National government and all of South Africa's provinces have growth and development strategies which feature poverty alleviation as a key objective as poverty is a huge challenge in the country. Agriculture features strongly as an economic activity that can contribute to providing livelihoods for largely unskilled people in arid rural areas. This study investigated whether olives, which are often suggested as a suitable "development" crop, could contribute to establishing resource poor farmers in marginal or arid areas. Olive farming by new black entrants is being tried only at a pilot scale in the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces with public funding from the provincial governments. The South African formal olive industry recognises that it could play a role in training and supporting new entrants. This study looked at how the bigger agricultural sectors in South African, like the potato or sugar industry, support new black entrants, and fund collective marketing and research and development to the benefit of their entire sector. The study also explored whether the formal olive growing sector in South Africa has considered accessing new markets like the nutraceuticals or cosmeceuticals markets, and whether the industry would consider biotechnology as an option to create a bigger, more locally adapted olive growing sector. Suitable GMO and non-GMO options for olive cultivation and processing were reviewed with key industry players in South Africa.