South African agriculture towards 2030/50
South Africa is a major producer and exporter of agricultural products. The diversified agricultural sector produces a wide variety of agricultural commodities based on both large-scale commercial farming and small-scale family farms. However, pockets of food insecurity persist with more than 10 % of households experiencing hunger. A growing and more affluent population will require a further increase in agricultural production. Present scenario model projections for the South African agricultural sector in accordance with the projections of the study “World agriculture towards 2030/2050” by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Until the 2050s, depending on scenario, South Africa’s current population of 55 million will grow by another 10 to 17 million people. At the same time average per capita income will increase by 150 to 200 % resulting in shifts in dietary patterns in favour of vegetables, fruits and livestock products. Between 2000 and 2050, meat consumption and food use of milk will increase by a factor of 2.2 to 2.5, while other commodities double or less than double. Increases in domestic production can account for most of the increasing food consumption.
