At the core of the problem is the fact that South African farmers have no safety net. Consequently, farmers have no other option during drought years but to apply their own reserves or capital to accommodate and facilitate borrowing capacity, which will help them to continue absorbing the losses of the current and previous years. This of course depletes the farmers’ own capital and capital reserves, forcing them to use credit to finance the next year’s production costs22. It is important to note that very few farmers receive monthly salaries, but only an income after harvesting crops or selling livestock, which may vary from year to year and is not inflation-adjusted like a salary23. Moreover, livestock farmers are compelled to utilise cash savings to buy fodder in a bid to increase their animals’ condition to be able to sell them. However, fodder prices have skyrocketed because availability plummeted as a result of the drought. It is a vicious circle: farmers are subsequently forced to either sell or slaughter their animals, which leads to an oversupply of red meat and the subsequent drop in red meat prices24. Also, when farmers have to sell or slaughter their complete herds, or even the majority of herds, genetic built-up of many years is lost. According to Willemse, Strydom and Venter, this may take at least seven years to correct25. It is also important to take cognisance of the fact that most farmers employ on average six workers on their farms, while each workers has a family of five, on average. Simple maths show that, on average, 30 people depend on the farmer and his farm. However, it is not only commercial agriculture that is affected by the lack of clear leadership and business enhancing policies by the South African government. Also vulnerable – in fact, even more vulnerable – are the emerging farmers who, according to Government policy, have no ownership or title deeds to land. This means that emerging farmers do not have land to use as security to raise credit. As is the case with commercial farmers, emerging farmers are forced to use their savings (if they 22 Willemse, J., Strydom, D. & Venter, M. (2015). Implications of 2015 drought on economy, agri markets and consumers. Available at http://www.growinggreatness.co.za/implications-of-lingering2015-drought-on-economy-agricultural-markets-food-processors-input-suppliers-and-consumers/. 23 Ibid. 24 Ibid. 25 Ibid.