South African Food Security and the lack of Transport Systems essays

South African Food Security and the lack of Transport Systems essays South African Food Security and the lack of Transport Systems Agriculture is often a major part of any countries economy. It not only serves as a means of feeding the nations people, but also may serve as an excellent export to other countries. We are all familiar with Florida Oranges, Idaho Potatoes, and even Wisconsin Cheese. These have become famous for their unique taste or perhaps just marketability, which is an important strategy of foodstuffs next to the transportation systems. For example, because ours in the U.S. are up to date, it allows us to get certain crops, such as rice from Japan in a timely, low cost manner. However, in the SADC (Southern African Development Council) it is not that easy. Throughout this paper we will take a look at why that is from past to present, define agricultural development and offer reasons why an adequate transport system is necessary. African agricultural development history can be broken down into four periods: Pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial and present day. There is similarities and differences between these periods that may offer some insight to how Africa grew into the situations they now face. Agriculture at this time was classified by subsistence farming and shifting cultivation due to a low land population. All food or most was cultivated for consumption by farmers and others who lived nearby and was directly linked to nutrition. At this time transport systems were virtually unnecessary. Agriculture during the colonial period, 1880 to mid 1960, was drastically altered and turned from being self-sufficient to on the verge of starvation. Colonization imposed the farming of cash crops along with several market and tax policies. This separated agriculture form nutrition, the backbone of African farming. The land needed to be under constant cultivation, rather than seasonal which was another way the Europeans exploit ...