The data made public from South Africa indicated that the agricultural sector was the leading job creator in the
first quarter of 2015, adding 150, 000 jobs, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The Statistics South Africa in 2015
released the data showing an estimated 891 000 people employed in the
sector. This NaijaAgroNet gathered, accounts
for about 6% of South Africa’s total employment figures which is a significant achievement, considering the challenges
within the sector, ranging from land policy to climatic conditions.
NaijaAgroNet learnt that South Africa leads the continent in the
advancement of agricultural technology, particularly in crop production. This
is being driven by climate change and growing variability that have increased
the need for research and development.
Agricultural
meetings are significantly about development and production, with an emphasis
on technological advancement, to optimize productivity to meet yawning food
demand and to improve the resilience of agriculture. Many research institutions
equally are working with organized agriculture with focus on the sector’s
potential to create jobs, NaijaAgroNet reports.
The
National Development Plan (NDP) reports that agriculture has the potential to
create close to one million new jobs by 2030, a significant contribution to the
overall employment target.
To
achieve this, NaijaAgroNet was informed, the
NDP primarily focuses on improving production to achieve sustainability in
smallholder and commercial farming, but the onus for labour training and education
is placed mostly on farmers.
Cyriacus Nnaji/ GEE
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