The Department will be contributing to the following five strategic goals which are mainly aimed at contributing to the following outcome:
- Vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities contributing towards food security for all;
- Sustainable rural and agricultural development
- Animal and plant health, food safety and effective risk management
- Optimized stakeholder relations
- Sustainable resource management
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is an integral part of the South African Public Service established in terms of section 197 of the Constitution, read with sections 7(1) and 7(2) of the Public Service Act of 1994.As a concurrent national and provincial legislative competency listed in Schedule 4 of the Constitution, the Department, as part of the system of concurrent governance, derives its administrative mandate from both the national and the provincial executive authorities and its legislative mandate is comprehensively documented in its Annual Report for 2009/10, the Strategic Plan for 2010/15 and all the Annual Performance Plans since, all based on the latter.
- The mandate is currently vested in the following categories of statutes:
- Legislation for Transformation
- Veterinary and animal health related legislation
- Plant and Crop related legislation
- Soil Conservation and Land care
- Land and land reform
- Administrative legislation