The Centane-Mbashe Agricultural Initiative (CMAI) is one of South Africa’s most ambitious efforts to revitalise rural economies through collaborative, community-based agriculture. Situated in the Eastern Cape, the initiative brings together local communities, government partners, and investors to transform communal land into productive, sustainable farmland — creating economic opportunity while promoting food security and environmental stewardship.

Since 2012, CMAI has worked with more than 2,000 landowners across 34 villages, activating over 2,400 hectares of land for maize and soybean production. The project represents a pioneering attempt to aggregate smallholder farmers into a coordinated, commercially viable agricultural enterprise while maintaining a focus on inclusive development, women’s participation, and community empowerment.

In 2025, SOUL Africa was commissioned by the Nedbank Legacy Trust to conduct an independent socio-economic impact assessment of the CMAI. The assessment explored the initiative’s achievements, challenges, and opportunities for the future — with a focus on strengthening its financial resilience, governance, and community engagement models.

Through this work, SOUL contributed strategic recommendations for the next phase of the CMAI’s evolution: advancing diversification within and beyond agriculture, supporting youth and women’s participation, and integrating regenerative, circular, and climate-smart practices into the project’s operations.

CMAI demonstrates the complex yet inspiring journey of building sustainable livelihoods on communal land — one that blends commercial innovation with social justice and shared value. SOUL’s involvement reflects our ongoing commitment to enabling systems-based change that empowers communities, regenerates ecosystems, and redefines what inclusive development can look like in South Africa’s rural and peri-urban contexts.