South Africa

Speaking at the launch of the Animal Breeding and Reproductive Technology Platform (ABRTP), Dr Maneshree Jugmohan-Naidu, of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said one of the key objectives was to create an ‘enabling environment’.

A new pest of commercial Eucalyptus trees appears to have made its way to South Africa. While forest scientists have yet to confirm the pest’s identity, initial indications are that it may belong to the genus Spondyliaspis, more commonly known as shell lerp psyllids.

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is putting the finishing touches to its Agricultural Policy Action Plan, a five-year rolling plan intended to enhance food production and employment, said deputy director Mortimer Mannya at the Southern Africa Bio- technology and Bio safety conference.

The farming community in KwaZulu-Natal’s Camperdown area is relieved after police quickly rearrested eight members of what has been dubbed the ‘Sticky Tape Gang’.

Conservation agriculture (CA) is a good investment for any grain producer. This was according to Dr Peter Johnston, a climatologist at the Cape Town University.

Major increases in the first yield estimates for many of the 2013/2014 summer grain crops over the final yields of the 2012/2013 season are mainly due to the very different weather conditions of the two seasons.

Many men in Africa could go to school thanks to the support their mothers were able to provide through income earned by farming.

Serious thought and extensive town planning needed to go into the concept of establishing agri-villages on KwaZulu-Natal farms before the first sod was turned, according to Utrecht Farmers’ Association chairperson Gerard Potgieter.

The potato industry is bracing for severe production disruptions as Eskom warned of power disruptions scheduled for the week of 9 March. This was according to Potatoes South Africa (PSA) CEO André Jooste.

Former US vice-president Al Gore will be visiting SA for the Climate Reality Leadership Corps Africa Training initiative, taking place in Johannesburg from 12 to 14 March.

Farmers in several parts of the country are grateful for the widespread rain they have received in recent days.

A motion of censure accusing Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Tina Joemat-Pettersson of a criminal offence, based on Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela’s findings in a report last year, has been presented to the National Assembly in parliament.