COVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Mbali Nwoko, CEO of Green Terrace, about how COVID-19 is impacting small-scale farming in South Africa.

Key Takeaways

The following are a few of the main takeaways from COVID-19 Africa Watch’s conversation with Mbali Nwoko, CEO of Green Terrace:

• The pandemic and related lockdown policies have generated a lot of uncertainty and fear in farming communities in South Africa.
• Revenues are falling for many farmers, and there has been related pressure from suppliers to accelerate typical procurement timelines, putting additional financial pressures on buyers. Some farmers are heavily indebted.
• When it comes to support for farming businesses, there is a missing middle that fall outside of criteria for participation in COVID-19 funding schemes.
• As economic conditions worsen, many farmers and agribusinesses will not be able to maintain their businesses, and their closure will have long-term impacts on food security.
• As technology continues to shape the farming industry, those businesses that are agile and innovative will be better positioned to survive.

The interview was conducted by Kennedy Mukuka, an IFC-Milken Institute Capital Market Scholar from the Central Bank of Zambia.