Green Economy Journal Issue 60

AGRICULTURE
5-8 February 2024 CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa
This is certainly one of the upshots of technological advancement.
But South Africa is not the US, and while any advance in farm
technology is welcome – especially given mounting concerns about
food security – it will be viewed with trepidation by some, given the
precarious social context that obtains here.
South Africa’s unemployment rate is almost 33%, and more than
42% under the expanded definition which includes discouraged
jobseekers, according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey.
The survey also found that South Africa’s agricultural sector employed
888 000 people. And unlike in the US, South Africa’s mostly lowskilled
and poorly educated farmworkers will be hard-pressed to
find jobs in other sectors.
Commercial agriculture in South Africa remains labour-intensive.
Simultaneously, it is highly capital-intensive and hi-tech. It would
employ more people were it not for the technological trends already
in play, but these have boosted production, profits and food security.
South Africa is currently reaping its third-highest maize harvest
on record, which is testimony to technology and the rains of La Niña
that have now ended. If it were not for this abundant harvest, food
inflation would be running at an even faster pace than the 14-year
high of 14% it reached in March.
READ REPORT
THOUGHT [ECO]NOMY
greeneconomy/report recycle
The future of the Western Cape agricultural sector
in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Drivers and
megatrends set
to disrupt farming
Synthesis report
Jobs will be mulched up
This technological furrow is only going to get ploughed further and
jobs will get mulched up in the process. But the alternative would
be falling behind the rest of the world, rendering an agricultural
sector that accounts for about 11% of South Africa’s exports. And
with the rand on the ropes, South Africa needs all the forex it can
get its hands on.
There are many legitimate concerns and criticisms regarding
big agriculture, ranging from environmental impacts to wealth
concentration to price manipulation by traders in sometimes opaque
supply chains.
Technology is also raising the threshold for entry into the commercial
farming space, blocking the path for aspirant emerging farmers who
lack the capital and know-how to enter this fast-changing field.
But precision farming can also mitigate ecological consequences
by growing more on less land and with fewer inputs used with
increased efficiency. There are various initiatives in play to adapt such
technologies for smaller-scale farmers. The costs of new technologies
tend to fall as they ripen in the market.
At the end of the day, you don’t want to be stuck with a horse
when your neighbour has a tractor.
THE FUTURE OF THE WESTERN CAPE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN THE CONTEXT OF
THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION | The Western Cape Department of Agriculture |
University of Stellenbosch Business School | [2018]
Despite significant growth in food production over the past half-century, one of the most critical
challenges facing society today is how to feed an expected population of some nine billion by the
middle of the 21st century. It is estimated that 70% to 100% more food needs to be produced to meet
the growing demand for food without significant price hikes. This must happen within the context of
climate change and take into account concerns over energy security and regional dietary changes.
With the dramatic advancements in technology, a tipping point is fast approaching for the dawn of a
new era in agriculture. In agriculture, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have grown
significantly in recent times in both scale and scope. The use of the Internet of Things, cloud computing,
enhanced analytics, precision agriculture in convergence with other advancements such as AI, robotic
technologies, and “big data” analysis have revolutionised agriculture.
Today, the use of digital technologies – including smartphones, tablets, infield sensors, drones
and satellites – are widespread in agriculture, providing a range of farming solutions such as remote
measurement of soil conditions, better water management and livestock and crop monitoring.
Enhanced analytics, affordable devices and innovative applications are further contributing to
the digitalisation of farming.
Visit www.greeneconomy.media to download the full report in the digital version of Green Economy
Journal Issue 60.
13 32 40 43
Change accelerators
that drive agriculture
innovation
The path ahead:
shaping the future
of farming
Change management
to support 4IR
possibilities
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