IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

The total number of farms/ farming units involved in the commercial agriculture industry in 2017 was 6 937. The largest proportion of farms was in horticulture (2 266 farms or 32,7% of the total), followed by mixed farming (1 886 or 27,2%) and farming of animals (1 501 or 21,6%). The district municipality with the highest number of farms in 2017 was Cape Winelands (1 995 farms or 28,8% of the provincial total), followed by West Coast (1 543 or 22,2%) and Eden (1 270 or 18,3%).

The total income for the commercial agriculture industry in 2017 was R64,4 billion, which was 245% higher than the R18,6 billion recorded for 2007. In 2017, the major contributor to total income was horticulture (R26,8 billion or 41,5%), followed by mixed farming (R16,6 billion or 25,8%) and farming of animals (R13,6 billion or 21,2%). The district municipality contributing the most to total income in 2017 was Cape Winelands (R27,3 billion or 42,4%), followed by West Coast (R13,5 billion or 20,9%) and Overberg (R10,1 billion or 15,7%).

The total number of persons employed in commercial agriculture on 30 June 2018 was 186 998, down from 204 513 on 28 February 2007 (‑8,6%). In terms of employment, the major commercial agriculture activity in 2017 was horticulture (107 381 employees or 57,4% of the total), followed by mixed farming (38 610 or 20,6%) and farming of animals (20 470 or 11,0%).