THE (SMALL) FARMER SUPPORT PROGRAMME AFTER SEVEN YEARS OF IMPLEMENTATION

DBSA's effort to introduce a small holder farmer support system through its funding programme was partly motivated as a response to the ineffective but costly large scale project approach in black agriculture. The aim was to construct a paradigm shift in policy thinking as well as to institute a shift in investment to provide access to support services to large numbers of small holders in homelands. It was further argued that such an approach conceptually constitutes the normalization of an agricultural support system which could provide a basis for integrating black and white agricultural services and for policy reform in South Africa. The programme approach also provided the basis to support farming within an integrated rural context. The FSP approach to agricultural development achieved the status of an important strategy for rural development in South Africa's homeland areas and it is estimated that 55 000 people are presently directly supported by 35 FSPs. Its application is characterised by a flexible "learning by doing" and "user friendly" approach. This philosophy largely explains the expansion and related changes in the implementation of FSPs. It is expected that FSPs will expand into a major development strategy in South African agriculture, especially in the rural sector in the homeland areas