01/05/2026
INDIGENOUS CROPS AND MEDICINAL PLANTS ARE BEING FORMALISED: AFASA WESTERN CAPE PERSPECTIVE
AFASA Western Cape recognises the importance of indigenous crops, medicinal plants, biodiversity, and traditional farming systems in the lives of many African farmers, rural communities, traditional knowledge holders, and household producers across the Western Cape.
The recent move to declare indigenous crops and medicinal plants as agricultural products under the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act presents both an opportunity and a serious concern. While formal recognition can open doors for market access, investment, farmer support, research, and enterprise development, it must not come at the expense of the very communities who have protected, grown, used, and carried this knowledge for generations.
For many indigenous farmers, biodiversity is not just a commercial resource. It is part of culture, healing, food security, climate resilience, soil health, and community survival. Our farmers have long worked with indigenous seeds, medicinal plants, fynbos, wild foods, traditional crops, and agroecological systems without being fully recognised or supported by mainstream agriculture.
AFASA Western Cape therefore believes that any formalisation of this sector must be handled with great care.
We cannot allow a process where indigenous crops and medicinal plants are taken from community hands and placed under systems that only benefit large commercial players, exporters, researchers, or elite structures. We must ensure that smallholder farmers, informal traders, traditional healers, seed custodians, women, youth, and rural communities are protected and included from the beginning.
Our position is clear:
Formalisation must not criminalise farmers, informal traders, traditional healers, or community-based producers who have been working in these systems for generations.
Governance structures must be representative and must include indigenous farmers, biodiversity custodians, traditional knowledge holders, and grassroots organisations.
Benefit-sharing must be fair, transparent, and legally protected so that communities are recognised as rights holders, not merely suppliers of raw materials.
Agroecological and biodiversity-based farming must receive real investment, including training, infrastructure, nurseries, seed systems, processing support, and market access.
The protection of indigenous knowledge must be central, especially against biopiracy, exploitation, and the extraction of value without community ownership.
For the Western Cape, this matter is especially important because our province is rich in biodiversity, indigenous plants, fynbos, medicinal plant knowledge, and emerging farmers who are already working with ecological farming systems. These farmers must not be left behind while others profit from the resources and knowledge they have preserved.
AFASA Western Cape sees this as a decisive moment. It can either become a pathway to justice, dignity, and economic inclusion for indigenous farmers, or it can become another system where value is extracted from communities without meaningful benefit returning to them.
We call on government, policymakers, industry bodies, researchers, and market actors to engage directly with indigenous farmers and community structures before any statutory measures are developed or implemented.
This must not become regulation for farmers without farmers.
It must be regulation with farmers, by farmers, and for the benefit of the communities who have carried these crops, plants, knowledge systems, and biodiversity for generations.
AFASA Western Cape stands for an agricultural system rooted in justice, biodiversity, dignity, farmer ownership, and ecological integrity.
Kind regards,
Shaun Cairns
Secretary
AFASA Western Cape
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IZITYALO ZEMVELI NEZITYALO ZAMAYEZA ZIYAFORMALISWA: ULUVO LWE-AFASA WESTERN CAPE
I-AFASA Western Cape iyakubona ukubaluleka kwezityalo zemveli, izityalo zamayeza, ulondolozo lwendalo, kunye neendlela zemveli zokulima kubomi bamafama aseAfrika, uluntu lwasemaphandleni, abagcini bolwazi lwemveli, kunye nabalimi basekhaya kwiPhondo leNtshona Koloni.
Isigqibo sokubandakanya izityalo zemveli kunye nezityalo zamayeza njengemveliso yezolimo phantsi koMthetho weNtengiso yeeMveliso zeZolimo sinokuba lithuba, kodwa sikwanazo neenkxalabo ezinzulu. Nangona ukwamkelwa ngokusemthethweni kungavula amathuba okungena kwiimarike, inkxaso-mali, uphando, uqeqesho, nophuhliso loshishino, oku makungenzeki ngendlela eza kushiya ngaphandle uluntu olukhusele, olukhulise, olusebenzise, noluphethe olu lwazi izizukulwana ngezizukulwana.
Kumafama amaninzi asebenza ngezityalo zemveli, ulondolozo lwendalo aluyonto nje yorhwebo. Luyinxalenye yenkcubeko, unyango, ukhuseleko lokutya, ukumelana nokutshintsha kwemozulu, impilo yomhlaba, kunye nokuphila koluntu. Amafama ethu kudala esebenza ngembewu yemveli, izityalo zamayeza, ifynbos, ukutya kwendalo, izityalo zemveli, kunye neendlela zokulima ezikhusela indalo, kodwa bengakhange banikwe ingqalelo nenkxaso efanelekileyo kwicandelo lezolimo elisemthethweni.
