Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, which draws its mandate from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, applicable policies, legislations, National and Provincial Development plans, ANC manifesto is mandated to implement progressive rural development, land reform and food security programmes. This is done through implementation of rural development focusing on meeting basic needs, land reform and rural enterprise development, supported by localised markets, credit facilities and economic infrastructure. Critical to this mandate is the increase of investment in agricultural infrastructure in support of small-holder farmer development, prioritising former homeland communal areas, continue to improve the tenure security and administration of people living in communal areas with emphasis on women’s tenure security.

The department is using its programmes to strengthen support for co-operatives in marketing and supply activities to enable small-scale producers to enter formal value chains and take advantage of economies of scale. This includes targeting public institutions as primary buyers of agricultural goods and support for small-scale producers’ access to municipal markets. At the heart of the programmes of the department is to expand the Food for All programme as part of the national integrated food and nutrition policy for procuring and distributing affordable essential foodstuffs directly to poor communities to eradicate poverty. Issues of acceleration of the settlement of remaining land claims submitted before the cut-off date of 1998, re-opening of the period for the lodgment of claims for restitution of land for a period of five years, which commenced in 2014, codifying the exceptions to the 1913 cut-off date for the descendants of the Khoi and San, and identifying affected heritage sites and historical landmarks, are a national competence that is driven by the national Rural Development and Agrarian Reform department Programmes of the department are structured into 8 main programmes named as follows:

Promote, support and coordinate rural development and agrarian reform interventions to reduce poverty and underdevelopment through job creation, integrated food security programmes, and equitable participation in development by all rural communities.