PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON WATER AFFAIRS AND FORESTRY

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• PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON WATER
  AFFAIRS AND FORESTRY

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Background to NAFU

• The National African Farmers Union ( NAFU) was
  formed 14 years ago under the auspices of NAFCOC
• The main aim of the union was to facilitate entry
  of black farmers into the mainstream of
  agriculture
• lobbying the then government and assisting black
  farmers to access land and other resources.

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Background -Objectives of NAFU

• To Promote the interests of members and act as
  their mouthpiece
• To promote the acquisition by its members of
  agricultural land and lobby for appropriate
  tenure arrangements
• To ensure the removal of all legal restrictions
  which inhibit the activities of small and
  emerging farmers

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Major challenges

• Noted Initiatives KFA 5 regarding
  empowerment
• Legacy of past
• Water/ Irrigation alone cannot solve problems of
  emerging Agriculture
• Irrigation has potential but is just one of
  components of broader integrated sustainable
  rural dev. Strategies

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Challenges (c )

• Initiatives to revitilize old schemes ensure
  access (Sustainability)
• Access to other factors of production Land
• Access to markets
• Knowledge
• Credit
• Technology
• Water

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Specific Issues

• Water rights a commodity
• Limpopo Problems of land reform beneficiaries
  Land bought without water rights
• Water rights for black farmers an issue-
• Case of Mpumalanga Cannot get rights / while
  neighbors are de-bushing
• Coordination between Department re
  Infrastructure
• Participation