About Us

DIRECTORATE: SMALL-HOLDER DEVELOPMENT

AIM:  To improve on the production systems and development support of smallholder farmers (producers) in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors to achieve food security and sustainable livelihoods for all.

FUNCTIONS:

• Provide guidelines for development of existing and new small-holder farmers (“farmers’ has been changed to “producers” to accommodate the fishermen and the foresters).
• Provide Programmes for support and graduation.
• Set norms and standards for viable farmer settlement programmes.
• Provide programmes for support and graduation.
• Monitor and evaluate policies and programmes.
• Co-ordinate activities that are cross cutting with other entities.
• Develop and promote national policy and standards for household food security.
• Facilitate the design and planning of household food security  programmes.

The guiding document currently is the developed Strategic Plan for Smallholder Support (SPSS) which will be endorsed by DEXCO. This SPSS seeks to improve coordination of support to smallholder producers by aligning and adjusting support functions to the benefit of the smallholder sector.

Towards the fulfillment of Outcome 7 which states that government should ensure vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities and food security for all. Output 1 of Outcome 7 refers to sustainable agrarian reform with the sub-output that the number of smallholder producers should be increased from a baseline of 200 000 to 250 000 within a period of five years. During the 2011/12 financial year a total of 21 192 smallholder producers were identified for support against an annual target of 15 000 and their needs captured whilst a total of 18 671 smallholder producers were identified for the 2012/13 financial year against an annual target of 15 000. Details of the information are provided in the tables below.

The directorate will continuously update this information via the learning and sharing platform that has been discussed with DAFF ICT for future use.

Table 1: 2011/12 smallholder producer summary

Table 2: 2012/13 smallholder producer summary

The directorate’s clients

• Smallholder producers within the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors
• All the Provincial Departments of Agriculture (PDAs)

Contact person and contact details