A couple of years ago, adaptability was needed in the agricultural environment. Today, this is still one of the key drivers for survival in a global arena, but equally important is identifying beneficial partnerships with the ability to find co-operative and creative solutions for the many challenges facing the sector.
This ability is particularly important in creating food certainty as defined in the Agri SA congress manifest.
“Food certainty is different from food security. It is something more. Food certainty depends on the ability to buy food that is safe, available and affordable, with money earned from being employed, from viable and sustainable businesses that pay taxes that are used to build and maintain infrastructure and services. This is a sustainable view on food certainty,” said Lindi Stroebel in her opening address as programme director at the congress.
Phineas Gumede, vice-president of Agri SA, added that food certainty went further than affordability, availability or accessibility. “Infrastructure and a sustainable approach is imperative to achieving the basic level of food certainty. This is what the agriculture sector needs to not only to produce food, but to make food available in the value chain.”
He ended his welcome with a stern warning: “A country that lacks a strong organised agriculture sector supported by government and social structures will fail dismally in providing food to feed its citizens.
Jaco Minnaar, re-elected Agri SA president, stressed in his address: “As individuals and as a collective, we should all put a shoulder to the wheel to address and improve all the factors that impact food security. We can’t look back in 10 years with regret because we failed to address today’s challenges. The time to act is now.”
Denne historien er fra November 03, 2023-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra November 03, 2023-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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.