Ngenxa yoko, i-AFASA Western Cape ikholelwa ukuba nayiphi na inkqubo yokuformalisa eli candelo kufuneka iqhutywe ngononophelo olukhulu.
Asinakuvumela inkqubo apho izityalo zemveli nezityalo zamayeza zithathwa ezandleni zoluntu zize zilawulwe ziinkqubo ezixhamlisa kuphela abadlali abakhulu bezorhwebo, abathumela iimveliso kumazwe angaphandle, abaphandi, okanye amaqela athile anamandla. Kufuneka siqinisekise ukuba amafama amancinci, abarhwebi abangekho kwinkqubo esesikweni, abanyangi bemveli, abagcini bembewu, abasetyhini, ulutsha, kunye noluntu lwasemaphandleni bayakhuselwa kwaye bayabandakanywa kwasekuqaleni.
Isikhundla sethu sicacile:
Ukuformaliswa akufanele kube sisixhobo sokubeka ityala kumafama, abarhwebi abangekho kwinkqubo esesikweni, abanyangi bemveli, okanye abavelisi abasebenza eluntwini, abantu abaye basebenza kwezi nkqubo izizukulwana ngezizukulwana.
Iziseko zolawulo kufuneka zimele abantu ngokwenene, kwaye zibandakanye amafama asebenza ngezityalo zemveli, abagcini bendalo, abagcini bolwazi lwemveli, kunye nemibutho esebenza phantsi eluntwini.
Ukwabelana ngezibonelelo kufuneka kube nobulungisa, kucace, kwaye kukhuselwe ngumthetho ukuze uluntu lwamkelwe njengabanini bamalungelo, hayi njengababoneleli bezinto ezingekalungiswa kuphela.
Ukulima ngendlela ekhuthaza ulondolozo lwendalo kunye ne-agroecology kufuneka kufumane utyalo-mali lokwenene, kubandakanywa uqeqesho, izixhobo, iindawo zokukhulisela izithole, iinkqubo zembewu, inkxaso yokulungisa imveliso, kunye nokungena kwiimarike.
Ukukhuselwa kolwazi lwemveli kufuneka kube sembindini wale nkqubo, ngakumbi ekuthinteleni ukubiwa kolwazi lwendalo, ukuxhatshazwa, kunye nokutsalwa kwexabiso elivela eluntwini ngaphandle kokuba uluntu luxhamle ngokufanelekileyo.
KwiNtshona Koloni, lo mba ubaluleke kakhulu kuba iphondo lethu lityebe ngendalo, izityalo zemveli, ifynbos, ulwazi lwezityalo zamayeza, kunye namafama asakhulayo asele esebenza ngeendlela zokulima ezihambelana nendalo. La mafama makangashiywa ngasemva ngelixa abanye bezuza kwizibonelelo nolwazi abalugcinileyo ixesha elide.
I-AFASA Western Cape ibona eli njengexesha elibalulekileyo nelithatha isigqibo. Linokuba yindlela eya kubulungisa, isidima, kunye nokubandakanywa kwezoqoqosho kwamafama asebenza ngezityalo zemveli. Kodwa ukuba aluqhutywanga kakuhle, linokuba yenye inkqubo apho ixabiso litsalwa eluntwini ngaphandle kokuba inzuzo ibuyele kubo ngendlela enentsingiselo.
Sicela urhulumente, abaqulunqi bemigaqo-nkqubo, imibutho yoshishino, abaphandi, kunye nabathathi-nxaxheba kwiimarike ukuba bathethe ngqo namafama asebenza ngezityalo zemveli kunye nemibutho yoluntu phambi kokuba kwenziwe okanye kuphunyezwe nayiphi na imigaqo okanye amanyathelo asemthethweni.
Oku makungabi yimigaqo eyenzelwe amafama ngaphandle kwamafama.
Makube yimigaqo eyenziwa kunye namafama, isuka kumava amafama, kwaye ixhamlisa uluntu oluthwele ezi zityalo, olu lwazi, kunye nendalo yethu izizukulwana ngezizukulwana.
I-AFASA Western Cape imele inkqubo yezolimo esekelwe kubulungisa, ulondolozo lwendalo, isidima, ubunini bamafama, kunye nokhuseleko lwendalo.
Ngemibuliso emihle,
Shaun Cairns
Secretary
AFASA Western Cape
