Agriculture Overview

Show Voice Options Agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal is extremely diverse and is reflected in the patterns of its topography. Most of the world's agricultural activities may be practised here. Given the region's good and reliable rainfall, together with fertile soils, KwaZulu-Natal's agricultural sector has become extremely productive and is known for its specialist capabilities across a number of types of farming. KwaZulu-Natal has a total of 6,5 million hectares of land for farming purposes, of which 82% is suitable for extensive livestock production, while 18% comprises arable land. In order to unlock the agricultural potential of the province, concepts such as agri-villages, community estates, river valley catalytic models and land reform support, as well as the pillars of the new agrarian transformation, set to change the provincial agricultural and rural landscape, are being initiated by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. At the heart of such new concepts is agricultural growth and a commitment to ensuring the integrated development of sustainable rural enterprises capable of supporting further development within the province's agricultural sector. In line with the KwaZulu-Natal Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy 2015-2020, the strategic priorities for the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy and Provincial Growth and Development Plan inform the way forward for the province. In line with such strategy, Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal’s mandate is to promote the province as a premier investment destination, which entails facilitating farming and agro- processing initiatives capable of attracting investment to KwaZulu-Natal through both foreign direct investment and local investment across the agricultural value chain. The organisation's main goal in this respect is to contribute towards meeting the goals of Government namely, achieving Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, the creation of employment opportunities and the eradication of poverty, by securing much-needed investment in the province's agricultural sector.