Encouraging young people into agriculture runs into four barriers in a fixed order: access to land, secure water, practical skills, and a buyer. Programmes that address one of them in isolation rarely produce farmers. The entrants who succeed usually start smaller than expected, lease rather than buy, and secure the buyer before scaling production.
The accessible entry points are also not where most people look.
Land: lease before you buy
Buying farmland requires capital most new entrants do not have, and it ties up money better spent on production. A registered long lease, a properly documented communal arrangement or a share-farming agreement gives you enough security to invest a season.
What matters is a right you can rely on for long enough to recover what you put in. Improving land you may lose in two seasons is how new farmers lose money.
Water is the binding constraint
Much of the country is water-scarce, and irrigation generally requires a lawful entitlement. Taking water from a river, dam or borehole without one is unlawful and an enforcement action mid-season ends a crop.
Establish the water position before planning around irrigation. Dryland farming is cheaper and far more weather-exposed, and that trade should be a deliberate choice.
Skills and the cheaper entry points
Practical experience matters more than theory, and working on an established operation for a season teaches more than any course. Provincial extension officers advise on what performs locally, free.
The most accessible entries are not primary production: agro-processing, input supply, mechanisation services, transport and cold chain, and agricultural technology all serve farming without requiring land. Margins in processing are generally better than in growing.
Funding follows land, water and a market
Development finance for agriculture is comparatively available. The National Empowerment Fund supports entrepreneurs and women-owned ventures, the National Youth Development Agency covers under-35s, and provincial departments run their own schemes.
Every funder wants the same four things: a compliant registered entity, secured land, lawful water, and evidence of a buyer. Applications without those are declined regardless of enthusiasm.
Frequently asked questions
What stops young people entering agriculture?
Access to land, secure water rights, practical skills and a confirmed buyer, in that order.
Should a new farmer buy or lease land?
Lease, or use a documented communal or share-farming arrangement. Buying ties up capital better spent on production.
Why does water come before crop choice?
Because irrigation requires a lawful entitlement, and farming without one risks enforcement action mid-season.
What are the easier entry points?
Agro-processing, input supply, mechanisation services, transport and cold chain, and agricultural technology, none of which need land.
What do agricultural funders require?
A compliant entity, secured land, lawful water and evidence of a market. Enthusiasm without those is declined.
Further reading
Originally published in April 2018. Updated September 2026 into practical guidance on entering agriculture as a young farmer.
