South African agriculture in transition : the 1990s

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 1990s South African agriculture has been subjected to a land reform programme, and agricultural markets have been extensively deregulated to get the agricultural sector on a less capital-intensive growth path and to enhance the international competitiveness of the sector. Macro-level analyses reported here show that the sector as a whole has benefited from this process; however, there have been both winners and losers. This paper explores the reforms in trade and market policies as well as the land reform programme. It concludes with a discussion on the benefits, if any, of these reforms and implementations in the lives of the different role players in the agricultural environment.