InvestRural Agricultural Development

The InvestRural Agricultural Development Project is based on the development of available and underutilised groundwater resources within Rural Land under the jurisdiction of Local Traditional Authorities. This will lead to the development of in the order of 100 Agricultural hubs, each consisting of an anchor farm with approximately 120-hectares irrigation each, with several surrounding satellite farms with a total irrigation of roughly 80-hectares, spread out throughout the Rural Areas of South Africa. The program forms an integral part of the InvestRural Program, a South African initiative that seeks to unlock the potential within traditional communities, of which the Master Plan is endorsed by the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders (NHTKL).

The project is proposed as a partnership between impact funders, the InvestRural Development (Pty) Ltd representing InvestRural nationally backed by the NHTKL, the Touching Africa Agricultural Services Co-operative representing the professional team required to execute the project with needed functions and capacity, the ABBA program as agricultural and farming support specialists and agencies, as well as the relevant community, effectively structured in appropriate legal entities.

With a proposed budget of 560 million USD, this program will lead to the development of 20 000-hectares previously underutilised irrigation land, with a substantial impact on food security and socio- economic upliftment in South Africa. The project is foreseen to have a viable financial return, with additional quantifiable returns in socio-economic upliftment and environmental benefits.