Mechanisation in South African agriculture 1936 - 1974

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SALDRU FARM LABOUR CONFERENCE

SEPI'EMBER 1976

Paper No. 35

Mechanisation in South African Agriculture 1936 - 1974

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Reggie Africa

Preliminary Draft : No portion of thiq paper may be quoted without permission of Saldru, Division of Res~arch, School of Economics.

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fvtECHAN ISATION IN SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE 1936. ~-1974

ABSTRACT

The objective of this paper is: (a) to examine what has happened as regards mechanisation in the agricultural sector of the S.A. economy; (b) to outline the causes of mechanisation and; (c) to ascertain the consequences both economic and social of this process during the above stated period.

1. The Historical Setting of S.A. Agriculture

The main features of S.A. agriculture before the advent of diamond and gold mining i.e. the period prior to 1886 was: (i) a pastoral industry which was spread:ⁱ over almost the whole area and; (ii) an agricultural industry concentrated mainly along the coastal regions of the Cape and Natal and to be found where good arable land happened to be in com- munication with a seaport or other consuming centre. Prior to 1886 the developing transport industry whether oxwagon or'railway was already

affecting the process of economic development. Pastoral products formed the main comm~rcial staples of the agricultural community. In most parts of the country, food growing for commerce was quite impossible except in the neighbourhood of a seaport or of a manufacturing centre!

At the opening of the period 1886 there were thus the agricultural lands which were near the coast and in which commercial farming in S.A. was well establisheq: There were those lands which were inland and were required to do little more than to meet the needs of any population which might find itself there.

Between 1870 and 1891, the commercial element grew at a much rapid rate in agriculture especiall~ in the Cape andthe Natal coast. This is accounted for mainly by the opening of the diamond mining industry circa 1865 in Kimberley and that of the gold mining industry of the Witwatersrand between 1875 and 1891. These discoveries both increased the agricultural com- mercial activities of the Cape and Natal. Foodstuffs were s~nt to Kimberley

and Johannesburg and cultivation in the O.F.S. both of cereals and of beef and mutton received a great stimulus from the growth of the Johannesburg market~ The enormous demand of the newly created urban centres for farm products encour~ged the rapid transition of agriculture from a self- sufficient to a more specialized basis although extensive methods· of field husbandry were still the rule rather than the exception~

To sum up. Till shortly before the end of the nineteenth century, agri- cultural development,with the exception of very extensive livestock~farm;ng

was limited to the coastal strip along the Cape and Natal. The development of the i ntieri or w9s delayed by the -absence of ra il ways whi ch came at the end of the nin~teenth century with the discovery and the development of minerals in the interior. The great stimulation for market production only reached the far~ers in the interior after 1890 and a great deal thereof only after 1915~

1. D.M.Goodfellow - A. Modern economic History of S.A. page 2

2.; F.Wilson - Farming 1866-1966 in Oxford History of S.A. Vol.[[ pa~e 107 3. D.M.Goodfellow - op. cit. page 20

4. J.M.Tinley - The Native Labour Problem of S.A. page 17 5. Agrekon Vo~9 No.2 April 1970 page 4

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1.2 From Subsistence Farming to Production For a Market

The rapid development of the railway system after 1890 and especially after 1910 created new marketing possibilities for the agricultural sector and had a great impact on agricultural producton. Most of the lines

built between the end of 1915 and the end of 1930 was mainly for the purpose of agricultural development and it also inaug.urated the period during \'~hich S.A. agriculture, as a whole, steadily assumed a more commercial footing. Also, the First World War greatly stimulated the expansion of agricultural production when the country had to rely on its own resources for the production of food.

With the steady commercial ization of agricul ture as a whole, the use of farm maGhinery and impl~ments increased. The following implements and machines were reported in the Transvaal and O.F.S. in the first Union agricultural census of 1911.

Table 1

Two furrow ploughs

Three and multifurrow ploughs Threshing machines

Mowing machines Cream-separators

Source: Agrekon Vol. 9 No.2 April 1970

Trallsvaa 1 21348

2126 287 1816 2722

O.F.S.

22,442 1290

247 1527 6490

The enormous rise in demand for foodstuffs during and after the Second ,World War marked the real beginning of commercial agricultural production in IIlhe interior. -The high prices of agricultural products enabled farmers to finance production by means of savings or loans and state subsidies The increase in the use of tractors, other implements and fertilizer reflect the production forces that were set in motion from then on.

South African farmers in common with many other Western countriesointroT- duced modern technological developments on a lar.ge scale into their

farming activities. '

Table 2. Numbers of certain implements on farms in the R.S.A. according to agricultural censuses since 1911.

Year ! Three & multlfurrow Threshl ng machlnes 'I ractors lornes I Plougas (all types) ( all types)

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1911

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^{7606 1503}

1918 12972 1428 _I 231

1921 1688 ^.' 515

1926 2068 1302

1930 13693 2797 3684

1937 3699 6019 8568

1946 16703 4949 20292 21256

1950 42914 7437 48422 31308

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Source: Agrekon Vol. 9 No.2 April 1970

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Table 2 shows that the biggest increase in the number of implements took () ^I place since 1946. The most remarkable increase·occurred in the case of

tractors and lorries. The output per tractor increased co~siderably since 1946. As a result ~f the iricrease in the tractor population, the number of morgen under cultivation per tractor has declined· sharply since 1937, name ly from 1, 134 morgen to toe present 90 morgen per tractor, wh il e as a result of tractor usage, the area under cultivation increased by

nearly 50%~ .

The increased commercialization of agriculture is also. shown by the extensive use of fertilizer. The use of fertilizer was relatively small in 1925.

The use of fertilizer only started to become important .since 1930 and became a major force after 1951. Mi xturesbecame important in 1946 and ni trogenous ferti 1 i zers were used to a large ext~nt si nce 1960. 0 Table 3 :

YeiiR 1925 1930 1937 1946 1950

The use of fertiliser by white farmers in the R.S.A. as reported in the agricultural censuses up to 1950.

Tons (2~Q

lb )

Super phosphate lX ures and other Total 140312

313558 365380 226925

374837 163900

198960

140312 313558

·365380 390825 57'J797 Source: Agrekon Vol. 9 No.2 April 1970

The increased use of tractors and other 'mecha:nical equipment and fertilizer in S.A. agriculture enabled it to enter a h~w dimension,namely, that of a true commercial industry since 1946. ·Thissteady'industrialisation ' of agriculture led to a significant·· expansion andstrengthen1ng of its product i onre 1 at ions with industry. This has. been the case s i n<:e the tremendous expansion of second~ry industry before and after the Second World War. Up to the time of the First World War~South Africa's two main bnanches of economic activity were mining and agriculture.

