This book weeds out many of the myths about the platteland -- myths sprung from the manure spread by self-serving politicians that can find fertile soil in the withered fields of disillusion.

In his previous two books about South African agriculture, the affable Wandile Sihlobo generally took a diplomatic tone when it came to government failures and half-baked policies.

But Sihlobo, the chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz), has taken the gloves off in his latest book, co-authored with Johann Kirsten, Director of the Bureau for Economic Research at Stellenbosch University.

The Uncomfortable Truth about South Africa's Agriculture takes aim at decades of government bungling, missteps, corruption and ill-conceived policies that have squandered the promise of land reform, a process that is crucial for food security, economic growth and the rectifying of glaring economic imbalances rooted in apartheid.

This book also weeds out many of the myths about the platteland -- myths sprung from the manure spread by self-serving and populist politicians that can find fertile soil in the withered fields of disillusion.

Among the domestic challenges confronting South African agriculture, Sihlobo and Kirsten are scathing in their assessment.

"A malfunctioning State Veterinary Service is...