Smallholder Farmer Support Programme in Labour Sending Areas

Sector: Agricultural, on-the job training in labour sending areas

Introduction

The SDET and SDCT are jointly supporting the programme which forms part of a country-wide Jobs Fund Smallholder Framer Support Programme. The four-year programme is being implemented by LiMA Rural Development Foundation in 16 sites (Local Municipalities) across 5 provinces, aiming to create a total of 4700 new permanent jobs and 80 new short term jobs. Supporting this programme also ensured leveraging Jobs Fund funding through the matched funding the trusts and other funding partners provided.

The trusts chose three sites based on current and historic South Deep staffing numbers from the various labour areas. The three sites being supported are in Nongoma, Umzimvubu and Lephalale and found in the impoverished Provinces of Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo as depicted below.

Jobs Fund/LiMA Smallholder Farmer Support Programme Sites

The developmental impacts of the programme include job creation, increase and improvement in smallholder farmer production, development of the entire agricultural value chain, development of long term sustainable market entry for smallholder farmers, systematic sector change, introduction of innovative technologies and support methods and testing of new business models. It creates a direct linkage between South African retailers and smallholder farmers, and tests a business model which can be replicated beyond the programme and in new areas.

The programme includes:

Training

Provision of agricultural technical training to farmers. This training is hands on, within farms of programme participants, and provided by qualified and experienced agricultural facilitators. This training includes farm visits, demonstrations, on-site extension advice, as well as agricultural trials and inclusion of external service providers

Agri-hubs

Establishment of Agri-hubs and improved market access including linkages to agro-processing and packaging.

Credit System

Provision of revolving credit system and facility where qualifying farmers have access to production loans which they would otherwise not have access to.

Farmer Graduation

Farmer Graduation where the intention is to train farmers to a point of independence, and allow them to “graduate” from the programme forming part of the exit strategy.

Contact Us

Trust Administrator: NLA Legal Inc.
24 Crawford Drive,
Norscot,
South Africa
+27 11 704 1563

South Deep Community Trust: sheridan@NLAteam.com

South Deep Education Trust:  sheridan@NLAteam.com