South Africa's policy since 1925. of encouraging. the development of the manufacturing industry by means of tariffs, etc. and the special consitions

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arising out of World-War II resultedintheestabl'ishment of several ., additional manufacturing industries which-looked on the agricultural sector to ~rovide them with raw materials and which in turn provided a 'home '

market for secondary industry. Mining stimulated the development and commercialization of agriculture whilst secondary industry revolutionised it.

The following table shows the increase in production in the various branches of the agricultural industry. Agricultural production for the market was relatively small during 1910-11 and it increased slowly till 1945/46 and more rapidly since 1946. The figures indicate the increase in the VOLUME of production since 1910/11.

6. Agriculture· in the Economic Development of S.A. - Department of Agricultural Technical Services (1963) page ·35.

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Table 4: Volume of ·agricultural production for certain years since 1910/11 on basis of estimated value according to average ruling prices over the 3 year period 1947/48-194~/50.

Field

crop Hort icu1 tu ra 1 products

R1000

_liY.esto~

Pastora 1 I Other

, Total

1910/11 49014 9864

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^{39100 30612 128590}

1915/16 55579 10995 45914 33917 146405

1920/21 651'12 12793 57216 48665 183786

1925/26 62861 12809 59528 61112 196310

1930/31 81463 ' 15507 81556 80250 258776

1935/36 101112 20142 . 61761 88755 271770

1940/41 119799 34813 69687 104463 328762

1945/46 101460 39603 56745 115245 313053

1950/51 169512 57647 64700 136256 428115

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Source: Agrekon Vol. 9 No.2 April 1970 page 6

Summing up. The pericid round about the ~eginning of the First World War can be taken as the important starting point when agriculture as

a whole became commercialized and started regular production for a market.

This process was accere1ated during the 1920's and the 1930's whilst the lat,ier 1940's ushered in the period of a greater orientation of the

agricultural sector towards the internal market created by the tremendous growth of secondary industry. Obviously, for the different branches of agricultural production and for different parts of the country, the stage of transition from subsistence farming to farming aimed at the production for a regular market varied. However, the period following the First Wor~d

War formed the watershed in which the major part of S.A. agr.icu1ture became commercialized and started regular production for a market. The coastal areas of the Cape and Natal and certain pastoral areas in the interior already experienced this process during the nineteenth century. With the later developments, the process 'proceeded at a higher level in these areas .

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2. Background toMechanisation

In South Africa intense mechanisation took place particularly during the years following the Second World War~ During these years, the agricultural sector introduced bn a large scale, modern technological developments i'nto its farming activities. Calculated in prices of 1936 - 38, agricultural implements in 1957 already amounted to 14% of the capital assets ( including land) in agriculture whereas in 1939 it was a mere seven per cent~ The number of combine harvesters increased from 581 during 1936/37 to 8,940 in 1955 and in 1973 it stood at a figure of 19, 577 ~ For' the peri od1936/37 - 1955, the number of mowers increased "

by more than 10% to 54,700. Motor trucks on farms increased' from 8,560 ' "

trucks in 1936/37 to 52,000 trucks in 1954/55 and from 71,783 in 1964 to 97,730 in 1973~ The number of tractors has also shown a phenomenal increase from 48,422 in 1950 to 164,149 in 1973. IN 1930, SollJthAfrican farms owned only three out of every 1000 tractors in agriculture in the world. By 1957, she owned 12 out of every thou~and., In 1963S.A.' owned

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at least 65% of all tractors on the continent of Africa.

Table 5 shows the number of certa,;,n types of agricultural implements on farms in selected years and Table 6 shows the percentage increase from 1937 to 1973.

Table 5: , 1937 1946 1950 1955 1964 1968 1971 1973 Thousands

19,8

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71

,8185,1

1~3,6 147,9

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PLOUGHS 219, ,8

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264,5)256;2,1273;0 HARROWS 133,81' ,153,61 166 ;1 i 160,2 Sawers/Planters ⁱ 5, 7,8,,' 74,1181,,0,~,,: 10,4,8", Cultivators and _{, I} :

cultivator sets I 141,1 190,3 !188,7 1197,8' Mowers I 32,7" 40,0

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4,3,0 ' .54,7 Threshing i~achines I la,l 11,1 I 12,7 '15,0, Motor Trycks' ,

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^a,6 21,5 31,3 52~1 Tractors ',' 6,0' 20,3 48,4 87,5

, Animal-Drawn wagbns I !

and Trolleys " 99,5,102,9 ^II 99,J

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43,8 Combines 0,6 \ 1,7 5,3 I 8,9 Electr,'c' Motors ^!, 1 9

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5 1

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4 5' 7 4

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94,p ^I 97,7

15:'1116~'1

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I 19,6

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50,1 I

\

Source: Commission of Enquiry into eost/Profit Margins in Respect of

Agricultural Implements and Components thereof. R.P.l0/1962 page 15

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and data obtained frmm the Agricultural censuses. ~"i ⁱ

7.

Commission of INquiry into Cost/Profit Margins in Repect of Agricultural

Implements and Components thereof. R.P.10/1962 page 11

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8. Agriculture in the Economic Development of S.A. - Dept. of Agricultural Technical Services (1963) page 34

9. Data obtained from the Agricultural Censuses.

10. Second Report of the Commission of Enquiry into Agricultur~ R.P. 84/1970 page 145.

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. .".~, >"'" -,

'. ;~:..'- . . .. ,,~:-::. .",,' . " ' .' ..

1937, "1946 .':1950 .' :1955

Table 6.i ·1964 .. ':1968^c;::.'1971: .. 1973'

.,:i.\.~·):-~\: , .. ;.:,: .. :!.~;.: ... ;,~" :.;. ;, ~ "'~:.'.~<.:':' .... :".; " .. ", .. ," .", .... ^~ .. ;"~."'-..

j , ' ' - : : : ; ,L:':,','i.:. ,,··:~t~4i>~·';'~;;'16'0;' ~ ;t~ <,i."", ^{... :.: .}

0,' ' • • • f-' ~;~. j

. ~. .~·,.·t-:.· .... · "',:,.,," . .! .... ". , , ' .... : ·'·l·; .. ';~·· · .. :.;.:...: .. L~:'-':,,..,,. 1"'-," ·~;·~·i~·:;:._:.·· I;;"

.,.~ "..;,./ '-",:..; ' . . . ' ". -! ~ .. ';~ :.:» .

~~'~~~:~ .• ·,~~·,J~g·"':;".l ~'~: ·._)O~/:,

^{.... _}

;:';:k~~'::="<:';<" =~~, ' :;,-,;

Sowers/Planters 78 ^> '100· ' 1 0 9 .' ^,_t.

Cultivators and': ' " .'.

