Akwasi Arko-Achemfuor

South Africa’s past policy of apartheid has contributed to some of the socio-economic challenges the country faces today. Some of the challenges include grinding poverty levels, increasing inequality and unemployment among large sections of the population. The constitution of the country makes provision for property and land rights as strategies for addressing some of the past injustices, ensuring food insecurity and sustainable livelihoods. A number of polices have been drafted in this regard, but it is acknowledged that some of the policies that have been adopted by the government have not yielded the desired result leading to the fear that if the situation is not radically addressed may lead to unintended consequences. This paper assesses a number of polices, programs, approaches and strategies regarding land reform policies have that been put into place, most of which have not worked as expected including the fact that the youth have not been factored into most of these programs and policies. This article advocates for the youth to be factored into all land reform and food security policies and programs as a way of capacitating them and getting the youth to see agriculture as a career choice to ensure future food security for the nation, while at the same time addressing youth unemployment and rural poverty.

Keywords: land reform, youth, food security, livelihoods, development, policy.
JEL Classification: Q15, Q18, O2

South Africa has many developmental challenges but three have been identified as affecting each other. The three challenges are unemployment, poverty and inequality. The Second Quarter Report by Statistics South Africa (STATSSA) confirms that poverty, unemployment and inequality are highest in rural areas and most especially among people with no or little education. Meanwhile, many people in rural South Africa have access to land which can be used to produce food for the ever increasing population in both the rural and urban areas, as well as for export and other value adding agribusinesses. The task of addressing the challenges of poor communities calls for a multi-stakeholder approach which can include the private sector, NGOs, communities, traditional leaders and the state coming together to pursue economic transformation in rural South Africa by tapping into the natural resources nature has provided for the communities. This article reports on how some stakeholders have come together to transform a rural community in South Africa. The paper uses qualitative data from personal and focus group interviews and observations as the main data collection instruments. The findings indicate that the stakeholders have been able to empower a community by tapping into and effectively using the natural resources in an area to transform it through collaborations and partnerships. The model is recommended to the government and development practitioners for adoption on how the natural resources that exist within communities can be exploited and effectively managed to transform rural economies to ensure inclusive growth and development.