Rural development

• Media Advisory: Hearing of Commission Executive Vice-President Šefčovič on 3 October
  This advisory provides practical information on the hearing of Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia) taking place on 3 October from 8.30 to 11.30.
• The committees on Industry, Research and Energy, on Transport and Tourism and on Agriculture and Rural Development will participate in his hearing.
• The hearing will take place from 8.30 to 11.30 in the European Parliament in Strasbourg in meeting room WEISS S1.4.
• A press point by the committee chair Mr. Pascal Canfin (Renew, FR) is scheduled to take place after the hearing, next to the meeting room (tbc).

• The Global Press Conference on Discovering Changjiang Civilization Through Culture, Ecology and Transportation was successfully held at the Chinese Calligraphy Building in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, on September 20.
• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230921034075/en/
  A global press conference on discovering Yangtze River civilization was held in Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province on September 20 (Photo: Business Wire)
  Zheng Mingwu, Deputy Director of the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee’s Publicity Department and Director of the Information Office of Anhui Provincial People’s Government, sincerely welcomed esteemed domestic and international guests.
• During the press conference, cultural creative products from provinces and cities along the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and intangible cultural heritage were exhibited.
• Side events including the Changjiang Forum, the “Changjiang Dialogue” interview, the Changjiang Tea Culture Seminar and a Changjiang-themed calligraphy exhibition were also held.

• This has resulted in an incorrect understanding of the real progress made to correct the racial distribution of farm land ownership in South Africa.
• In 2012 the National Development Plan set a target to redistribute (or restore) 30% (or 23.7 million hectares) of all freehold agricultural land to black South Africans by 2030.
• The general perception is that the land reform programme has failed to deliver a recognisable shift in ownership patterns.
• I have also identified steps that the government should take to fix the problems.

Land acquisition

• Since then, by our calculations, the total area of land rights transferred away from white ownership – either to the state or black beneficiaries – or where financial compensation has been made, is equal to 19,165,891 ha.
• This is equivalent to 24.7% of all freehold agricultural land.
• Although the number may look heartening, given that it is close to the 30% target set out in the National Development Plan, the issue of concern is that the state is now a major owner of agricultural land (more than 2.5 million hectares).

Flawed design

• Through the scheme the land is then held by the state for the use by lessees of the programme.
• By June 2023, the state had acquired 2.5 million hectares of productive farmland through the programme.
• Most of the roughly 2500 beneficiaries have a 30-year lease agreement with the state.
• It's not gone well

  I have gained further insights in conversations with farmers currently leasing land from the State.

Major obstacles

• This makes it difficult – or impossible – to invest in the land or secure loans for improvements and growth.
• Beneficiaries have to rely on government grants to do business.
• Farmers have limited credit history, collateral or access to formal financial institutions because of the nature of the lease arrangement.

Action that needs to be taken

• Firstly, the government should transfer the asset to an institution with a vested interest and capacity to provide both oversight and finance.
• Fifth, the purchase price (pegged value minus lease amounts paid) should be financed over 25 years at a preferential interest rate.
• Seventh, put a moratorium on the allowed window of reselling the farm to 10 years and let government have the first right of refusal.

• DA NANG, VIETNAM, Aug 31, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Fifteen leaders gathered for The 3rd Global Food Security & Sustainability Summit in Danang, Vietnam on August 29, 2023.
• The summit focused on scaling up climate resilience and transforming food value chains to mitigate ESG risks, attracting key stakeholders, policymakers, government institutions, investors and United Nations bodies.
• Mr. Remi Nono Womdim, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Viet Nam, presented a global perspective in "Averting A Global Food Crisis - What Must Be Done?"
• The summit brought new perspectives and opened conversations to effectively tackle the imminent challenges addressed in food security and sustainability.