Newly-elected president of Wildlife Ranching SA, Tebogo Mogashoa, says transformation of the game industry and advocating for the legal trade in rhino horn will be among the top focal points for the organisation this year.
Transformation is one of Wildlife Ranching South Africa’s (WRSA) key focus areas, and we encourage our members to support it. We have full-time consultants who advise members on transformation, and we also partner with provincial governments and environmental departments to advise beneficiaries of land restitution programmes on how to enter the wildlife and biodiversity economy.
Market valuations and know-how are two barriers to entry for new game breeders. I always advise new entrants to invest in a factory, not a zoo. In other words, one must buy an economically viable production unit of a species, for example a nyala bull and 20 ewes, so that they can breed sustainably and increase in numbers.
If you invest in different species without a coordinated investment programme that is optimised according to established breeding practices, you own a zoo – and it will not show growth.
If a new entrant invests incorrectly from day one, undoing those initial mistakes can be frustrating and expensive. New entrants also need advice on how to acquire the correct genetics at the right price. The WRSA supports new entrants with advice on how best to invest in game and how to acquire land, build infrastructure and learn about the animals’ health and feeding needs.
NAMIBIA-STYLE TRANSFORMATION
The Namibian model in which rural communities run hunting operations on communal land may also work in South Africa.
The WRSA has a project in the Northern Cape, called the Komani SAN Project, where we provide advice and management support to a community running a 14 000ha hunting operation on communal land. We have managed to put together a sustainable hunting operation in conjunction with them.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Farmer's Weekly 4 May 2018 من Farmer's Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Farmer's Weekly 4 May 2018 من Farmer's Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
