STUDY GROUP A STEP UP FOR BLACK BEEF FARMERS

Farmers across South Africa who need help developing beyond subsistence or small-scale farming, know well enough by now that government is not effective, or efficient, at this immense and important task. Throwing taxpayers’ money at political vanity projects to set developing black farmers up with land, infrastructure, equipment, and livestock, without providing the critical follow-up production guidance and skills transfer, has led to widespread sub-optimal progress, and even failure, of many of these farmers.

In December 2019, soon after the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (KZN DARD) mentorship programme reportedly began to experience challenges, a group of developing black subsistence and small-scale cattle owners in the greater KZN Midlands area decided to establish the Hlanganani Beef Study Group. The farmers who run cattle on communal, leased, and privately owned land, wanted to use the study group to empower themselves and to work as a team for the benefit of