Become a member
Join FABCOS today
Become part of a growing number of corporate's that together with FABCOS are working to find a profitable balance between:
- The legacy of our past and the demands of a prosperous future
- The incompatible characteristics of the informal and formal
economies of SA - Established traditions and new ways of doing things
- Township, rural and suburban dynamics
Background
In a research study commissioned by FABCOS, it was found that the sustained production of key foodstuffs is key to keeping prices low and that a different approach to land-redistribution is critical to food security. That agricultural production levels should take precedence over land re-distribution presupposes that the goals of land re-distribution and food production are mutually exclusive, which is not true. A drastic re-think of how these programmes are designed, implemented and supported is required. Government must be persuaded to offer greater support to emerging farmers.
Information about agricultural value chains and the share of each market participant in the final price is scanty. In an environment of rising food prices and angry consumers, retailers and producers are quick to accuse each other of being the source of high food inflation. There is little that individual small businesses can do to ameliorate the impact on their businesses. A collective effort guided by an association such as FABCOS is required, hence the establishment of the National FABCOS Ko-operasie and the FABCOS Farming and Agricultural Programme.
The FABCOS Farming and Agricultural Programme (FFAP) provides services and support to members of AFASA to enable them to:
- acquire land individually or via organized group purchase (co-operatives)
- work the land and supply their immediate communities and other markets
- contribute to the economic development and food security needs of South Africa
The above is made possible by the following pillars of the programme:
- Land Acquisition
- Agri-Business
- Food Processing and
- Agri-Tech
FFAP includes FABCOS’ Integrated Rural Development Initiative (FIRDI), which integrates farming into the general development of the communities within which farming activities occur. Access to markets, housing development and infrastructure are all key elements of the integrated model.