Cultivator sets: .:74:100,: " 99

Mowers • 82

Threshing Machi,n~~,91, ,~'

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Motor

Trucks

^{40 .' '454}

Tractors 36 100 " 238·,'431'~:" 658:~'~,;';;'729:':';7i4: 808' Animal-Drawn

Wagons/Tro 11 eys Combines

Electri c Motors 97 '35 37

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.. ', .-,.." \'~: ~.

The above tables clearly illustrate that fromthe"'i940s·". the rate 'of agricu1- tura 1 mechani sat ion increased trernendou sly when expressed i·nterms of total tractor numbers, combines, electric motors and motor trucks. The (-) indicat~

the absence ofsta tistics for those respective years . Motor trucks increased by 354% in 1973; Tractors by 708%', combines by 1 ,o.53%,and."e1ectric Motors by 882% in 1973 .. During, 1954 - 1961 which to some analysts constitutes the post-

Korean period, farming techniques and agricultural practices were also in a process of change!. This was reflected in the rapid increase of fertilizers, fuel, packing materials, insecticides and improved, seeds,' etc which were used

in the agricultural industry. " .

The expansion in machinery which was the pher.lomenon of,'the 1940s, lost much of its impetus from about the middle of the 1950s. Much of the investment there- after took the form of replacement demand. There seem to have been a decline

in the rate of mechanisation after 1950 '.'

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2,1 LAND UTILISATION AND MECHANISATION

In south Africa aaout 103million hectares of land is available for agriculture.

ONly about 15% is arable i.e. can be ploughed for crops~ The remiilining -85% ' can be used only for grailing. Of the total of 103 million hectares about ,13% (13 niillion) is in or'schediJled to fall, in the Homelands. ,So the total

available for White farmers' is 92·million hectares of which 10million hectares.

constitute arable land!~ ^{A '}

Since ~936/37, the average area·of'la::nd'.p~r·'tr·a'cl6r'(f~c{ea~·€.?:r"fto~,llJ4~,~O~. .' approxlmate1y 76 mQrge~ per tractor. in~9,67/98 .<;:Th~:.~yrn~~rifQt. fa'rrni,ngUrll1: s decreased from 96,940 1 n 1936 to .. ,.an:estlma'~ed~;.90;,422 lw1971... Th'earea- under cu ltivati oni ncreasedfrom 5,310; OOOhectare.·si),il J 930 to

11,

621'~OOO; n. 197L

. ~1§;~i~~,~~~~;~~I~~~~W'~#l'~~:U~.

'H ~ ~ ·,;r:\"'~~;"ib,,:,:~~~~~';~t\.)£' {ft~;'b~',";'r~,~~1r:~

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Table 7: Number of farms and land utilisation in White areas Year

Tota 1

1937 1946 1950 1955 1960 1964 1965 1967 1968 1969 1971 1973_- 1974 • Source:

Number of farms \ Total Area

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Area under cultivation Area under irri~

gation 1000 hec tares

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104554 85578

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^{6066 392}

112452 88641 7394 462

116848 86921 7662 510

,111586 87472 8168

105859 91790 9563

101387 91364 ^,

95438 87795 10028

92853 86368

92~08 87921

91885 89135 11441 1107

90422 89298 11621 1017

_81~35

79855 ^-~.-.

Abstract of ligricultural Sta ti stics 1975 page 6.

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Thefo 11 ow; ng table shows the number of farm labol,Jrers ,(domestic servants excluded, the number ef tractors and the total area of cultivated farm land.

Casual labourers are not_ included.

Table 8 .

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^{La bour}

erry-

TofaT a r ea--Cu'l tTva ted --Th_~-§§~:ceFs:-I~r-]1i['MQr~io.=

--;:-ota-f---

-'-Mo-~g~n - ⁱ Year (1000) x 1000 morgen l a n d ! Agric. Land tultivated tractor\ per tractor ] 937 _I

1946 _I 1950

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1955 1960 ^{I ,} i

1961 j 1963

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land _ - ^{1 "}

578,2 x 101000 -_ 7100 0,57

597,5 104000 8649

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- 827;6 _ 102000 8980 ' 0,81

8,1

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^{'- 20,000 430}

.,

9,2 48,000:_, 185

833,7 162000 9540 _-' 0,82

105,4'xx 107000 11200 0,80

842,0

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8,8 87,500 109

7,6 19,,000 94

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796,0

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^-

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(a) _Excluding Coloureds and Asians. (b} Exclud,ing Africans

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Sources:

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Second Report of the Commission of enquiry into Agriculture Rp. 84/1970 page 142.

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x Coloured and Asiatic axcluded

~ Coloured and Asiatic only

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The data in Table 8 shows that the number of regularly employed farm labourers

~ has over 10Rg period remained more or less constant. Labourers per 100 morgen of agricultural land varied from 6,81 in 1950 to 0,80 in ;1960 whilst the morgen per tractor declined from 430 in 1946t6 94 morgen. in 196Q.

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Table 9: Area and Value of farms by size group (1l961}

Size Group Number of ' farms Area Morgen Morgen

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To - 1 ,9 792 793

2 .,. 4,9 3988 11061

5 - 9,9 6109 37575

10 -19,9 6029 78341

20 - 49,9 8636 270001

50 - 99,9 5988 420060

100 - 199 8711 1240989

200 - 299 8657 " 2076113

300 - 499 13253 5081271

500 - 900 17395 12159783

1000 - 1,999 12342 16861894

2000 - 4,999, 8852 26748168

5000 - 9,999 3114 21064334

10000 -Over' ^", ' 1,192 19913434 Undivided ^"0 94

TotaLU_,-:t 105, lS2 165 953817

Source: State of,. South Africa Yearbook 1971.

Va rue Rand 3,305,639 22,560,636 46,946,487 64,526,106 138,357,438 116,617,626 156,835,806 171',931,417 329,628,140 609,620,419 606,580,S§0 668,852,255 324,672,134 250,652,228 3,511 ,086,661

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The above table shows the size group of farms and the area covered in

morgen for 1961. The area covered in the size groups 0 - 100 morgen consist of 817,831 morgen comprising of 31,542 farms; that of 100 - 900 morgen, an area of 20,558,156 morgen comprising of 48,016 farms; and that of 1000 - 16,000 and over, an area of 84, 587,830 morgen comprising of 25, 500 farms. The

concentration of land area is clearly reflected in the farm size group of 1000 - 10,000 and over morgen.

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The number of White male entrepeneurs in agriculture decreased from 125,020 in 1951 to 98,960 in 1960 - a decrease of 26,8%-: The number of farming units decreased during the same period from 118,)86 to 105,859 and the average size of farms increased from 857.1 to 1612.3 morgen 13

13. Agrekon Vol.8 No.2 April 1969 - S.P. Cilliers

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Social and Demographic Characteristics of Rural Areas.

