NEWS: Seizure Order on SA White Farm

In an apparent escalation of land reform policies in South Africa and looking similar to moves in neighbouring Zimbabwe, a government order was served for the first time on a white farm owner forcing him to sell his land. It is based on a black family laying a claim on the land from the 1940's, where the white owners now bought the farm, legally, in 1968.



This is a contentious issue. Whilst it can be widely agreed that under colonialism and apartheid alot of land was aquired by whites off the indiginous black population, the way in which the land reform policies are being implemented are very reminiscent of Zimbabwe and there it has caused utter chaos, both socially and economically.

In Zimbabwe, where "land reform" has been occuring for some years, we have seen their total food output drop dramatically to a point where the former bread-basket of Africa is now reliant on food aid to feed it's people.



The simple fact is, no matter what colour the person is who runs the farm, a larger commercial farm will be more productive food wise and provide jobs to more people, rather than slicing the land up to be "redistributed" into a multitude of smaller lots, where worse economies of scale and lack of basic equipment would see total output drop to a point where they wouldn't support the people farming them, let alone have a surplus to trade.

A recipe for disaster if you ask me...

[edit on 15/10/05 by stumason]

Anyone care to explain what is wrong with my grammar or spelling? I must be missing something here....

I voted yes - not because I agree with the analysis, or even think it's an informed analysis - but because it's an important issue.

1. EMINENT DOMAIN

Right now in America, big corporations are using the law of Eminent Domain to steal land from ordinary people.

Guess what folks? It works both ways.


2. The myth of Agri-business efficiency:

a larger commercial farm will be more productive food wise and provide jobs to more people, rather than slicing the land up to be "redistributed" into a multitude of smaller lots, where worse economies of scale and lack of basic equipment would see total output drop to a point where they wouldn't support the people farming them, let alone have a surplus to trade.

A recipe for disaster if you ask me...

Single crop agri-business has led to rampant epidemics, crop loss, topsoil erosion, fresh water depletion, and environmental destruction - just to name a few impacts.

Large-scale commercial agricultural production is NOT the best way to do things - never was, and never will be. Small farms are better all the way around - for the people, communities, and for the land.


Yeah South Africa. Eminent Domain for the people, sound agricultural practises, and better economies.


.

Anyone care to explain what is wrong with my grammar or spelling? I must be missing something here....

LMAO! It appears some one really loves you stu. Can't find it. Let's bet money it's some one who doesn't know "whilst" is a word.

LOL

Large-scale commercial agricultural production is NOT the best way to do things - never was, and never will be. Small farms are better all the way around - for the people, communities, and for the land.

What exactly are you basing this on? How exactly are they better for the community, the people and the land?

Your passion for small farms would be a disaster in a area that already struggles to feed it population.

Higher food prices. People would have to pay more for food so that you can return to some 1930's farm revival. When you take that money out of people pockets, they cannot spent it elsewhere. So how many people lose thier jobs??

Labor Intensive: Stoop labor is not my idea of fun and I have spent my fair share of time around farms. So technology and the efficiency of large scale operations has gotten to the point where brutal repdative labor is not needed but you want to go back that way? So much for the betterment of the community :shk:

Small farms are just as harmfull to the environment as large farms are. Management and use of resources are the key.

Please show me an actuall academic study that shows how evil the large farm is and make a case for why we should step back in time to the old "Grapes of wrath" times?????

[edit on 16-10-2005 by PrionsRTasty]

Originally posted by soficrow


Large-scale commercial agricultural production is NOT the best way to do things - never was, and never will be. Small farms are better all the way around - for the people, communities, and for the land.


Yeah South Africa. Eminent Domain for the people, sound agricultural practises, and better economies.


.

LMAO. These farms have been productive since they were started around the turn of the last century. Large-scale agriculture can work and does work just fine. The project in Zimbabwe to take away land from white farmers and give it to the people has been an absolute disaster. It tanked the economy and is starving people. It did make Mugabe very popular among the people, but didn't do anything besides that.

Imminent domain abuse exists in the US but is being fought tooth and nail and local governments have put up a lot of countermeasures to the recent Supreme Court ruling.