Why those germs are good for you
A grubby farm-type childhood boosts the immune system. Today’s bug-fearing parents worry needlessly.
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The claims on retail products
Thank you for the article ‘Who’s educating consumers?’ (28 September, pg 6). Lindi van Rooyen described the dilemma faced by farmers very nicely.
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Who’s educating consumers?
Ill-informed consumers who demand less crop protection chemicals and have irrational fears of genetically modified food are a risk to farmer’s survival. Who is taking responsibility to ensure that the truth about food is getting to the consumer, asks Lindi van Rooyen.
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Producing organic food just isn’t paying
Organic farming has come under fire by one of the world’s leading organic food producing countries. Helena Jonsson, president of the Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF), said that Swedish farmers aren’t...
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Organic food doesn’t pay - Sweden
Organic farming has come under fire by one of the world’s leading organic food producing countries.
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West Coast’s natural veggies
Werner Brand is growing vegetables successfully, using organic methods, on the arid, windy West Coast – an almost unheard-of achievement. Keri Harvey visited him to find out how he does it.
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The Dutch connection
With the Netherlands being the second largest importer of South African fruit, local farmers need to adapt to the Dutch consumers’ preference for sustainably produced food. Prof Nico Visser, agricultural counsellor at the Dutch embassy in Pretoria, spoke to Jaco Visser.
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Decades on – still paying the Cubans
South Africa’s grant of R40 million to Cuban farmers for seed purchases is baffling when local farmers’ requests for subsidies have been denied. Lindi van Rooyen asks when the Cuban ‘struggle’ debt will finally be paid.
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Making the future sustainable
Whether you call it biological or sustainable farming, it amounts to the same thing - a holistic approach to farming with nature.
Frank Winder, director of Advanced Nutrients SA, spoke to Robyn Joubert about how farmers can avoid the “bottom-line dip” when switching to farming in a more environmentally friendly way.
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Putting food on tables and shelves
The Organic Farms Group uplifts impoverished communities by teaching them to grow organic vegetables on a progressively larger scale. It is affiliated to Rotary International in a programme called Reach out to Africa. Robyn Joubert reports. Issue date : 15 January 2010
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