South Africa is home to around 25,653 small-scale sugarcane farmers, making this sector vital for rural communities in the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal regions. The agricultural and milling industries generate 65,000 direct jobs and 270,000 indirect jobs, supporting over a million livelihoods in these areas.
Nevertheless, the productivity of numerous small-scale growers falls far short of its potential. Constraints on production reduce both the profitability of farms and the overall role of the sector in promoting rural economic development.
Growers face a variety of complex challenges that go beyond simply needing technical farming advice. A comprehensive six-year study led by senior entomologist Lawrence Nkosikhona Malinga and his team at the South African Sugarcane Research Institute, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the South African Farmers Development Association, and South African Canegrowers, aimed to identify and address these challenges.
The research uncovered issues such as discrepancies in educational backgrounds, language barriers, insufficient financing, lack of technical knowledge, and poor crop production planning among growers.
Critical findings showed that challenges like weed pressure, ineffective planning systems, reliance on contractors, limited access to seedcane, and insufficient technical assistance negatively affect productivity and profitability. The project offered valuable insights for agricultural systems and initiatives aimed at empowering smallholder farmers.
What are the four main challenges encountered by small-scale sugarcane growers?
1. Weed pressure
Many growers struggle to select and measure herbicides, apply them promptly, and manage associated costs. Financial constraints often lead to either insufficient herbicide use or delayed application, resulting in reactive rather than proactive weed management.
Inadequate weed control can have significant consequences, as weeds compete with sugarcane for essential resources like water, nutrients, and sunlight, leading to suboptimal growth while increasing labor and production costs.
Moreover, improper herbicide application can lead to herbicide resistance, with many growers being unaware of the issues and best practices surrounding herbicide use.
Handling weed problems proactively is usually more cost-effective than addressing them after they arise.
2. Weak planning
Essential farming decisions, including seedcane ordering, planting schedules, weed management, and fertilization planning often occur later than ideal.
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These delays stem from financial limitations, gaps in knowledge, or dependency on external providers such as service contractors, input suppliers, technical advisors, and labor availability. A single delay in decision-making can lead to a cascade of further delays.
For sugarcane, which is not planted annually, such delays may negatively impact productivity over multiple seasons, thus diminishing overall profitability. Better planning would allow growers to use their inputs more effectively and reduce avoidable losses.
Read: Sugar industry BRPs cost small-scale canegrowers
3. Contractor dependence
Many small-scale growers rely heavily on contractors for tasks like planting, agrochemical application, harvesting, and land preparation due to limited resources and machinery.
However, this over-reliance can reduce growers’ control over crucial operations. Delays, poor communication, and inconsistent service quality can hamper production outcomes.
Some growers have expressed uncertainty about overseeing contractor work or challenging decisions when the quality is lacking.
This uncertainty arises from gaps in their knowledge of necessary farming operations.
4. Limited access to quality seedcane and technical support
Growers sometimes obtain seedcane from neighbors, informal networks, or their own fields because certified seedcane is either too expensive, unavailable locally, or ordered too late. Consequently, they may use varieties ill-suited for their specific soil conditions or regional pest and disease challenges.
Growers reported that technical assistance from extension officers was inconsistent, although they needed help with pest and disease identification, variety choice, and chemical applications.
Read: Could KZN cane growers’ plan to save the industry work?
How should these challenges be addressed?
The findings suggest that farmers need enhanced support systems that go beyond mere technical advice. A combination of practical learning, institutional coordination, and improved access to resources would be advantageous.
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1. Weed pressure
Support for weed management must be more proactive and continuous. Growers need assistance from extension officers in selecting appropriate products and timing their applications effectively.
Demonstration plots—small areas used to test and showcase novel agricultural techniques, crop varieties, or technologies—would be highly beneficial. Opportunities for practical learning experiences should also be provided for growers.
Cost-effective measures like manual weeding and using dried cane leaves as soil cover can effectively curb weed growth and reduce chemical reliance.
2. Weak planning systems
Providing seasonal calendars, straightforward budgeting tools, and practical farm-planning templates could greatly improve the timing of planting, fertilizer applications, seedcane ordering, and harvesting. Regular engagement is more beneficial than sporadic workshops.
Cost-benefit tools could offer support to growers, helping them optimize the use of their limited resources.
3. Contractor dependence
Contractors in small-scale sugarcane farming provide mechanical services (land preparation, crop maintenance, and cane transport) alongside labor (cane cutting) for growers.
However, these contractors often show low productivity and provide unreliable services, leading to costly delays. Enhancing contractor efficiency would prove beneficial for both growers, granting them access to quality services at competitive prices, and millers, ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality cane.
As contractors are deeply integrated within small-scale production systems, solutions should focus on improving relationships rather than replacing them.
Growers also require support to build confidence in supervising contractor activities. Improving communication among growers, contractors, and advisory services would boost accountability and ensure timely operations.
4. Limited seedcane access and technical support
Seed production and distribution should be more decentralized instead of centrally managed. This would promote varietal diversity and generate employment within rural communities.
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Extension services should shift from merely disseminating information to engaging in hands-on visits where farmers can learn through practice.
The interconnected nature of these challenges implies that isolated interventions are unlikely to succeed. A cohesive support system should integrate practical learning, enhanced extension services, better coordination among industry players, improved access to inputs, and sustained collaborative engagement.
Evidence indicates that growers are more inclined to adopt recommended practices when support is practical and demonstrably effective.
Read: SA Canegrowers urges Godongwana to scrap ‘job-killing’ sugar tax
Why is addressing these challenges important?
Improvements in weed control, planning systems, contractor coordination, and seedcane accessibility can provide benefits beyond just boosting yields. Such enhancements could lead to increased profitability, stronger household incomes, reduced production risks, and greater resilience in rural farming communities.
The experiences from countries like Brazil, Kenya, Mauritius, and India demonstrate that the productivity of small-scale sugarcane operations thrives when growers receive comprehensive support rather than piecemeal interventions.
Efficient extension services, timely access to certified seedcane, coordinated contractor and mechanization services, and superior farm planning have all been associated with increased yields, profitability, and resilience. This highlights the importance of strengthening the entire production support system, which can lead to significant and lasting benefits for rural farming communities.
Perhaps the most critical takeaway from this research is that productivity challenges rarely stem solely from a reluctance to follow recommendations. Small-scale growers often understand what needs to be done, but face systemic obstacles that prevent them from acting on that advice.
The leadership team from the South African Sugarcane Research Institute, including Lindani Mchunu (project manager), Khanyisile Buthelezi, Tholoana Mofurutsi, Surashna Jithoo, Siphumelelo Mbhele, and other research and extension colleagues, played a pivotal role in this research and the development of this article.
Lawrence Nkosikhona Malinga, programme manager (Crop Protection) & senior entomologist, South African Sugarcane Research Institute; University of KwaZulu-Natal
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
