VN July 2022

Vetnuus | July 2022 16 The world at risk The world is plagued by extremes related to climate variability, biodiversity loss, a lack and loss of social cohesion, poverty, infectious diseases, environmental degradation and debt. In its 2022 Global Risks Report 2 , theWorld Economic Forum highlights these matters (Figure 1) as being the greatest threat to the global economy over the next ten years. Sadly, this is also the story of South African farmers. Farmers need to adapt to climate extremes, losses in soil health and the associated ecosystemdegradation, a failure in trust and an increase in the fragmentation of relationships, increased debt and infectious diseases. Simultaneously they must seek ways to produce affordable, high-quality food to ensure a country that has food security amid spirallingpoverty and failingnutrition. As such, the farmhas become amicrocosmreflecting many global economic concerns. The farmer to blame In many circles, the agricultural sector is being blamed, at least in part, for many of the challenges mentioned. Various parties are seeking the demise of the traditional family farm and the radical transformation of the sector. Instead, they want a more industrialised, controlled and technologically focused food supply system. This non-natural, animal-free, farmer-free alternative to food production and the food value chain will garner more power and money in the hands of fewer people than we can ever imagine. Currently, it is estimated that there are 608 million farms globally, of which 90% are family farms. They control 70-80% of the farmland and about 80% of the food in value terms 3 . Dismantling these farms and transforming the food production systems to a lab-based, industrial and technological alternative will concentrate both financial power and the ability to manipulate food provisioning, and thus food security, in the hands of a few conglomerates. The global food systemwill therefore be at a more significant, not less, risk. A disaggregated production systemwhere the traditional family farm, or its close surrogate, is at the core of a well-functioning production system embraces the principles and values of diversity. In diversity lies resilience – also resilience regarding production. These family farms are therefore of the utmost importance to the future of the food production network. Perhaps it is not the thriving, diverse and resilient family farm system that must be replaced, but the farming methods and the perceptions concerning the farms that need to be revolutionised. What if perceptions and actions can be re-aligned and farmers were not to be perceived as the villains but as the allied forces onto restoration? After all, it is the farmers who can change things for the better both at the farm and global level, which they can do relatively fast. What if farmlands can both improve the quality and the assurance of food supply while sequestering carbon and being a haven for biodiversity? What if the farm enterprise improves its profitability while improving the carbon, nutrient and water cycle? What if farmers are esteemed restoration practitioners who heal the land and, in the process, heal societies mitigating the risks listed above? How much are we, as a society, willing to assist farmers in reducing the material threats to our economy? These are pertinent questions to ask since the agriculture sector in South Africa earns only about 2,5% of GDP and is deeply in debt, yet it has the responsibility to manage more than 70% of the land (Figures 2a & b). The agricultural sector is in desperate need of support. With the proper support, it can be an effective force for the advancement of food provisioning, water security, carbon drawdown and the conservation of biodiversity. How can this be achieved? Figure 1: The most severe perceived risks to the global economy over the next ten years. Source: World Economic Forum, Global Risks Report, 2022 Article The farmer, the veterinarian and regeneration: A solution in waiting James Blignaut 1