Your leading partner in sustainable of natural resources. To provide a sound Natural Resources Management System contributing to sustainable development for a better life for all.
The department’s mandate is to ensure that effective and efficient agricultural and environmental services are rendered to the people of North West Province. This responsibility entails harnessing the potential for agricultural growth and environmental stability as a means towards building prosperous communities in the province.
The department carries out this through comprehensive agricultural economic activities that range from the provision of farming inputs and value addition to environmental regulations and capacity-building interventions.
The core focus areas of the department, namely agriculture and environment, are addressed through the following programmes:
Agricultural-Support Services: This programme provides expert agricultural-support services to farmers in the province to ensure the sustainable management of agricultural development and the meaningful growth of the province’s economy.
District Services: The main aim of this programme is to provide agricultural- and environmental-extension services to departmental clients by ensuring that sustainable management of resources is attained in each of the four districts in the province. It is also responsible for the facilitation of access to finance, markets and land, as well as the settlement and development of new black farmers.
Environmental Services: This programme regulates and manages the environment in a sustainable manner by ensuring that the provision of biodiversity and conservation regulatory services is monitored and environmental compliance adhered to.
The main activity in this project is the replacement of old irrigation equipment (pivots) so as to reduce high maintenance costs and raise net farm income and productivity. An amount of R6.2-million has already been spent to complete drainage-system repairs, replace irrigation pivots and the sprinkler system, and complete the bridge construction. A total of R300-million is needed to bring the scheme to full functioning capacity.
This programme, based on the Expanded Public Works Programme model, is meant to fence grazing areas and crops in villages to control the carrying capacity of the land, with the aim of conserving natural vegetation. The programme is expected to continue for a considerable period. So far 723km of fencing has been constructed and 31 groups, comprising 683 people, have been trained. It is estimated that from a budget of R5.4-million more than 3 000 people will have been trained in fence construction and repair by the end of 2009.
The purpose of this bilateral development co-operative between the governments of South Africa and Finland is to build appropriate human capacity regarding environmental management and sustainable development in the province. This will be achieved through the institutionalisation of environment planning and the management of products, procedures and systems. The department is now in a better position to apply the latest technological interventions in environmental protection, monitoring and planning.
The transformation of ownership and participation in the game industry is increasing, with the black- economic empowerment strategy for this sector in the implementation stage. A pilot project for game farming has been completed and 800 hectares of land have been secured from community- trust land. The features of this project include the incorporation of consumptive and non- consumptive tourism and wildlife management. The department has the endorsement and support of key partners such as the Professional Hunting Association of South Africa, Safari Club International, African Wildlife Foundation, World Conservation Union and the European Internal Council for Wildlife Conservation.