Number and Area of Holqings according to Size Groups 31 Au~t 1973 '

S~ze GrOup/Hectare Number ^{- Area}

1'0 - 1,9 369 369

2 - 4,9 4 449 l3665

5 - 9,9 4 142 32240

10 - 19,9 3 702 52025

20 - 49,9 7642 237495

50 - 99,9 5 757 419961

100 - 199 7 097 1050078

200 ..:. 299 5 852 1440911

300 - 499 9 255 362539~

500 - 999 12 858 9214581

1 000 - 1999 9 722 13730451

2 000 - 4999 7 530 ^2336866~

5 000 - 9999 2 550 17492052

10 000 +/over 1 Q10 17238305

Total 81 935 87916189

Source: Report on Agricultural and Pastoral Production 1972-73 Agricultural Census No. 46.

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3. Labour and Mechanfsa t i o'n ' " , ^{\,' . ~}

It appears that, despite large-scale mechanisation since the War, labour requirements in agri cul ture have shown no dec 1 i ne but have rather tended to increase. One J '

explanation offered is that increased farming activities called forth for more labour:

This is shown by the fact that more than 70% increase in agriculture during the post war era had been obtained from more or less the same total area of agricultural land, whilst the'area under cultivation increased from 9',093,000 morgen in 1949/50 to 11,165,000 in 1959/60.

~&d, ihe trend to mecha.nisation, unlike the experience of most countries, has,not resulted in a diminution of farm workers nor did mecha,nisation appear to have been

stimulated by labour shortages. The moves toward capital intensive agriculture appear to have arisen from aims to increase production efficiency and correspondingly higher crop yields. The farm labour force over the period 1950 - 1974 tended to have remained both static at certain intervals and to have increased at other. Compare this to the, experience of the United States and West Germany. In the U.S.A. total farm population decreased from more than 15 million in 1960 to about 10 million in 1968, whilst anI ~

estimated 20 million persons moved from farms and small towns to the cities since 1950.

Largely as a result of mechanisation, in West German~h farm workers decreased fro~

5i~0.{mf1i.l~ ~5~~~ .. u.nder 2,5 million in 1972 •. ~ . ^..,.wJ. ~<Av "-4~

The economically active Non-wh~tes in'agriculture (including t~e Homelan~s) show a continuous increase in absolute terms from 1964 'to 1970.' iHowever; the percentage they consti tute of the tota

r

worki ng Non-white populat i on refl ect5 a steady downward trend.

According to the agricultural census of 1960, there wer:e in June of that year only 158,475 White, Coloured and Asiatic family workers and 5,640 managers in agriculture as against 750,757 regular employees and 591,882 seasonal employees. A South African 'Agricultural Union (S.A.A.U.) survey showed that in 1969!1White male family labour

amounted to nearly 105000, while hired White male workers (principally farm managers) came to 10,250. Regular male African workers numbered 873.851, Coloureds 146,590 and Asians 2,686. A total of some 1,1 million workers. The same survey srowed that the total population (i .e. including families) on the farms was close to 4,1 million in 1969 of which more than 3,1 million were Africans. Whites numbered some 380,000 and,the rest were Coloureds and Asians. The agricultura 1 industry makes use of temporaty'workers on a large scale,.. more than 45% of the total farm labour force. Of the casual labourers many are members of the families of regular farm workers, while .o,the,rs are recruited as seasonal employees in the Bantu Homelands. '

Table 10 shows farm employees and .domestic servants on farms, excluding casual employees CD from 1947 to 1969. Table 11 shows the number of casual labourers on farms during June

of the years 1958 to 1962. On the bas i s of table 10, it ca n be concluded that the

number of regularly employed farm labourers has over a long period r,emained more or .less constant.It is.:maintained that during the decade 1953 - 1963, 'there'has been no Signi- ficant change in the total number of permanent farm'labourers and that mechanisation ,has had no labour savi ng effect for the past two decades'.' If ~hi ~ was+rea,lly 'the case,

~4.' Agrekon Vol.2 No.4. October 1963 page 9 '

15 Cargy Mc Williams -Factories in the Field {he story of Migratory Farm Labour in

California '

16. Financial Mail April 4, 1975 page 21 17. Financial Mail ApriL4, ,1975

18.Second Report .of the Commission of Enquiry into Agriculture .R.P. 84/197d pa'ge 142.

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Table 10: Farm employees and domestic servants on farms (excluding casual em~10yees2

Year Tota 1 . Index: 1947

=

100

.( (00)

1947 845,4 100

1950 882,4 104

1953 951,7 113

1957 963,6 114

1959 1011 ,9 120

1962 1025,1 121

1965 967,9 114

1969 959,4 113

Source: Second Repor~ of the Commission of In~uiry into Agriculture R.P. 84/1970 page 14

Table 11: Number of casual labourers on farms during June of the years 1958 to 1962

Year Tota 1 Index: 1958 = 100 (000)

1958 789,2 100

1959 864,7 110

1960 591,9 75

1961 688,4 87

1962 769,8 96

Source: Second _Rep~rt pf the Commission of Inquiry into Agriculture R.P, 84/1970 page 142 .

then the under-employment of labour in agriculture must have been enormous'.' On the other hand, how does one reconcile this with the complaint by farmers of a labour shortage? A farm labour shortage was reported in 1969~ . However, the shortage seems to be of a regional nature and the reasons behintj .it are still obscured. Of the total·

~hortage of 141,000 regular male farm labourers reported in 1969, 65,000were required Ttn th~Transvaal, 49,000 in the Cape Province, 14000 in Natal and 13,000 in the Free

State. ^{0 . .}

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19. The agreement between the S.A.A.U. and the Chamber of Mines whereby the Chamber may begin to recruit in the rural areas that have a labour surplus amounts to a de facto, admission by the S.A.A.U. that there is underemployed labour on White farms -1Financi:al

Mail, April 4, 1975 page 20. .-

~O. Financial Mail 18 December 1970

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More than 90% of the farm population is Non-white. TheWhite~owned farm population Gin 1969 was 78.9% AfriCan.11.2% ,Coloured and 9.6% White (including farm owners).'

Asians accounted for 0.2%'h The average ratesof increase of the African and 'Coloured farm populations are 4 and 2.5 per cent per annum repective1y. Although Non-white

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l.abour has increased, there has been no concomitant rise in efficiency. In fact efficiency has declined. it is maintained that much bf the low p~od,uctivity is due to the seasonal nature of the work and the fact that most of the labour permanently retained on farms is not fully employed all the trillse. ^{. . J}

Table 12 shows the farm population for the different population groups. The total farm population increased from 2,955,000 in .1960 to 3,989,000 in 1969. In the case of ~hites and Asians there bave been an absolute fall in their farm population numbers.

