The stories we tell about South African agriculture matter

> Domestic agricultural output has more than doubled since 1994. Last year, South Africa was the 32nd largest agricultural exporter in the world. The sector has played a major role in establishing national (though not household) food security. Although we remain a country of “two agricultures”, not least because of the inertia of government, overall, the sector has benefitted substantially under democracy. We need to focus on what we can fix to promote inclusivity and not become mired in the “doom-saying” by some international (and local) players. No one denies that South Africa's agriculture faces various challenges, including stock theft, animal diseases, inept municipalities, crime, and poorly maintained roads, among others. Stories of the failings of land reform farms  add to the challenges facing this sector. But this is not the complete story, not even close.  Presenting such challenges as evidence that South Africa's agricultural sector is under siege, and suggesting that the U.S. President, Donald Trump, will be the saviour of our domestic challenges, is misleading and counterproductive.  These are challenges that will be resolved by South Africans, the government, organised agriculture, and other social partners.   Most notably, the constant doom that some among us continue to proclaim, suggesting that the sector is under threat, also risks presenting the sector as an unsustainable supplier of agricultural produce to an uninformed international observer.   The reality of the South African farming sector is quite different. The sector has grown tremendously since the dawn of democracy in 1994. Data from the Department of Agriculture  shows that domestic agricultural output in 2023/24 was more than twice that in 1994 .  There is widespread expansion in output across all major subsectors: livestock, horticulture, and field crops.  Drivers of progress New production technologies, improved farming skills, growing demand (l