News

Our farmers have played a major part in carrying us though two pandemic-ravaged years, and they deserve praise. But there’s no room for complacency; now’s the time to brush up on the business.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Programme’s Hunger Hotspots report highlights the countries most at risk of increased food insecurity from August to November 2021. In Southern African, these include Mozambique, Madagascar, Angola and the DRC.

The past year has brought with it many challenges, including a significant increase in the prices of agricultural inputs. However, farmers have shown that there is much strength in unity, and they have managed to push through these difficulties to end 2021 on a high, as these agricultural leaders show.

I thought I’d identified all the major personality traits needed for achieving great managerial success. However, I missed one important quality brought home to me by the COVID-19 pandemic, says Peter Hughes.

One of the topics featured in the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy’s latest agricultural outlook report concerns the prospects for growing South Africa’s agro-processing sector. Using vegetable oil as an example, the report presents some of the challenges that stand in the way of the country developing a strategy towards replacing imported products with locally manufactured alternatives.

The potato industry is investing in various technologies to improve its sustainability, and is currently in the process of developing a mobile app to improve communication with members.

It seems to be a flaw in human nature: everyone is keen to build, but no one wants to maintain. Yet the really important people are those who keep our assets running efficiently, says Peter Hughes.

According to a new report by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, drought constitutes a global crisis that risks becoming a ‘pandemic’, causing widespread starvation if countries do not take urgent action on water and land management.

There is sufficient evidence that mechanisation of farming can improve production, reduce losses and help develop rural communities. In this report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations suggests a number of models, such as mechanisation hire services, that can help rural farmers mechanise production without requiring them to invest large sums of capital.

The unrest and looting that started on 9 July was appalling, but what a privilege it was to witness the fight-back by South Africans of all walks of life, including farmers, says Peter Hughes.

A recent study by Kristiina Ala-Kokko, a researcher at the University of Arkansas in the US, and felllow researchers has shown that, despite the controversy that still surrounds the use of genetically modified (GM) crops, the production of GM maize has resulted in many benefits for South African farmers and consumers.

The farming and processing of edible insects for human and animal consumption appears to be gaining in popularity. However, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, there are risks to eating insects that have not been farmed with the correct biosecurity measures in place, and these risks are potentially dangerous to human and animal health.

With above-average rainfall expected, the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) has expressed concern about vaccine shortages.

As governments implemented containment measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020, they also introduced ways of limiting the effects of the virus and related lockdowns on agricultural supply chains. A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development tracked these initiatives, including the South African government’s response.

The wildfires that decimated large parts of the Northern Cape have not only resulted in millions of rand in damage, but also left emotional scars on local inhabitants.

The conductor of an orchestra manages the musicians, hones their skills, and gets them to work in perfect harmony. There are many management lessons here for farmers, says Peter Hughes.

There are few things in life as satisfying as whipping up a jar of home-made jam. This batch is easy to prepare, and is made entirely from natural ingredients, says Michael Feldmann.

The ongoing loss of natural spaces, including forests, has become a systemic risk for the global economy, warns the report, ‘State of Financing for Nature: Tripling investments in nature-based solutions by 2030’, by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Clear, concise writing that avoids phrases like ‘as a consequence of’ instead of ‘because’, or inanities such as ‘going forward’, creates a good impression and strengthens your arguments, says Peter Hughes.

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations argues that African governments need to invest more in their agriculture sectors in order to promote growth, create jobs and reduce poverty.