Table 12: Farm Population

i 960 1969 Compound % Ann. gro.vth

(000) (000 ) 1960 - 69

Whi tes 409 381 -0.76

Africans 2, 144 3,147 +4.3

Coloureds 356 452 +2.7

Asians 46 9 -l6.88

Source: Fi nancia 1 Mail 18 'December 1970 page 1180

It is quite clear that the heavy underemployment af the agridttural labour ferce has also been accompanied by a considerable increase in the volume of agricultural production.

The volume of agricultural production has grown considerably since the -1950s although agriculture1s percentage contribution to the gross domestic product has. fallen over. the last two decades. Agricul'ture~s contribution to G.D.P. dropped from about 18 % in the

£956s to 9.8% in 1964 and to ~bout 7.7% in 1973~~ A~ricu1tura1 exports ~~e ~ti11 the second largest earner of foreign exchange after gold.

If one accepts the view of underempioyine'nt or a constant'regular1y emp1

oy~d

labour force

argum~nt fOr the perdod 1953 - 1963 and subsequent periods;+ then, given the high rate of mechanisation in the. same periiod, how.,does one account f.or .theincrease in the.

phys~ca1:v.o1ume ofagrjculturalprQduction? Also one.,has'to bear in,mind that labour sProductivi'ty has generallybbeen low in agriculture ... It is 'maintained t~at where ,there

~ave been improved yields in the cas'e 'of tractor cu1t'ivation, they have often been due . to the accompanyi n9 i ntroducti on of improved seeds, fertl1 izer and tns.ectic.i.des~ Thi s

seems to h~ve been the case for the post Korea period 1954 - 1961. Physacal output also increased on account of improvements in the system of land cultivation, the increased level of mechanisation in the cultivation and harvesting of crops:-:( e.g. wheat, maize and sugar cane), the increase in the use of mineral fertilizers and the expansion of irrigated and drained areas. The combined effects of these developments and many others resulted in better yte1ds per hectare, per labourer and per farmer.

2l. 22.

-ef3.

Financial Mail 18 December 1970 page 1179

Annua 1 Report of the Secretary for Agricul tura 1 Economi cs and Marketing July 1973 - June 1974 page 3

Mechanisation and Employment in Agriculture - [.L.O 1973 page 5.

( 12)'

Table 13 shows the percentage increase in ,the volume of agricultural production for field crops, horticultural products and livestock p~oductsfQr the years 1947/48 ~ 1965/66

Table

q:

_, Indexes of the Volume of Agrdtultural production

I

Year Fi e1d Crops Horticu1 tura 1 Livestock Total

Products Products

1947/48 - 1949/50

=

¹⁰⁰

1947/48 110 96 96 102

1948/49 89 98 100 95

1949/50 101 106 104 103

1950/51 115 109 108 111

1951/52 97 105 110 104

1952/53 120 122 117 118

1953/54 130 131 119 125

1954/55 131 141 122 128

1955/56 142 152 126 136

1956/57 155 161 131 143

1957/58 141 161 129 138

1958/5§ 155 167 131 145

1959/60 156 185 138 151

1960/61 177 189 140 161

1961/62 195 206 148 174

1962/63 203 209 145 176

1963/64 174 233 149 170

1964/65 189 245 151 178

1965/66 178 245 158 178

Source: Supple~entary ~ata to the Abstract'of Agricultural Stati stics Jan. 1967 page 57

The indexes for field crops, horticultural and livestock products show a sharp rise from about the early 1950s. Mainly as a result of progressive mechanization, land was more intensively used, the area under cultivation i~creased and there

o

o

o

was an increased use of working capital (fertilizers, improved seed,insec;:ticides).

These factors, coupled with the increased efficiency in management and the advances

~n research and soil conservation planning, etc contributed to the substantial '

e

lncrease in the physical volume of prodl!ction.

•

•

•

(13) 4. Capital Formation in Agriculture.

Defi niti on of terms used.

Capital Goods in agriculture consis~ of the following three divisions:. (a) Fixed improvements such as houses, sheds, stables, dams, boreholes, fences, orchards and vineyards; (b) Machinery and IMplements such as tractors, planters, harvesters, trucks and water pumps;(c~ Livestock, including poultry.

Capital formation or investment is the increment in capital goods and the change in livestock inventories. Net investment is the difference between the investment in new capital goods and the depreciation of the existing capital stock.

Gross investment in fixed improvements is the total amount spent on the construction of new buildings, etc. Net investment in fixed improvements consists of a

depreciation allowance of 2% p.a. of the capital invested in fixed improvements.

Gross investment in machinery and implements includes the total amount spent on the purchase of new tractors, motor vehicles, machinery, imp1 ements etc. Net investment consists of a depreciation allowance of 10%. Capital formation in the case of livestock is expressed in terms of increases or decreases in the livestock

inventory. A herd value is obtained for each type of livestock 'in order to express the physical change in the livestock inventory~1t .

Table 14: Estimates of Net capital formation in South African Agriculture, 1936-19rf Year Fixed improvements Machinery, implements Change in Total net

1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942.

1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 .1956 1957 1'958 1959·

Motor vehicles livestock investment inventory

Current 1936-38 e;6rrent 1936-38 Current 1936-38 Current 1936- .

rites rices prices prices ... prices prices 38

2.8 3.0 3.0 3.8 2.2 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.6 3.2 6.0 9.6 13.8 18.8 28.6 27.6 26.2 26.0 32.8 29.6 23.0 24.6 2L2 26.2

3.2 3.0 2.8 3.6 1.6 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.8 1.6 3.2 . 6.6 4.8 8.8 13.0 10.8 .

8.4 9.0 11.8 10.2 7.8 8.2 9.4 9.2

3.0 4.0 2.8 2.2 0.8 1.2 - 2.6 - 2.2 1.4 5.2 9.0 17.6 33.6 26.4 29.6 6.0 12.0 11.6 15.4 11 .8 8.0 13.0 11 .2 6.2

3.2 4.0 , 2.0 2.8 0.6 1.0 - 2.0 - 1.6 1.0 6.4· 3.6 11.4 19.8 14.2 2,.6 11.4 4.4 4.2 5.4 4.2 2.8 4.4 3.6·

2.0

9.8 3.0 - 0.6 3.0 0.6 - 0.8 - 0.4 l.8 1.4 - 5.0 _. 0.8 9.0 8.6 -12.2 ..; 5.0 19.0 7.2 1.4 5.4 3.4 11.2 10.4

11.2 3.6 - 0.6 2.8 0.4 - 0.8 - 0.4 'l.0 0.6 - 2.8 5.0 - 1.2 4.2 - 6.0 - 4.0 5.2 1.4 - 1.0 0.4 0.4 2.0 2.4 -+

