Africa the world’s “leading area” for farming development

The South African agriculture sector is advanced, creative and entrepreneurial. This was according to Dan Hennesy, vice president of the Land O’ Lakes member-owned, agricultural co-operative, based in Minnesota in the US.

Africa the world’s “leading area” for farming development
Dan Hennesy, vice president of the US-based Land O’ Lakes member-owned, agricultural co-operative, said South Africa would be their “landing point” for investment in agriculture in Africa.
Photo: FW Archive
- Advertisement -

The South African agriculture sector is advanced, creative and entrepreneurial.

This was according to Dan Hennessy, vice president of the Land O’ Lakes member-owned, agricultural co-operative, based in Minnesota in the US.

Speaking during the 2020 Agri SA virtual congress, Hennesy said political instability was the most worrying factor affecting South African agriculture, but commended the resilience of the country’s farmers.

- Advertisement -

For example, he said they had adapted to climate change and continued to produce food sustainably, despite a number of climatic challenges such as recent multi-year droughts.

South Africa was a “landing point” for the co-operative in its expansion drive to the rest of the African continent.

“Over the next five to 10 years, we would in all probability be looking at Africa as [being] the world’s leading area for agriculture, based on the increase in demand on the continent, [which] would support increased supply.”

Insight and efficiency would become much more important for primary producers in the future in their quest to continue producing food and fibre sustainably.

Insight, as he put it, referred to converting the vast amount of information that had become available through digital media into sound decision-making at farm level.

“Efficiency has [also] become much more important as part of the integrated supply chain to provide the information farmers need to deal with [shrinking] margins. Input costs are rising and farmers need to know what to plant on each hectare of land,” he said.

Previous articleThe costs and pitfalls of buying nets
Next articleMan due in Senekal court for public violence during protest
Annelie Coleman represents Farmer’s Weekly in the Free State, North West and Northern Cape. Agriculture is in her blood. She grew up on a maize farm in the Wesselsbron district where her brother is still continuing with the family business. Annelie is passionate about the area she works in and calls it ‘God’s own country’. She’s particularly interested in beef cattle farming, especially with the indigenous African breeds. She’s an avid reader and owns a comprehensive collection of Africana covering hunting in colonial Africa, missionary history of same period, as well as Rhodesian literature.