Campaign moots alternative land plan

If land reform is to improve the lives of the poor, control over the country’s food production must be redistributed.

This is the plan of the South African Food Sovereignty Campaign as an alternative to land expropriation without compensation.

Speaking at the MyCityTalk business expo yesterday, Professor Janet Cherry of Nelson Mandela University’s department for development studies outlined the possible solution brought forth by the campaign.

“Food security is about having enough food, but food sovereignty is beyond that.

“It looks at people’s control over the production and distribution of food,” Cherry said.

“The concentration of land ownership is a cause for great concern. All over the world, small farmers are struggling [while] corporations are taking over production.”

Cherry warned against allowing land redistribution to create a “new elite” rather than helping the poor.

“The campaign proposes an alternative to the current policy, by recommending buying up land from existing commercial farms with fair compensation. From there, small farmers would need support from the state to be effective.

“It is not so much about the need for farming skills as business skills.”

Though the public process around the constitution in this regard would offer opportunities for further debate, she said, this approach could ensure the productive use of available land.