planted only one kind of crop. These things, as well as using a lot of water on the crops and using heavy machinery, have damaged the soil. The  apartheid  government gave farmers money for this kind of farming. The use of too many chemicals for farming has also damaged our rivers and killed many kinds of birds.

There is very little control of the chemicals used for farming. When farmers use too much fertiliser, pesticides, and other chemicals, these chemicals are washed into the rivers by the rain. The chemicals then pollute the water. Using too many chemicals can be bad for the health of farm workers. Some farmers will not allow union representatives onto their farms to talk to the workers.

A lot of the land that we use for grazing cattle has been damaged by too many cattle eating the grass and other plants. This is very bad in the former homelands.

For a long time farmers did not want to use traditional seeds and kinds of cattle. But now some farmers are trying to use these. They are finding that South African plants and cattle survive better than ones from overseas. South African cattle do not suffer so badly from drought or disease.

Recommendations for farming

1.  The government should encourage farming that does not use a lot of chemicals. They will have to educate farmers and show them how to do this. The most important aim of farming must be to produce enough food for our people. It must also give a living wage to farm workers.

2.  A lot of the land that will be redistributed is already damaged. The government must give support to new farmers to help them heal the land. The government must also give these new farmers education and support so that they can farm properly.

3.  The government must find new ways to protect our soil. This is very important. The government must make more money and staff available for this. The government must not help farmers to buy heavy machinery which damages our soil.

4.  The help and education that the government gives to farmers must reach small and poor farmers.

5.  The government must encourage farmers to plant many different crops together. They must also encourage farmers to plant different crops each year. The government must give farmers education about these things. The laws must be changed to encourage this.

6.  The government must study how the sugar farms in Natal are damaging the environment. The government must work out ways to stop this damage.

7.  The government should study new ways of farming that do not damage the land. This should be linked to farmers' needs.

8.  The government must decide whether dangerous chemicals can be used on our farms. Some chemicals that are used here are banned in other countries. Farmers and workers must be educated about the dangers of chemicals that they are working with. They should wear protective clothing.

9.  We need better systems to check what chemicals are being used on farms and how they are affecting the environment. These systems should involve local farmers and communities.

10. The government must collect information on how much damage has already been done to our grazing land. They must work out how to protect this land from more damage.

11. The government must study what South African plants can be used for farming. They must also study traditional ways of farming and see if these can be used to protect the environment on our farms.

Forestry

Indigenous forests: South Africa has very little indigenous forest left. Most of our natural forests were cut down over the past 100 years. Indigenous forest is managed by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.

Commercial plantations:  Nearly three quarters of our plantations are owned by private companies. The rest is owned by the government through the South Africa Forestry Company (SAFCOL). Half of the plantations are pine trees. The other half is gum trees and wattle. Most of the plantations are in Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Most of the wood from the plantations is used for making paper. A lot of our wood is sold overseas. Some of the wood is used for underground supports in mines. Plantations give jobs to people in the rural areas.

Small farmers can grow trees as well. This can help our economy to grow. But plantations can have bad effects on the environment, such as:

a) loss of biodiversity. Only one kind of tree is grown in a plantation. In the grasslands or natural forests that were there before the plantation there were many different kinds of plants and animals

b) plantations use a lot of water

c) as more wood is needed by industry, they will need to plant more plantations. This will leave less land for other uses.

Woodlots: There is not a lot of information about how many woodlots there are in South Africa. Many white farmers grow trees for firewood for their workers.

In the former homelands, there are five different kinds of woodlots:

a) Departmental woodlots:  These were set up by the Forestry Department on land given by a Tribal Authority. Some of them were planted around indigenous forests and grasslands to protect them.

b) Municipal woodlots: The city council grows wood to sell.

c) Community woodlots: In community woodlots the trees are grown and owned by the whole community.

d) Tribal Authority woodlots:  These woodlots are started by the forestry department. They are handed over to the tribal authority to look after.

e) Individual woodlots  Many rural households plant their own small woodlots. In Kwazulu many woodlot owners are planting wattle to sell the bark. Wattle wood is very good firewood. Small farmers in Kwazulu are growing gum trees to produce poles for large companies. The left over wood is used as firewood.

