News

Director General of the Department of Agriculture Mooketsa Ramasodi delivered a keynote address at the launch of Agrimall, a new digital platform aimed at revolutionising South Africa’s agriculture sector. The event took place recently in Midrand.

The South African red meat industry must undergo significant renewal to address future challenges, says Kobus Bester, director of the Livestock Registering Federation.

The agriculture sector in Gauteng faces a potential crisis as water shortages grip the province, worsened by significant leaks in Johannesburg’s water infrastructure. Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, MEC of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, has highlighted the serious consequences for farmers relying on municipal water.

The Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) launched a large-scale cropping programme in Ngxakaxha village, Mbhashe Local Municipality, on Wednesday. The initiative is part of broader efforts to tackle poverty in the province.

The agriculture sector in South Africa needs to change the way it thinks about pest management and biodiversity, according to Dr Johnnie van den Berg, manager of the integrated pest management programme at the Unit of Environmental Services of the University of North-West.

Despite the fact that South Africa is an agricultural powerhouse, over 20% of its population is food insecure, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). With World Food Day commemorated on 16 October, agricultural organisations are turning their attention to policies that hinder food security.

The agriculture sector will have to reconstruct and re-engineer itself to remain a force 10 and more years from now, according to Johann Kotzé, CEO of Agri SA.

The South African egg industry joins the global celebration of World Egg Day on 11 October, highlighting the essential role that eggs play in both nutrition and economic sustainability.

John Steenhuisen, minister of the Department of Agriculture, recently announced the results of the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey in Pretoria.

Zimbabwe recently confirmed its intension to cull 200 elephants to feed communities facing acute hunger following the worst drought that country had seen in four decades.

The Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) is planning on launching the first phase of the red meat traceability system by the start of November.

Hurricane Helene has left farmers across the south-eastern US with significant damage to cotton fields and pecan nut orchards, among other losses.

South African cotton farmers’ yields are double that of the average in Africa, highlighting the importance of having access to genetically modified (GM) seed.

Summer has always been a pivotal season for farmers, but with the rising intensity of heatwaves due to climate change, its impact on agriculture is becoming even more pronounced.

The production of snake antivenom in South Africa has seemingly come to a standstill. The situation is dire, as health practitioners and veterinarians, in particular, are finding it impossible to obtain it.

The importance of renewable energy as a catalyst for socio-economic transformation while South Africa transitions to a low-carbon future was highlighted at Windaba Connect, the precursor to Windaba 2024 in Cape Town.

One person succumbed to the extensive veld fires that recently swept through the Free State districts of Memel and Vrede, resulting in the loss of hundreds of head of livestock, with many more injured.

A Meatmaster carcass came out tops at the Lamb Champs braai championship held by the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) over the weekend of 28 September in Reitz in the Free State.

The trend of declining margins for US dairy farmers are being reversed, due to rising dairy and milk prices in that country.

The South African Sugar Association (SASA) hosted its annual media event from 26 to 27 September at the Cullinan Hotel in Cape Town. The organisation provided an update on the Sugarcane Value Chain Master Plan to 2030, focusing on progress in phase one and the way forward for phase two.