Agriculture remains a cornerstone of South Africa’s economy, employing millions directly and indirectly across farming, food processing, logistics, and exports. The AgriSETA carries the mandate of building critical skills to sustain this sector, ensuring that farmers, workers, and agribusinesses alike have the training needed to adapt to global pressures, climate change, and technological innovation.

As part of the National Skills Development Plan 2030, AgriSETA channels the skills levy to ensure that agricultural skills development strengthens food security and creates inclusive pathways into employment.

The agricultural sector faces a labour market paradox. Mechanisation, climate adaptation, and global competition are reshaping how farming operates. Commercial farms, agribusinesses, and cooperatives are turning to precision agriculture and technology to increase productivity, but this threatens to displace low-skilled workers who have traditionally relied on seasonal farm labour.

This tension highlights the critical question: how can mechanisation and technology in agriculture create new skilled jobs instead of displacing farm labourers? The solution lies in investing in training for drone pilots, irrigation technicians, and farm data analysts, ensuring workers shift from manual roles into technical and higher-value jobs.

Another pressing challenge lies in ensuring equitable access to opportunities. Many young people and women aspire to participate in agribusiness but face systemic barriers of land ownership, finance, and access to training. This raises the question: what policies could support youth and women entrepreneurs to access land, finance, and training in agribusiness? Stronger partnerships between development finance institutions, government grant programmes, and agricultural colleges are needed to lower barriers and empower a new generation of farmers and entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, the restructuring of large farms and agribusinesses has led to significant retrenchments and displaced farmworkers often struggle to re-enter formal employment. How can retrenched farmworkers be absorbed into related value chains such as food processing, logistics, or agro-tourism? South Africa’s growing food export market, rural tourism industry, and agro-processing initiatives hold the key, but only if workers receive targeted reskilling and redeployment support.

Companies like Clover, Tiger Brands, and large-scale farming cooperatives are proving that the agricultural value chain can be a driver of employment not just on farms, but in processing plants, distribution networks, and tourism-linked ventures. The challenge is ensuring inclusivity, access, and skills pathways that match this evolving reality.

We see agriculture not only as a food system but as a labour market engine. If properly aligned with skills development, entrepreneurship, and innovation, agriculture can transform rural economies and secure sustainable employment for millions of South Africans.