Business

Making boerseep takes hours, and the combination of ingredients and timing are crucial to the process. After years of searching for a traditional recipe, Esmarelda van der Walt of Bothaville has become an expert at making this pure, all-purpose, biodegradable soap.

First minted in 1967, the South African Krugerrand set the global standard for collectable and investment gold coins and is still the most extensively collected and traded bullion coin in the world.

Most farmers are entirely dependent on the safe haulage of their produce to market. The effects of disrupted transport on individual producers, as well as on the rest of the agriculture sector, can be disastrous.

Agriculture is rife with complaints that extension services are poor, with this blamed as a key factor in many failed farmer-development initiatives. However, William Gillepsie and Felicity Mitchell, authors of a manual on the training of extension services, are showing how proper skills development is setting emerging farmers on the road to success.

When the COVID-19 lockdown forced Ncumisa Mkabile to shut down her catering business, she put her entrepreneurial spirit to the test by starting two small-scale farming businesses on a piece of land in Khayelitsha.

After losing their farm, Isa Basson and her husband, Sonnie, established a preserved fruit brand. She spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how they have thrived by keeping faith and adding value to fruit.

With bee populations dwindling globally, beekeepers are looking for ways to improve the resilience of their colonies. Albertus van Zyl spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how he achieves this.

Small beginnings can lay the foundation of great success. This holds true for SA Harvest, a food rescue and distribution organisation. Ali Conn, regional manager at SA Harvest, spoke to Jeandré van der Walt about the organisation’s journey over the past year and its future plans.

Mechanisation is key to improving food and fibre production. But traditional linkages between companies that lease agricultural machinery and their clients are often problematic. A new online platform promises to take the stress out of hiring and leasing.

Unreliable power supply by Eskom presents a considerable threat to farming businesses. Fortunately, producers have a number of options available to mitigate the impact of both scheduled and unscheduled outages.

Digital technologies are revolutionising auctions, resulting in better exposure for sellers and a broader purchasing base for buyers.

The trade office of the Israeli embassy in South Africa, together with the Fresh Produce Marketing Association’s South Africa office, jointly hosted the Virtual Agritech Roadshow to South Africa 2020. This webinar showcased several new Israeli-developed agricultural technologies. Lloyd Phillips reports on three new systems designed to improve efficiency and cut food wastage.

The following document sets out the terms and conditions for those interested in becoming a strategic partner of Milk Afric, a start-up enterprise in Lobatse, Botswana.

South Africa’s deadly listeriosis outbreak in 2018 showed how a food brand could suffer devastating consequences from shortcomings in its food safety system. The Gourmet Greek, a dairy business in KwaZulu-Natal, is taking no chances in this regard.

Olive farming in South Africa tends to be concentrated in a few regions in the Western Cape and Northern Cape where conditions are ideal for this fruit. But in the early 2000s, Gauteng-based Hettie du Toit and her late husband, Frans, frustrated with the ongoing theft of their vegetables, decided to give olives a go on their plot.

The Mswati Communal Property Association (CPA) in Mpumalanga was one of the earliest beneficiaries of the new South African government’s land reform programme. More than 20 years later, the community is still struggling to get the crucial support from the state that would enable them to grow their farming businesses, says CPA committee member Maria Magagula. She and her daughter, Sanet, spoke to Siyanda Sishuba.

Lengau Mothiane has just signed on another 10 employees to handle the workload at his farmer support services business, Horizon Southern Group. Sabrina Dean spoke to him about his journey.

Looking for an investment opportunity beyond the borders of South Africa? Slovenia might just be the answer. Pieter de Waal spoke to Glenneis Kriel about part-time wine production in this beautiful Central European country.

Qobo Qobo Essential Oils, a non-profit organisation, has teamed up with South African Breweries to establish an essential oil crop venture in the impoverished Keiskammahoek area of the Eastern Cape. The project promises to become self-sustaining within a few years, writes Mike Burgess.

In order to lower production costs and become more efficient, farmers need to track and keep records of their animals. This is where the Farm4Trade app comes in.