A CSIRO-South African partnership is improving productivity and sustainability of smallholder farms.

Linking farmers to markets in South Africa

A research partnership combining African and Australian expertise has introduced sustainable management practices to smallholder farmers in South Africa.

• 6 February 2007 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Crops, livestock and livelihoods
• To market, to market
• Science for sustainability
• Partners

During a four year project (2005–09), CSIRO and South African partners have improved the sustainability of emerging crop and livestock farming systems in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. 

The project has been specifically aimed at supporting groups of smallholder farmers to enter commercial markets by improving:

• farm management
• productivity and sustainability
• marketing.

Crops, livestock and livelihoods

In much of southern Africa, large rural-based populations rely on subsistence and smallholder cropping and livestock enterprises for survival.

In many of these farming systems, land productivity is threatened by various forms of land degradation and without suitable management, the livelihoods of these rural people are unsustainable.

To address these issues, project partners have worked with four large farming communities to improve soil fertility, farm management and the introduction of cash cropping. 

This work has resulted in over 50 resource poor farmers now able to transform low-productivity maize-based farming systems into more profitable enterprises including rotations of legume crops.

The project partners have also worked with livestock farmers from four districts to build capacity and improve land management practices. This work has resulted in at least 20 farmers implementing changes such as reduced stocking rates, rotational grazing and better herd management.

Without suitable management, the livelihoods of these rural people are unsustainable.

The project builds on a number of successful CSIRO-led projects aimed at introducing farmers to tropical legumes, helping to develop profitable beef business systems and developing more appropriate nutrient input guidelines.

To market, to market

This project additionally aims to support the emergence of African farmers into commercial markets. This is an important link in ensuring that farmers not only survive in the marginal farming areas of Limpopo Province but also begin to meet commercial market requirements and sell cattle and grains to these markets.

Science for sustainability

The project also addresses the key issue of sustainability.

The gains already made by the emerging farmer sector could be lost unless more sustainable farming practices are introduced.

By changing management practices these farmers can adapt their management to produce greater crop yields and improved cattle now and into the future.

The project is one of several that are opening up opportunities for farmers by building research partnerships that draw on Australian and South African expertise across research, extension and farm management.

This project specifically demonstrates that transformational changes in rural communities is possible, by investing in capacity building, targeting appropriate communities for change and working closely with local farmers.

Partners

The project is funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

The project partners are:

• CSIRO
• the University of Venda for Science and Technology
• Limpopo Department of Agriculture
• the University of Limpopo
• Progress Milling, a private sector company involved in grain production.

Read more about project leader Dr Anthony Whitbread: improving farming systems.