South Africa (RSA) Data Book
- Allison Nederveld
- Gary Eilerts
Last update: August 23, 2024
This page contains information about some of the data available in the FEWS NET Data Explorer (FDE) for South Africa. This is not a comprehensive guide.
For information about using the filters and fields for specific domains in the FDE, see Choose a Data Domain.
Summary table
ISO 3166-1 codes | Alpha 2: ZA, Alpha 3: ZAF, Numeric: 710 |
|---|---|
Administrative units | Province, metropolitan/district |
Agricultural seasons | Winter (May - September), Main/summer (November - April) |
Major crops | Grains (maize, wheat, barley, oats, and sorghum) |
Country food security context
The country code for South Africa is ZA from the Afrikaans Zuid Afrika.
The country code for Zimbabwe is ZW.
The country code for Zambia is ZM.
Statistical reporting units
The administrative hierarchy is generally used as the principal statistical reporting unit.
Administrative (admin) units are the geographical areas into which a country is divided. FEWS NET uses the following terminology: National boundary = admin 0, First sub-national division = admin 1 (e.g., states in the United States), Second sub-national division = admin 2 (e.g., counties in the United States), and so on.
Admin 1: Province. FEWS NET has created one admin 1 boundary set dated 1994. Administrative reporting unit level 1 name changes occurred between 1994 and 2003. However, there were no changes in boundaries.
Admin 2: Metropolitan or district.
Crop data
Explore our crop data.
View our documentation on using the Crop Domain.
Crop estimate data sources
The FEWS NET South Africa crop dataset was initially created thanks to access being granted to the official RSA Statistics Directorate database on March 22, 2016. Since then, annual updates have been applied using official data at the South African Grain Information Service (SAGIS) site: https://www.sagis.org.za
The FEWS NET correction notation found for certain crop estimate records reflects a Source Document error corrected in the FEWS NET data. The Head of the RSA Statistics Directorate acknowledged the error, but noted that they can't change the official record because there is no official procedure to do so.
Crop reporting units
Crop statistics are primarily available at the Admin 1 level.
Historical crop data were re-compiled by the RSA/ZA Ag Stat office to fit the 1994 Admin 1 boundaries. To have a record of boundaries before that, the old admin/political boundaries have been recorded in FEWS NET’s Admin Evolution data. The 1994 boundaries are used for the entire 1979-present South African crop dataset.
Year and season definitions
Main or Summer season: Generally considered November - April.
Winter season: This season is mostly based upon irrigation, important in South Africa’s grain production. It starts in May and ends before October in most cases.
Annual cropping cycle: May 1 - April 30 of the next year. In a two-year notation format (e.g. 2022/2023), a crop year is referred to as the second year of the two (YYYY=XXXX/YYYY), or end-aligned (when main season crops are normally harvested).
Example: 2016 refers to May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016.
For each crop, there are multiple (5-8) estimates carried out throughout the year. Summer crop estimates are generally finalized in the September to November period, and Winter crops in February to May of the next year. FEWS NET generally only records the final estimate for each season and year.
Important crops
South Africa's biggest crop is grain, which includes maize, wheat, barley, oats, and sorghum.
Production systems
Most of the South African crop data in the FDW is described as commercial production, often coming from large farms operating with irrigation, commercial credit, and resource-intensive practices. This farming sector is responsive to a well-developed national farming, banking, export and marketing infrastructure.
The “developing sector” is how official crop stats refer to small-holder (or “non-commercial”) crop production. Except for a few scattered years, there is no way to break developing-sector crop estimates down by province.
Methodology of Crop Estimation
Extensive documentation of South African crop estimates and production can be found at the South African Grain Information Service. The Ministry of Agriculture also provides extensive crop data and information at: https://www.dalrrd.gov.za.
Preliminary estimated total production figures, as compiled and released by the national Crop Estimates Committee (CEC), are eventually revised using estimates from the South Africa Grain Information Services (SAGIS) of actual deliveries to provide additional basis for the final calculations.
Figures from maize, sunflower seed, soybean, groundnut and sorghum utilisation surveys of on-farm usage and retentions conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and a telephonic survey conducted by the National Crop Statistics Consortium (NCSC) are added to the SAGIS delivery figures to calculate final crop production figures.