Farming Friction

There is an existing farming friction throughout the Eastern Cape, livestock versus maize growing. Lots of families have stopped planting food in their fields due to the damage that is continuously being done to the crops by livestock in the process of feeding themselves.

 People that are planting their fields are those that can fence their plots to prevent these distracting visits by the dear cows, goats, horses and sometimes pigs. In a certain village in  Ematolweni, Tabankulu, 52 families have come together to develop an agricultural cooperative, they have been supported by funders and now have their land fenced and are growing food for consuption and for trade.
 Some people have opted to move away from their family allocated fields because they are situated next to livestock grazing land, to plant on land much further from their homes.

 Picture taken at Dudumeni, Mbizana by Nokhanyo Mhlana

There is also the growing number of government initiatives(e.g.Lima, Asgisa, AgriSA) intended at growing food on, they all grow food on communities family's fields (emasimini abantu), the issues and risks are that:
1. The seeds used are mostly GMO seeds, so the land will be damaged when returned to the communities
2. Family's get a maximum of 5 sacks of maize or beans from the produce of their own land, not enough to sustain the families throughout the year until the next harvest.
3. Giving people 5 sacks of produce is not a solution


This is not what most communities want to see happenings, the new trend and possibility for the future is fencing the field plots and continuing to farm, as well as coming up with other solutions to this farming strife,looking at possibilities of growing crops that are foreign and not edible to the livestock.
Food and survival are to be worked for!!!