15.6 10.0 5.2 9.0 3.6 1.6 - 2.0 4.4 0.8 3.4 6.0 26.4 56.0 33.0 29.6 76.2 45.4 39.0 53.6 44.8 42.2 48.0

17.6 10.6 4.8 8.4 2.6 1.0 - 1.8 0.0 2.4 2.4 2.6 15.0 30.6 17.0 11.6 27.4 14.2 12.2 17.6 14.8 12.6 15.0

Source: F.Popping - Some features of Capital Investment in Agriculture in the Union of South Africa, Exclusive of Land Purchase - South African Journal of Agricultural Science Vol.2 No.3 Septerrber, 1959

---~ ---,

(14 )

Table 14 clearly shaws that investment in the capital goads of agriculture received a great stimulus after World War II. Annual net investment since the 'war has been an a much bigger scale th~n in th~ pre-war years~ Capital expenditure an fixed impravements has remained steady after ,1956. INvestment in fixed impravements , at constant I3rices, increased.fram R3.2 millian in 1936 taR9.2 million in 1959, whilst investment in machinery, implements and mator vehicles reached recard levels in the periad 1947-1949. The expansian af the capital stack last much af its impetus during the 1950s as a result af the high replacement demand af ,capital gaads, particularly in the «ase af machinery and implements~ This is evident in the fact that tatal net investment at «anstant prices fell fram R30.6 millian in 1948 to. R15.0 million in 1957.

"

Capital assets'in agricultural machinery and vehicles increased from R66 million in 1937 to R650 million in 1968. Capital expenditure on new tractors and

agricultural implements rose from Rti3.3 million in 1958/59 to R90.80 million in, 1968/69. Expenditure on farming requisites and services have been rising

consiste~tly . . Purchases of machinery ,and implements were especially high during the late forties and the early fifties. This was partly the result of an

accumulated demand which resulted during the war years when stoc~s could n,ot be supplemented and also the accerelated mechanisation which began after the Second World War:S"" The annual expenditure by agriculture on farming requisites, amachinery, mmplements, motor vehicles, tractors and purchased feeds rose from R129 million for 1949/50 to an estimated R263 million in 1961/62. This latter figure includes R61 million for machinery, implements" motor ,vehdtles and tractors; Rll million for spare parts and repair services; R45 million for fuel~ R35 million for . fertilizers; R19 million for pa~king materials; Rll million.,for dips, sprays and 'R15 million for balancedfeeds~bThe annual gross investment in machinery and

implements rose from R41.8 million in 1948·to R64.6 million in 1963 and to R170.7 million in 1974. Out of the Rl70.7 million whddh were spent on machinery,

implements and vehicles during 1974, R53.9 million were spent on vehicles and R1l6.8 million were used for tnactors, machinery and implements.

For the period 1958/59 - 1968/69 it was noted that current expenditures were greater every year than the capital expenditure on new equipment and that the maintenance and repair costs of tractars and agricultural implements far every year were higher than the capital devated to. new tractars~1 Herein, lies the reasan far the high mechanisatian casts in agriculture. In the periad 1958/59 to.

1968/69, a tatal amaunt af R498.8 mil1ian (38.6% af the total capital and current expenditure) was spent an new tractars, agricultural implements and vehicles.

During the same periad R706.4 millian, ar54.6% af this tatal was spent an repairs and fuel. The tatal expenditure far the eight year periad amaunted to. R1294.5 m~f

These figures illustrate that the casts af agricultural mechanizatian are

exceedingly high and much af it is attributed to. the state af machine maintenance.

The annual grass investment at current prices in fixed impnavements increased fram R24.5 million in 1948 to. R1l3.1 millian in 19'74, whilst net investment increased

fram R14.6 mill ian in 1948 to. R80.8 millian in 1974. During 1974 aut af the

tatal af 113.1 million in gross investment, R41.1 millian was spentan the erectian 24. Craps and Markets Val.54 Na~636 July 1975 - Div. af Agricultural Marketing

Research page 1

25, Agre~on Vol. 14 Na.1 - Agriculture and Functiana1 related Industries. - page 49

o

o

o

26. Agrekan Vol. 2 Na.4 - The rale af Agriculture in the S.A. ecanamy

+

page 6 . 27. Secand Repart af the Commissian af Enquiry into. Agriculture R.P. 84/1970 page 145~

28. Ibid. page 145 "

•

•

•

(15)

of new houses, buildings and R37.8 million on construction works. New orchards and vineyards to the value of R8.7 million were established. Capital formation as regards livestock also showed a big increase between the years 1948 - 1974.

Capital formation in the case of livestock occurs when numbers increase and disinvestment takes place when stock numbers decrease. The value of livestock

increased from R464 million in 1948 to R2297 million in. 1974 whi!st net capital formation rose from R8.1 million in 1948 to R75.1 million in 1974.

Table 15 shows the gross capital formation in agriculture for the period 1947 -1973.

The figures indicate that a relatively heavy rate of capital formation has been consistently maintained in the case of gross outlay at current prices. Total gross capital formation rose from R56.4 million in 1947 to R230.3 million in 1971 Table 15: Gr6sscapital formation in Agriculture

Year

1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973

Fixed

Improvements

19,4 36,2 43,1 47,6 48,5 43,6 45,6 48,6 49,4 51,

°

53,8 75,5 82,8 72,8

Tractors, machinery and implements Rmillion

29,8 52,3 60,3 60,6 61,5 62,7 50,3 46,7 64,6 66,7 95,6 107,7 148,3 121,2

Change in 1 ive stock inventory

- 7,2 -22,2 +22,0 + 3,5 + 3,0 + 9,6 +12,2 + 1,9 - 3,1 -53,4 + 5,8 + 9,9 - 0,8 +27,8 Source: Abstract of Agricul tura 1 Statistics 1975 page 87

Preliminary

Total

56,4 60,3 18i,4 111,7 113,0 115,9 108,1

97,0 110,9 64,3 155,2 193,1 230,3 221,8

( 16)

5. REASONS FOR AND CONSEQUENCES OF MECHANISATION IN,S;A •. AGRICULTURE

Labour shortage did not seem to be the p'rime fact~rbeh~nd mec~anisation ^inS.A.

'agriculture after World War II. Fi:mnersmechanisedbecau.se technological progress provided bettef agricultural implements by means of~hich ~arm~~scould produc~,

more, more effeciently and more rapidly. The extent and rate of mechanisation was inter alia detet:'mined by the availability of suita;bleagricult~ral implements for the various branches of farming .. This was provided by means of overseas imports and t,he developnent and growth of an agricultural implements industry; in S.A. during the late 1930s and its steady expan.sion during and afterWor,ldWar II.

