Agriculture: a viable option for mining towns

Buyambo Mantashe, business development manager at Agri Enterprises, argues that creating more diverse economies in mining towns through agricultural development can ensure that these towns remain economically active, even when the mines close down.

- Buyambo Mantashe

The important role of mining in South Africa’s development cannot be overemphasised. Cities and towns such as Kimberley, Johannesburg, Welkom and, more recently, Kathu were built on the back of mining.

Needless to say, the economic sustainability of many of these places becomes problematic with the inevitable decline of mining activity. It is thus crucial that all stakeholders think proactively about creating alternative economies to ensure that these towns and cities remain economically active beyond the lives of the mines.

Using agriculture to build sustainable and circular economies will allow for the preservation of jobs that were created through mining activity. Moreover, agriculture is a key foreign income earner and its linkages to other economic sectors make it a realistic alternative to mining.

Employment in agriculture