South Africa

Smallholder farming’s contribution to agriculture has been recognised at the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU).

Western Cape livestock farmers and provincial authorities are getting closer to finalising an agreement on the management of damage causing animals, particularly black-backed jackal, caracal and bushpig.

Foreign direct investment in local agriculture and agro-processing has come under pressure lately due to political uncertainty.

Should a decision be taken to dehorn rhinos it would send a negative message to the rest of the world that South Africa is losing the battle against poaching, Dr Johan Joubert of the Shamwari Group told the annual Absa Wildlife Conference.

Annual food price inflation stood at 8,7% between April 2011 and April 2012, while headline inflation increased by 6,1% over the same period.

The most recent quarterly labour force survey conducted by Stats SA shows that employment in agriculture increased by 8,8% over the past year.

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform will most likely miss the submission deadline for the long-anticipated Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Bill. Denene Erasmus reports.

The FW de Klerk Foundation says the Green Paper on Land Reform is ‘racial mobilisation against white farmers’. Political analyst Prof Steven Friedman disagrees. Lindi van Rooyen reports.

Capitalism in South Africa is under attack by a ruling party that is moving towards socialism and away from private property ownership.

The announcement by North West’s MEC for agriculture and rural development, Desbo Mohono, that she budgeted R155 million for the implementation of a number of agricultural projects in the 2012/2013 financial year was met with caution by farmers in the province.

Government needs to implement a blanket duty on all chicken imports for the local industry to survive the onslaught of chicken dumping.

Right up until three months ago, Prof Gerrit van Tonder was convinced that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to explore for shale gas would not contaminate the groundwater of the Karoo.

A study looking at the experience of communities that were awarded game farms as part of the land restitution process has shown that beneficiaries could be forced to ‘invade’ their own land...

Fire Protection Associations in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga are anticipating a challenging fire-fighting season this year.

Agricultural minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has left farmers baffled after denying that there was ever a question over the efficacy of Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) vaccines.

The most recent quarterly labour force survey conducted by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) show that employment in agriculture increased by 8,8% over the past year.

Capitalism in South Africa is under attack by a ruling party that is moving towards socialism and away from private property ownership.

In a first for South Africa, the Aldam Stockman’s School is offering a course for beginner farmers.

Three people have now become victims of KwaZulu-Natal’s rabies epidemic.

The National Emergent Red Meat Producers Organization (Nerpo) has invited smallholder farmers to start applying for the new Nerpo Farm Machinery & Infrastructural Improvement Fund, which Land Bank and the organisation believe will be a catalyst for growth and development for smallholder farmers.