Farming Facts and Futures

The report examines the critical pressures facing South African agriculture, including resource scarcity, climate change, and socio-economic inequality. It highlights the interdependence of food, water, and energy systems, warning that current trends in soil degradation, water over-abstraction, and biodiversity loss threaten long-term productivity. The document calls for a shift toward sustainable farming practices, improved land-use planning, and coordinated governance to protect the natural resource base while feeding a growing population.

• South Africa's agricultural sector is characterized by a dual economy where a small number of commercial farmers produce the vast majority of the country's food, while millions of subsistence farmers struggle to survive.
• The country faces severe soil degradation, with millions of hectares of cultivated land acidified and significant portions of the land susceptible to wind erosion and salinisation.
• Water availability is a primary constraint for agricultural growth, with demand already exceeding supply in many catchments and agriculture accounting for the largest share of water use.
• Agricultural expansion and poor farming practices are primary drivers of biodiversity loss and habitat destruction in South Africa, particularly through the use of pesticides and the spread of monocultures.
• The 'food-energy-water nexus' creates systemic vulnerabilities where dependencies on fossil-fuel-based inputs and coal-fired electricity conflict with water and land conservation goals.
• Climate change is expected to amplify existing challenges by altering rainfall patterns, increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, and shifting the agricultural map.
• Land reform efforts have seen significant failure, with a high rate of project collapse leading to underused agricultural land and reduced output.
• Significant food waste occurs throughout the entire value chain, which represents a loss of the embedded water and energy used in production.

APA

Kotze, I., & Rose, M. (2015). Farming Facts and Futures. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf006_ffl_report_low_res.pdf

Chicago

Kotze, Inge, and Marlene Rose. Farming Facts and Futures. WWF South Africa, 2015. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf006_ffl_report_low_res.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kotze |first1=Inge |last2=Rose |first2=Marlene |title=Farming Facts and Futures |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2015 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf006_ffl_report_low_res.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kotze2015farming, author = {Kotze, Inge and Rose, Marlene}, title = {{Farming Facts and Futures}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2015}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf006_ffl_report_low_res.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }