South Africa

Agriculture remains the biggest cause of biodiversity loss worldwide, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). However, the organisation’s latest Living Planet Report highlights conservation successes that show biodiversity loss can be reversed.

The KwaZulu-Natal 2026/27 Multi-Planting Season programme seeks to increase food production and help smallholder farmers prepare for the anticipated effects of El Niño.

South Africa’s wheat harvest is expected to fall to its lowest level in eight years in the 2026/27 season, as rising input costs and dry conditions in the Western Cape put pressure on farmers, despite an anticipated increase in overall winter crop production.

During the annual Agbiz Information Session held in Pretoria on 8 October, Thapelo Machaba, Agbiz agricultural economist and policy analyst, discussed the implications that the Employment Services Amendment Bill could have on employers in the agriculture sector.

Grain SA’s legal challenge against the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) over soya bean location differentials has been postponed, with its interdict application now set to be heard on 6 November 2026.

Exhibitors at this year’s Royal Show were praised for the exceptional quality of their displays at an awards ceremony held at Tweedie Hall in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands last week.

South Africa’s dairy farmers have become so efficient that there is little room left to cut costs, yet most still struggle to earn worthwhile returns. Farmers are being forced to produce more milk to survive, but the market is not growing fast enough to absorb it.

During an FNB-hosted panel discussion at the Royal Show in KwaZulu-Natal on 8 October, access to finance, financial management, and partnerships with established producers were identified as key factors in developing sustainable commercial farming businesses.

South Africa’s wine industry researchers achieve a great deal with substantially less funding and capacity than their international counterparts. Broader funding sources, coordinated research programmes and producer involvement could help the industry build on this foundation.

South Africa faces the prospect of living with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) indefinitely unless government urgently improves disease surveillance, and farmers take greater responsibility for reporting infections and vaccinating their herds.

The Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed that an additional R150 million, announced by Minister Willie Aucamp, has been transferred to Land Bank.

The Technology & Education Hub at the 2026 Royal Agricultural Show brought researchers, farmers and technology specialists together to explore practical agricultural solutions. One presentation highlighted how assisted reproductive technologies could help communal livestock farmers improve herd genetics, productivity and access to formal markets.

Nampo Alfa staged its most successful livestock programme in a decade despite the continuing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) challenge, according to Albert Loubser, livestock coordinator for Nampo Alfa 2026. Organisers are now planning an Africa Livestock Conference as part of a broader African focus for 2027.

Ongoing communication and cooperation between South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana are critical to addressing challenges posed by foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the region.

South Africa’s wind-energy sector has entered a new phase, with private companies outpacing the state in driving investment in new projects, delegates heard at Windaba 2026 in Cape Town on 7 October.

South Africa’s sugar industry needs urgent intervention to restore profitability and protect its future, as cheap imports, the sugar tax, and underinvestment in sugar mills threaten the viability of growers and millers alike.

South Africa’s red meat industry needs sufficient funding, changes in state animal health management, and stronger farmer participation if it is to achieve its growth ambitions. This was according to speakers at the Road to Recovery event at Nampo Alfa on 2 October.

After a two-year absence, the Royal Agricultural Society opened the gates to its new home at Tweedie Hall in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, on Wednesday, marking the start of a new chapter for one of South Africa’s oldest agricultural shows.

Savanna ram Demolisher from Maize Valley Savanna Goat Stud lived up to his name at this year’s Nampo Alfa, defeating strong competition to claim the overall interbreed title at the inaugural BKB Super 10 Goat Show on 2 October.

An Agricultural Research Council community-based breeding programme in northern KwaZulu-Natal is helping communal goat farmers introduce animal identification, performance records, and genetic information into breeding decisions, with the longer-term aim of improving production and access to formal markets.