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Millions of rands have been allocated to food security projects for the 2022/23 financial year. The Northern Cape MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform, Mase Manopole, stated the money will be used to repair and upgrade food security systems. A total of R400 000 will be spent in the Pixley ka Seme District, while over R790 000 will be spent in the Frances Baard District, and R650 000 will be used in the ZF Mgcawu District. The highest budget allocation for food security projects went to the Namakwa District, with R1.9 million.  
The agricultural sector is expected to grow slowly as the year goes on, this is despite it being one of the strongest performers in the South African economy in the previous years. The report released by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) states that while prices are high, production costs increased very sharply and continue to rise with the war in Ukraine going on. OFM News' Heidre Malgas reports that logistical constraints are factors that will bring profitability under pressure.

An oversight visit to the Free State ended with a public hearing on the working and living conditions of farm workers. The oversight visit was conducted by the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, and the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Land. The visit came after various stakeholders informed the committee that the reality of agricultural work is a harsh one. The Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour explained the oversight visit was also due to the motion that was raised in the National Assembly in 2020, which recommended that both committees must embark on nationwide oversight visits to farms to assess the plight of farmworkers across all provinces.

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The farming sector in the Free State province happens to be dominated by males, and the provincial department of Agriculture is looking into ways they can get more females into the sector. The departmental spokesperson, Zimasa Mbewu, tells OFM News that inequality is one of the challenges they have come across when assisting young farmers’ businesses. One of the ways the department will balance the inequality is through the department's programme, Youth In Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. Mbewu further explains that the department will offer assistance to females that have an interest in farming.

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