Strengthening The Rural Economy Is The Responsibility Of All Who Live On Earth

• By Jacqui Taylor
• 1 March 20211 March 2021

Strengthening the Rural Economy is the responsibility of all who live on earth 

A slightly warped view of the life of a farmer and those who live in rural areas, exists in South Africa largely because communication has been one-sided i.e. from journalists who live in cities.

In October, I took my two seventeen-year-old girls and my Mother on a journey into rural South Africa to meet farmers and to see the many towns that were in a state of decay because of poverty and unemployment.  Rural towns are a true reflection on the state of ‘health’ of any nation.

As we drove through some of the areas worst hit by the drought, we learnt about how valuable water truly is to communities and to farmers.  The vision in our minds reminded me of how those in cities waste water, for example, those who fill up their swimming pools with drinking water!  Water will become our most precious resource.

The first overnight stop was on a small holding near Ladismith which in the 1960’s had been a thriving community with its own railway station, school, shops etc.  The collapse of this town was caused when the Railways did not repair the track after a flash flood which washed away part of the railway track.  The railway track can still be seen, but without the railways bringing in supplies of food, the community dwindled and is now a ghost town.

The following day, we drove through the rural towns of Amalienstein and Zoar, mission stations from the 1800’s where communities still live today.  As we drove through the town, we saw many of its inhabitants sitting in the streets in the morning, when most people in towns would be at work.

We arrived late in the afternoon at an ostrich and sheep farm, owned by the Jonkers.  Although they are still farming, they explained that many farmers in the Oudtshoorn valley were turning their farms into Agritourism destinations.  Several hiking and mountain biking trails had been developed on the farm for the outdoor adventurer seeking visitors.  Numerous events are held on the farm to bring in additional income.

We left the following morning to drive through the magnificent Kamannassie valley with its old farm houses, some of which were empty, but there were still farmers who were continuing to farm different types of fruit.  One could see the poverty, despite the natural beauty of the valley.  We stayed that night on a farm outside De Rust, where a very fit woman farmer, Maggie aged 75, took the girls hiking up the mountains behind her farm to see the natural waterfall, leaving the girls in her dust as she clambered over rocks.  The girls then helped her feed the lambs, put the sheep in their pens and laid down the irrigation pipes for the next day.  The girls were quite clearly exhausted when they arrived at the farm accommodation cottages, but not Maggie.  She went home to bake home-made bread which she then bought up to the cottage.

Over the 6 days we had several different Agritourism experiences, all of which were unique because the farmers had different approaches to their guests.  All were very hospitable, friendly and generous, opening up their homes to guests.  What impressed us, was the employment opportunities they were creating for women on their farms, who had not been able to earn an income before.

Farmers that we visited all understood that diversification was necessary and that they had a duty to assist in keeping local communities actively employed.  If for no other reason, this is why we should support our farmers with their Agritourism initiatives.  At the end of the day, all countries will benefit from having farmers who care about providing food, employment and keeping rural environments economically active.

Written by Jacqui Taylor.

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