Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

The 2015/16 to 2019/20 strategic plan covers a five—year period from 2015 to 2020 and sets out courageous and aspiring objectives of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It also provides direction realising outcomes and activities outlined in the MTSF 4,7 and 10, namely decent employment through inclusive economic growth, vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities contributing towards food security for all, and protecting and enhancing our environmental assets and natural resources, respectively. The Strategic Plan is premised on key government medium-term priorities that are informed by the National Development Plan (NDP) and the New Growth Path (NGP), and will contribute towards the strategic priority of stimulating rural development and food security. A high level of rigour was applied to deliver a credible and streamlinedStrategic Plan that repositions food security and agrarian transformation high on the economic development agenda of the country.

The Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) for the 2015/16 financial year to Parliament. The department was guided by key government policies and plans for the medium term, including the National Development Plan (NDP), the New Growth Path (NGP), the Medium TermStrategic Framework (MTSF), the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC) and, in particular, the Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) 11 of the PICC. For the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors, specific policies and plans were developed such as the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Strategic Framework and the Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP), which is a programmatic response to the President`s “Nine Point Plan to ignite growth and create jobs,” one of which is “Revitalising agriculture and the agro-processing value chain (RAAVC).” The success of this priority will be measured in terms of food security, job creation and contribution towards the GDP. “Growing the Oceans Economy” is also prominent in the “Nine Point Plan to fast-track economic growth.” Achievements and challenges for the 2015/16 financial year in relation to policy directives and strategic outcome related goals are also reflected.

This is a powerpoint presentation on AGRICULTURAL POLICY ACTION PLAN (APAP), Progress and Budget. APAP:  ¤Is modelled on the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) ¤Comprises of Sectorial Key Action Programmes (commodities) and Transversal Key Action Programmes (e.g. research and innovation) ¤Introduces an export-led and import replacement agriculture strategy ¤Provides a long-term vision and focused interventions in a 5-year rolling schedule, to be updated annually. ¤2014: State of the National Address identified nine priorities for economic growth one of which is the “Revitalization of the Agriculture and Agro-processing value chain.” (identified as priority 1).

There are many "drivers" of the agricultural sector in South Africa, each of which can have wide -ranging repercussions not only in the production of food, fibre and forests, but also on GDP, employment or foreign exchange earnings. One such "driver" that already varies from year to year, and within any given year, is climate. Climate is vital for the selection of appropriate crops for a given locality or site, irrespective of whether farmers are planning for maximum economic returns or for sustaining their immediate family's livelihood, and the more detailed the knowledge, the more intelligently the land use can be planned on all scales, be they at the macro, farm or plot scales. Climate information is equally important for optimising agricultural practices and for day -to -day operational planning ranging from when and how much to irrigate, to timing of fertiliser application, the selection of cultivars / varieties or to deciding when to plant. The influence exercised by climate on living organisms is, however, exceedingly complex, not only because the individual climatic variables play important roles, but also because of the constant interaction between the variables. Through direct and indirect human activities which are altering the composition of the global atmosphere, climate drivers such as rainfall, temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations that affect agricultural activities and output, are projected to change non -uniformly in magnitude, direction and variability over the next few decades, not only on a global scale, but more particularly so regionally and locally within South Africa. Such human - induced climate change is projected to occur in addition to the already ..

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (AFF) are widely recognised as sectors with significant job creation potential and with strategic links to beneficiation opportunities. However, although between 1994 and 2012 the real contribution of AFF to GDP increased by 29%, over the same period employment declined in both primary production and agro-processing by about 30% to 40%. This combination of slow-to-modest growth and declining employment, continues a longer-term trend evident since at least the 1970s. The challenges facing AFF are numerous: risinginput costs, an uneven international trade environment, lack of developmental infrastructure (rail, harbour, electricity), and a rapidly evolving policy and production environment. At the same time, transformation of the AFF sectors has been slow and tentative. A detailed analysis of the various challenges is given in the Integrated Growth and Development Policy for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, or ‘IGDP’. Based on this analysis, the IGDP also outlines appropriate responses. The Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP) seeks to translate the high-level responses offered in the IGDP, into tangible, concrete steps. However, this first iteration of APAP is not offered as a fully comprehensive plan; rather, based on the model of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (‘IPAP’), it identifies an ambitious but manageable number of focused actions, in anticipation of future APAP iterations that will take the process further. APAP is planned over a five-year period and will be updated on an annual basis. Aligning itself with the New Growth Path (NGP), the National Development Plan (NDP) and Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), APAP seeks to assist in the achievement of Outcome 4, ..

This is a powerpoint presentation on Agricultural Policy Action Plan. Cabinet (July 2013) resolved for Agriculture to develop a plan that addresses the vision of the National Development Plan and New Growth Path. As identified within the National Development Plan and New Growth Path, Agriculture, remains critical for employment and food security. Agriculture delivers more jobs per Rand invested than any other sector, and NDP estimates that Agriculture could potentially create, 1mill jobs by 2030. The Integrated Growth and Development Policy (IGDP) serves as the sector policy, and the Agricultural Policy Action Plan (APAP) as a programmatic response to key policy documents including: National Development Plan (NDP); New Growth Path (NGP) as a job driver. Medium Term Strategic Framework - Outcomes 4, 7 and 10.