The Expropriation of Agricultural Land: Understanding its Effects on Food Security and Economic Growth in South Africa

The current debate about the expropriation of agricultural land was trigged after the unsuccessfulness of the willing buyer, willing seller approach to allocating land among the previously dispossessed South Africans. The willing buyer, willing seller policy targeted allocating 30 percent of the land to the poor (mostly black people); however, this has not been achieved. Therefore, expropriation of agricultural land was suggested to solve the racial inequalities in land ownership. Despite the fact that there are studies conducted that focus on land expropriation without compensation and food security, there is less attention given to how the expropriation of agricultural land can affect food security and the economic growth of South Africa. This work relies heavily on secondary sources to gather pertinent data. It performs a comprehensive textual study of the literature related to the expropriation of agricultural land. The paper argues that the expropriation of productive agricultural land might have a detrimental impact on South Africa's food security and economic growth. The land expropriation can affect productive agricultural land since agricultural production will decline, food prices will hike, and the majority of people will lose their jobs. Moreover, the allocation of land to South Africans who lack experience in farming can also be dangerous for the economy and food security.