Table 16: 'Number offann tractors . imported

Year Wheel- type Row- crop type, ' Crawler type, Total 1955=100 (000)

1955 8,2 5~4 0,3 13,9 100

1956 4,9 3,4 '0~2 8,5 61

1957 6,3 4,9 0,3 11 ,5 83

1958 7,9. ^-i 0,1 8,0 58

1959 8,1 0,1 8,2 60

1960 11 ,0 . 0,1 11 ,1 80

1961 10,4 0,1 10,5 76

1962 9,4 9,4 68

1963 15,0 15,0 108,

1964 13,3 1 ,1 14,4 104

1965 15,'0 0,1 15,1, 109

Source: Supplementary Data to the Abstract of Agricultural

R.S.A. 19,66 - 67 page 39. Stati stics tof the

o

o

o

The above table shows the number of farm tractors imported during the period 1955-1965 Wheel-type tractors imported increased from 8,200 in 1955 to 15,000 in 1965 whilst

total tractor imports increased from 13,900 in 1955 to 15,100 in 1965. The increased demand for requisites by agriculture boosted the local manufacturing and trade in . these although a big proportion of the requisi,tes still had to be imported~ It is

estimated that in 1958/59 about 28% of the sales of farm implements, excluding"

tractors was of local origin as against barely 20% in 1948/49.~ , , '

Mechanisation in agriculture leads to the replacement of animal power by mechanical ~ tractive power and also the replacement of human labour. Effective land saving

results from the use of the tractor instead of draught animals (for whcich additional land is required for grazing purposes). Land saving also results from the relative efficiency of the mechanical processes and tRe higher y4elds in quantity and quality resulting from the general effectiveness with which th~ cultivation, seeding,

fertil izing, and harvesting operations are carries out~O In S.A. the area under cultivation increased from 6 million hectares in 1937 to about 12 million hectares in 1971~1 As a result of the introduction of mechanization and new techniques of

farming, the volume of production increased phenomenally since the end of World War II.

This resulted in the country regaining and even surpassing its pre-war position as an exporting country.

29. Agrekon Vol. 2 No.4 Oct. 1963 page 6

36. Mechanisation in Agriculture - Edited by J;L Meij page 43 31. Abstract of Agricultural Statistics 1975 page 6

ie

Year

1947 1949 1951 1953 1955

• 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973

•

e

( 17)

Table 17: Indexes of the volume of agricultura~ products exported Field crops Hort icu ltura 1 L ivestack Total Unprocessed Processed

products products products products

(a) (a) (a) (a)

1958 - 1960

=

¹⁰⁰

19 32:' 80 49 54 44

30 40 69 50 51 48

34 61 68 55 53 59

36 56 80 60 60 61

94 67 99 90 98 80

107 85 93 96 1 i 0 77

84 89 111 97 96 100

138 117 128 129 127 131

267 147 117 172 175 167

103 161 130 129 108 155

285 169 121 " 186 173 202

180 177 119 152 126 185

242 169 113 167 140 202

233 192 126 176 126 239

Source: Abstract of Agricultural Stati stics 1975 page 91 (a) Processed and unprocessed products

(b) Preliminary

The above table shows the increases in the volume of agricultural products exported for the period 1947 - 1973. The total volume of field crops, horticultural and

livestock processed and unprocessed products rose from 49% in 1947 to 176% in 1973.

The export of processed products increased considerably from about 1959 and surpassed the export figure for unprocessed products from about 1969, indicating that the

bulk of agricultura"1 raw materials is processed by secondary industry inside the country. In fact half of the agricultural production is processed by industry.

If the intensive mechanisation of the latter 1940s is seen against the backgnound of an expanding secondary industry and a state policy oriented towards the

industrialization of the country, then, it follows that the demand for agricultural raw materials by industry exerted extra pressure on farmers to raise output and productivity levels in agriculture. Hence there appears to be a correlation between mechanization in agriculture and the expans,ion of secondary industry in the period following World War II. To-day, over 32% of all industrial concernj obtain their marn raw material from agriculture excluding forestry and fishing.~ In the post-war period, the number of processing plants steadily grew and increased quantities of agricultura 1 produce were being processed in some form or other.

Table 18 shows the average annual value of agricultural produce processed at farm prices as aga inst the total va lue (at farm prices) of all agricultura 1 produce marketed for the periods 1947/48 - 1949/50 and 1959/60 - 1961/62.

. . 32. Financial Mail April 4, 1975 page 20

(18 )

Table 18: . Value of agricultural produce annually marketed and processed

7\T farm pnces

Average 1947/48 - 1949/50 Average 1959/60 - 1961/62

Tota 1 rota 1 % Total Total %

marketed processed processed. marketed processed processep

R. million % R. mi 11 ion %

W hea t/ll1a i z e 67,1 52,1 77 ,6 87,9 63,2 71,9

Sugar-cane 12,9 12,9 100,6 39,3 39,3 10Q;0.

Tobacco 8,8 7,1 80,7 14,8 11,1 75,6

Oi 1 seeds 6,8 4,9 72,0 20,4 11 ,4 55~9'

Fresh fruit 30,6 5,4 17,6 60,3 15,3 25,4

Wine 8,6 8,6 100,0 15,6 15,6 . 100,

°

Dairy produce 13,6 13,6 100,0 39,6 39,6 100,0

Other produce 201,5 22,0 16,9 473,2 119,0 25,2

Total ^349~9 126,5 36,2 751,1 314,5 41,9

Source: Agrekon Vol. 2 No.4 October 1963 page 8

The proportion of agricultural produce processed in some form or other increased significantly from 36% annually during 1947/48 - 1949/5Q to about 42% for 1959/60-- 1961/62. The total farm value of agricultural produce processed increased from R126 million to about R315 million per annum. .

Another important factor which aCGerelated the· rate of mechanisation was the rise 0

0

0

in agricultural produce prrices' after the War. The increased in world economic

e

activity engenger.ed by the Korean War led to marked increases in the prices of many farm products!'~ This was also the case in S.A. The terms of trade moved sharply

l

in favour of agriculture and it was at the beginning of this period that farm machinery fertilizers and other farming requisites beGame freely availab~e again to farmers.

This period of relative prosperity enabled farmers to acquire more implements. From about 1953 onwards till the mid 1960s there was a slowing down in the rate of growth of the agricultutal sector. From about the same time·the rate of mechanisation started to slow down.

33 .. Agrekon Vol.4 No.1 Jan. 1965 page 5

(19 )

ED Mechanisation necess Hated changed methods of production and resulted in a new cost, structure to the farmer. Of the changes in the c'ost structure, the fixed cost element and the problems connected with the maintenance and daily use of machinery are the most important. The cost in connection with machines amounted to 40% in 1959/60 of the total cost per morgen of maize in the Transvaal Highveld and the North-western Free

State~'t The cost in connection with tractors is the main item in the group reflecting the cost involved in agricultural implements. As,a result of intense mechanisation, the fixed and operating cost elements assumed a significant new dimension to farmers.

