Provinces should adopt a production schemes approach

Provinces have a mandate to develop subsistence and new farmers so they can be integrated into commercial agricultural value chains. Most new farmers, irrespective of race, farm size and produce farmed, struggle to gain access to markets, finance and networks. During the development of the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan (AAMP) from 2020 to 2022, sector stakeholders evaluated various models that could be used to address the challenges faced by new farmers. They reached a consensus that production schemes are an ideal approach to developing farmers and resolving the sector’s coordination problem. WHAT IS A PRODUCTION SCHEME? For meaningful and impactful transformation in agriculture, a production scheme is a model designed to coordinate support to farmers and forge strong partnerships between private- and public-sector players. They leverage on the skills,…