Sustainable agricultural development and land reform is hobbled because of the challenge in acquiring and providing title deeds and other land security, which makes it difficult for banking and other financial institutions to partner, co-fund and finance agriculture and land reform projects, the Motsepe Foundation says.

The Motsepe Foundation has provided more than R600-million in funding over the years to contribute to the development and growth of agriculture and farming projects in traditional communities and poor rural and urban communities in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State and the Northern Cape.

The funding has been used for tractors, farming equipment and implements, irrigation systems, the construction of more than 300 boreholes, the provision of water tanks and water storage facilities, fertilisers, seeds and other agricultural and farming inputs.

Infrastructure and other development facilities have also been built in these traditional communities and poor rural and urban communities, including clinics, schools, hundreds of classrooms, early childhood education centres, computer centres and other development and upliftment facilities.

Agricultural industry organisation AgriSA provided technical skills and expertise and also provides technical agriculture and farming expertise for the traditional leaders and Motsepe Foundation partnership, as well the experience and knowledge of the Southern African agriculture and farming industry.

However, despite numerous meetings over the past 18 months with kings, queens, traditional leaders and other rural and urban stakeholders in various provinces, and several feasibility studies having been prepared in partnership with AgriSA, title deed and land security challenges remain.

"Extensive discussions and meetings are ongoing in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State and the Northern Cape involving the Motsepe Foundation, the kings, queens, traditional leaders and their communities, poor rural and urban communities, commercial agricultural farmers and other stakeholders to conclude sustainable and long-term agriculture and land reform partnerships," the foundation said in the statement.

The agriculture and land reform process in South Africa is extremely complex and challenging and the Motsepe Foundation, the kings, queens, traditional leaders and their communities and Agri SA are on a steep learning curve, but remain committed to making a contribution to the agriculture and land reform process in South Africa, the statement concluded.