Agriculture, Food Security & Community Development

Lima was originally founded in response to the needs of South Africa's disadvantaged farmers. Smallholder farmers in rural areas are cut off from the markets and services they need to build successful farming businesses. Lima breaks that isolation and brings them into the agri-business value chain with links to input suppliers, credit, mechanisation, technical support and market access.

Low economic growth and shocks such as floods, riots and the Covid-19 pandemic mean poverty and food insecurity in South Africa keep rising. In vulnerability surveys done by Lima, 60% of rural households report hunger, dropping to 40% in urban areas.

Lima supports agriculture and food security projects in over 20 districts, working with 15 000 farmers in six provinces. Our farmer support services make a real difference to family income and food security. An independent impact study by UKZN measured Lima's community impact at 500%.

We have expanded our farmer support programme to 400 medium-scale grain farmers (35 ha on average), funded by the Louis Dreyfus Foundation. Farmers get loans and mechanisation support, and their sunflower, maize and beans are sold through local depots. Through De Beers Diamonds we support 800 farmers in Musina and Blouberg in northern Limpopo, which has led to big increases in production and local jobs. A farmers' agri-hub is being set up in Blouberg for medium-scale potato and tomato farmers.