There is no overall policy about the proper management of forestry. But the companies made their own code of conduct in 1989. Since 1972 a company must get a permit from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry before they can plant a new plantation. The Department must check how much water will be used by the plantation. They must also check what effect the plantation will have on the environment. Plantations may not be planted on the banks of rivers.

The permit system tries to protect our water. But the standards for the permit were set over twenty years ago. A lot has changed since then. The permit system should be looked at again and changed. It also seems that some people are breaking their permits without being punished. The river areas in privately owned plantations are better looked after than in government owned plantations.

Nearly three quarters of our plantations were planted before the permits were started. These plantations do not need permits. Permits were not used in the former homelands. So there is no proper control over these plantations.

Policy issues for the new government

Our natural forests are very important. They protect biodiversity and protect our water. They are important for the health of the country. They can also benefit local communities.

We need a national policy which brings together the needs of the people and the needs of the forestry companies.

The government needs to look at the effect that plantations have on the environment. The companies must look at trying to use the land that they have better, rather than plant new plantations on more land.

Recommendations for forestry

1.  The government must develop forestry policy that looks at the environment, as well as the needs of the people. The government must also look at which Department should be in charge of forestry.
2.  Local communities and small farmers must take part in making this policy.
3.  Indigenous forests should be looked after by a special forestry body in the government.
4.  Paraffin, wood and coal must be made available to people in the former homelands. This will stop people cutting down too many trees for wood.
5.  We must help our indigenous forests to grow. The government must set up forestry programmes that involve local communities. The government must set up programmes to plant indigenous trees.
6.  The government must study the effects of plantations on the environment and on the people living in the area.
7.  The government must look at the permit system again. Issues of water shortages, the loss of biodiversity, and protecting beautiful areas should be looked at. Plantations that have existed for a long time and ones in the former homelands must also have to get permits.
8.   All companies and farmers growing trees should have a charter which helps them to farm properly. The charter should tell them how to protect the environment. A forestry forum could also be set up.
9.  The government must be very careful about planting more plantations. This could have a bad effect on our environment.
10. The public should be consulted about whether to sell government owned forests to private companies. The government must look very carefully as what will happen if indigenous forests are sold to a private company. Indigenous forests should be controlled by the government.

Sea fisheries

Under  apartheid  the right to catch fish, crayfish and so on was taken away from many local communities. The government gave these rights to white-owned companies. Profits from these companies do not go to the local communities. Fishermen from these communities have had to work for the big fishing companies in order to make a living. The poor communities that live on the coast need to be allowed to catch fish in order to live. They need fishing licences and quotas. They also need money to buy nets and boats.

The government decides each year how many fish may be caught. This is called the total allowable catch (TAC). They have to make sure that not too many fish are caught. If too many fish are caught then there will not be enough the next year, or the year after that. The government gives out licences to fish based on this TAC. The TAC should be set as low as possible to make sure that our fish supplies are not damaged by catching too many in one year.

Recommendations for fisheries policy

1.  The government must change the way that fishing licences and quotas are given. They must make sure that communities also get fishing licences. They must also do more to stop people without licences catching fish.
2.  Communities, industry and unions must take part in changing the system.
3.  Community-based fishing should be encouraged. This will create more jobs for poor people living on the coast. The community can help to make sure that people without licences do not catch fish.
4.  The government should look at helping local communities to set up co-operatives to process and sell fish.
5.  The rights of small-scale fishermen must be protected. For example, when trek-net fishermen are harassed by ski-boat owners at False Bay they should be protected so that they can carry on fishing.
6.   Local communities must be allowed to catch a certain amount of fish. The government must help these communities to buy nets and boats.

In New Zealand, disadvantaged communities are allowed to catch one tenth of all the fish caught in the country. The government gives them grants to buy equipment.
7.   The government must look at news ways of deciding how much fish big companies are allowed to catch. These companies need some kind of security from year to year about how much they can catch.
8.  The conditions and rights of workers in fishing companies should be improved.
9.  The right to catch fish should be given to South African companies, not companies from other countries.
10. The Department of Agriculture should be responsible for looking after fishing, not the Department of Environment Affairs.
11. More research should be done in this area. Communities should take part in this research. Research should also look at how to help local communities.