The introduction of new technology, machinery and implements was not immediately

~ccompanied by the training of the farm' labour force to meet the new requirements.

According to J;J. Bruwer of the Department of Agricultural Technical Services, South 3-

African farmers invested R600 million in agricultural machinery between 19Q9 and 1967.~

• Yet, only one out of every eighteen non-white labourers working with these machines had received any formal instruction in their use. Another survey undertaken by the

Division of Agricu,ltura1 Engineering of the Department of Agricultural Technical Servil'uis established that during 1968 fewer than lO,OOO'of the approximately 180,000 African

tractor operators in the Republic had received any sort of formal training~ The lack of organised training seems to be one of the maancauses of the prevailing high

maintenance costs of agricultural machinery. In this connection, mechanisation has called forth for a skilled type of labourer. The farmer has 'been spending, more money on mechanised agriculture than improving the quaaity of the 1ab,our force.

In the last few years both government and the 'farmers' agricultural union's have moved towards establishing technica·1 training schools for 'black farm labourers, in recognition that mechanisation requires an upgrading of skills and that people must be trained to

• use the machines proper1y-. A training centre for Coloured farm labourers has been set up set up at Khromme Rhee (Stellenbosch) by the Department of Coloured Affairs and the South Afric an Agricultural Unieonand the Department of Bantu Administration ha~e set up a IIBantu In - Service Tnaining Scheme^ll at Potchefstroom where farm labourers are trained in driving, machine maintenance, and foreman ski11s~'1 "

•

The relationship bew~een mechanisation and the disp~acement or the migration of labour from the farms have affected the labourers by race group differently. Although, with blacks, the view of an overall constant agricultural labour force is held, as reggrds, the Coloured and Asian workers there has been a very pronounced movement from the farms to the urban centres. The economically active Coloured farm labourers in agriculture in 1960 was 30.86%, by 1970 , the figure dropped to 16.94%. The Asian workers in agriculture show a similar tendency.

5.1 Farm Workers' conditions and wages

The conditions under which farm workers live and toil are among the poorest in South Africa. Mechanisation has not resulted in the general up1iftment of the living and working conditions of farm labourers. The Financial Mail of April 4, 1975 described

housing conditions as regards black farm labourers as follow:

34. 35.

36.

37

IIHousing remains atrociously inadequate with the tg'p~:ca1, hut having an earth floor, no glass windows, and simple metal sheets or grass'

for a roodf.' Few farm workers have electricity or modern toilet faci1itlies^ll Commission of Inquiry into Cost

t

Profit Margins ...••• R.P. 10/1962

S.A.I.R.R. Survey of Race Relations 1968 page 103 Financial Mail Apri-1 4, 1975

Ibid. page 21.

(20)

However, it must be, stat~d that in certain ar,eas, housing conditioDs are better but· 0 generally the situation is very poor.

Mechanisation has not resulted in a general rise in wages for farm'workers. They still rank amongst the lowest paid employees in the country. Average wages in the Western Transvaal, North-western Free State and the Highveld in 1967·were R214.68 p.a. of which R62.57 was paid in cash and the rest in kind. In the Western Cape, average annual wages totalled R439.43 of which R194.06 was paid in cash and the rest in kind . .The average cash wage of farm labourers in 1973 was about Rll .50 a month. Farmers 1n the Transvaal pay their ifr.ican labourers a cash wage of between R12and R16 a month?<i!

6 . . Conclusion.

IV/echanisation has had a tremendous impact on theagricultura 1 scene in South Africa ..

o

" The appl ication of modern technology in the, form of tractors, implements, vehd<iles, ;

"machinery, .etc. has resulted in a consid~rable expansipninthe volume of agricultural . output. This was accompanied by the 'introduction of new techniques in farming. Farmers ⁸ incomes rose appreciabl, in the decades following the post- World War II period.

As regards the living conditions of farm workers, mechanisation has, not resslted in :its general upl iftment. Farm workers' wages are are still very low and the tra ining of the work force is something to which only recent attention has' been given. The socio-

economic effects of the post-War mechanisation process have still to be determined. In

'~hecase Of the White, .Coloured and Asian farm workers there have been a very'pronouneed m()vement from the farms to the cities over the last few decaees.· The same tendency has been 1 ess pronounced a s regards the African farm ~orkers. Influx control s seem to have been the main factor in stemming the outflow of African labourers from the ,farms to the 0 urban areas. In general, in South Africa, mechanisation has not resulted ina valt", displacement of labour.and the African farm labour force (regular workers) tended to '

have remained constant over the last qecade. The extent of labour underemployment in, the agricultural sector is something that still has to be determined. The crucial, , question to~e asked is whether mechanisation, given the constancy of the African farm labour force, has resulted in the. underempl Qyment ofla bour in this sector.

'. !

38. Fi nanc ia 1 Mai 1 April

4,

1975.

, ....

• I

•

•

•

Bibliography

I. D.M. Goodfellow - A Modern Economic History of S.A.

2. F. Wilson - Farming in S.A. 1866-1966. - Oxford History of S.A. Vol. II.

3. J.M. Tinley - The Native Labour Problem 0f S.A.

4. Carey Me Williams - Factories in the Field.

5. J.L. Meij - Mechanisation in Agriculturi.

6. I.L.O. - Mechanisation & Employment in Agriculture.

7. F. Popping - Some features of Capital Investment in Agriculture in the Union of S.A •••• - S.A. Journal of Agricultpre Science Vol. 2 No. 3 Sept. 1959

80 Abstract of Agricultural Statistics.

9. Agricultural Censuses.

10.AgriGulture in the Economic Development of S.A.- Dept. of Agricultural Technical Services (1963).'

11 .. Annual Report of the 'Secretary for Agricultural Economics and Marketing 1973-1974.

12.Crops a,nd!>!arkei;;s Vol. 5/* No., 636 July 1975 - Division of Agricultural Marketing Resea~ch.

13.Commis~ion of ~nquiry into Cost/Profit Margins in Respect of Agricultural Implements & Components Thereof. R.P.IO/1962.

14d Second Report of the Commission of Enquiry into Agriculture R.P.84/1970.

15.8.A. I.R.P. - Survey of Race Relations ~968 •..

16.State of S.A. Yearbook 1971.

17~Agrekon Vbl. 2 No.4 Oct. 1963; Vol. 4 No.1 Jan. 1965; Vol~ 9 No. 2 Ap~il 1970; Vol. 8 No. 2 April 1969; Vol. 14 No. 1

lB.Financial Mail Dec. 18,1970; Oct. 13,1972; April 4,1975.'

,to ..