What are your thoughts on South Africa’s agriculture sector? What impressed you and what was worrying?
South Africa is like every other place in the world: it has assets and liabilities. A perfect agricultural environment doesn’t exist anywhere on the planet, so you have to leverage your resources and mitigate your deficiencies.
Flying from Cape Town to East London, I was struck by the brownfields: no different from the grain-growing regions of the US. These fields need cover crops desperately to keep a covering on the soil. Nothing destroys soil faster than being naked.
The few cattle I’ve seen have been left to graze continuously rather than being mob-stocked. This also gradually depletes the vegetation, turning good plants into poor plants. It reduces overall biomass production.
I’m impressed with your water and warmth. Much of our precipitation in Virginia comes in the form of snow and we get intense freezing. To have such a long growing season and be able to pipe water easily is a true blessing.
Why should farmers use more environmentally-friendly farming practices?
For all their political and fractious stories, civilisations rise and fall primarily because of ecology. They rise during abundance and collapse during scarcity. Agriculture, from the beginning of human history, doesn’t have a good ecological track record and generally exhibits practices and attitudes dedicated to exploitation rather than nurturing.
Esta historia es de la edición December 02, 2022 de Farmer's Weekly.
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Esta historia es de la edición December 02, 2022 de Farmer's Weekly.
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Inexperienced farmers may be tempted to grow seedlings from seed themselves, but they have much to gain by trusting a seedling grower at a nursery to perform this task for them instead
South African avocado production: a success story
Avocado production in South Africa has expanded markedly since the industry's humble beginnings over 80 years ago. From a small grove planted in 1938 in what was then Nelspruit, the industry has blossomed to seven million trees planted on 20 000ha. Dr Guy Witney, project manager at Great Brak Avos, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the country's avocado production.
Unlocking value through livestock exports
Exporting livestock might sound like a daunting business that's better left for big companies, but Gerrie Ferreira, who farms near Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, has been doing it successfully for almost 30 years, sometimes in partnership with other breeders. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the huge potential this market holds, and offers some advice for farmers who are contemplating going this route.
An agribusiness's dedication to community upliftment
For agribusiness NWK, located in Lichtenburg, North West, corporate social investment is an important part of creating a positive influence alongside financial returns. Johan Bezuidenhout, NWK’s group manager of corporate marketing and communication, spoke to Annelie Coleman about why the company chooses to invest millions of rands in the area it operates in every year.
Empowering dreams, transforming lives
Since its launch in 2013, the Agri's Got Talent competition has revolutionised the lives of many farmworkers by unlocking their hidden talents and fostering a culture of empowerment. Glenneis Kriel spoke to various finalists about how the contest has changed their lives.
Foreign investment: agriculture maintains its appeal
South Africa remains a popular destination for foreign investors, despite an often negative outlook from its citizens. It is a gateway to Africa, and with its counterseasonal production to the Northern Hemisphere and favourable weather, local agriculture is especially well placed to attract foreign interest, bringing with it hope for rural communities
The real value and message of COP29 for SA agriculture
While the 2024 Conference of the Parties may have disappointed those who hoped for real progress, it's more important for South African agriculture to highlight its role in carbon mitigation
Improving efficiencies in feed and grain milling
Bühler, a Swiss-based company that provides solutions and equipment for various industries, including food and animal feed processing, has pledged that by 2025, it will deliver scalable solutions that will reduce energy, waste and water by 50% in the value chains of its customers.
Tips for better olive production
At an SA Olive Association field day in November, industry experts shared ways to improve olive production efficiencies, from soil preparation to harvesting.
More effort needed to protect vulnerable cheetah
On International Cheetah Day, commemorated every year on 4 December, emphasis was placed on the vulnerability of the species.
