Apartheid is the political system of racial segregation established in South Africa that prevented blacks and other non-whites from engaging in civil, social or economic freedoms that whites experienced.  Apartheid legally ended in South Africa in 1990.

Extension, sometimes referred to as continuing education, covers a vast array of services for the public but is mostly concerned with post-secondary learning in the life sciences.  For agriculture, this is generally in the form of Extension personnel (agents, educators, officers) who meet with farmers in the field to assist in solving problems.  A popular youth program offered through Extension in the United States is the 4-H program.  The Extension system varies in each country.

In the United States, those who work in non-formal agricultural and life sciences education are typically called Extension agents or educators.  However, in South Africa those working in the non-formal agricultural education field are titled Extension Officers.

Marked by a diverse topography but scarred by segregation and white suppression, South Africa stands as a remarkable model for overcoming adversity and establishing peace.  Located on the lower tip of the continent of Africa, South Africa is nearly twice the size of Texas and bordered by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.  This prime location provoked the Dutch East India Company to establish a settlement at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.  The Dutch settlers became known as the Boers and later as the Afrikaners.  Dutch and British settlers flooded to South Africa after the discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1887.  The two countries vied for control of South Africa during the Boer War from 1899 to 1902.  Despite a British victory, both the British and the Afrikaners ruled the Union of South Africa (South Africa, 2008). Little regard was given to the natives of South Africa, the Sans and the Bantu peoples (Bureau of African Affairs, 2008).  The National Party established apartheid in 1948, dividing people by race of black, white, colored, and Asian.  Separate schools, beaches, busses and even park benches separated the country among races creating inequality and derision (South Africa, 2008)

The ramifications of apartheid began to escalate in the 1960s. The African National Congress (ANC), an anti-apartheid organization originally founded in 1912, was banned after “70 black protestors were killed during a peaceful demonstration in Sharpesville” in 1960 (South Africa, 2008).  Nelson Mandela, the ANC leader, was imprisoned for life in 1964.  Segregation and persecution continued, but injustice incensed not only the black Africans but also the rest of the world.  During the 1960s, the United Nations began to place sanctions on South Africa and several countries broke affiliation and trade with South Africa.  In 1976, an uprising in Soweto, a black township, grew to other townships, resulting in the death of 600 people, mostly high school students. 

In 1989, F.W. de Klerk became president of South Africa.  Over his reign of power from 1989 to 1994, de Klerk worked toward ending a divided South Africa.  He demolished the band on the ANC and released Nelson Mandela, its leader, from prison.  Mandela and de Klerk strived toward a new constitution, abolishing apartheid.  They won the joint Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their efforts.

Although South Africa has made tremendous progress, the wounds of apartheid still continue to heal.  According to the 2001 census, over 43 million people live in South Africa, with 79% black African, 9.6% white, 8.9% colored, and 2.5% Indian/Asian.  Of this total population, in 2003, 86.4% are literate, in 2000, 50% are below poverty, and 24.2% are unemployed as of 2007.  The HIV/AIDS rate in South Africa is one of the highest in the world with 5.3 million in 2003.  The country is vulnerable to extensive droughts and must deal with increasing environmental concerns such as acid rain from air pollution, soil erosion, desertification and water shortages (South Africa, 2008).

While these figures are alarming, the forecast for South Africa is not bleak.  According to The CIA World Factbook (South Africa, 2008), South Africa is considered a middle-income, emerging market with a stock exchange that is the 17th largest in the world.  In urban areas, the infrastructure supports trade which is essential for agricultural products and industries such as corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits and vegetables, beef, poultry, metalworking, automobile assembly, chemicals, fertilizers and textiles.  South Africa leads the world in the production of platinum, gold, and chromium.

While agriculture comprises only 2.2 percent of the GDP in South Africa, it is still important to its economy and development (South Africa, 2008).  South Africa has a dual agricultural economy with a commercial, highly sophisticated segment and then a subsistence-orientated sector.  Most South African farmers fall into the subsistence category.  The commercial sector is primarily white-controlled and with the help of research and management has nearly doubled agricultural production (National Economics Encyclopedia, 2007).

Research and farm management knowledge should be available to black subsistence farmers as well.  Apartheid has left an ugly wound on a beautiful country and people, and leaders must work toward developing equal, economically viable opportunities for all South African citizens.  Education has an essential role in moving the country progressively forward through equal access of knowledge and skills.

Resources

Bureau of African Affairs. (2008). Background note:  South Africa. Retrieved April 7, 2008, from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2898.htm.

National Economics Encyclopedia. (2007). South Africa, Agriculture. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Africa/South-Africa-AGRICULTURE.html.

South Africa. (2007). In the CIA world factbook [online]. Retrieved April 7, 2008, from

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html.

A popular term among safari guides today, the phrase comes from big-game hunters and is comprised of the five most difficult African animals to hunt on foot.  The Big Five includes:  the lion, leopard, African elephant, black or white rhinoceros, and African buffalo.  INTAG 397A students saw all members of the Big 5 in Kruger National Park.

Subsistence farming, or self-sufficient farming, refers to those who raise enough crops for the family to consume with little to no surplus.  This term is often applied to emerging farmers in South Africa.

Afrikaans is an Indo-European language originating from the 17th Century Dutch language.  Afrikaans is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa.

Zulu is another official language of South Africa (there are 11 official languages).