Soil health: crucial for future food production
Healthy soil is a key driver of farm productivity, profits, and sustainable food production. Dr Hendrik Smith explained to Magda du Toit how farmers can improve the health and fertility of their soils.
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What to consider when buying a Husqvarna ride-on mower
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Zimmatic pivot keeps on delivering best results
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The bacteria that serve as fertilisers and growth promoters
Dr WJ Botha of the Biosystematics Division attached to the Agricultural Research Council’s Plant Health and Protection Research Institute explains why Streptomyces bacteria are an ideal alternative to chemical fertilisers and growth promoters.
Why small-scale farmers are hit hardest by post-harvest losses
With the relentless growth in population, countries can no longer afford to waste food. Manoshi Mothapo, a researcher at the Agricultural Research Council’s Natural Resources and Engineering division, examines how post-harvest losses affect smallholder farmers, and how they can be reduced with correct handling and storage.
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Management: the key to improving soil health
Healthy soil is a crop farmer’s most important asset. Farmers Danie Bester and Tyson Zunckel, both of whom produce maize, soya bean and wheat, spoke to Magda du Toit about their soil-management practices.
‘Going green’ drives research at New Holland
Jaco du Preez, marketing manager for New Holland in Southern Africa, spoke to Janine Ryan about how the company is going green with its new methane-powered tractor.
Optical sorter for peanuts improves quality and yield
Replacing traditional manual sorting methods with a machine has enabled Japan’s Inaba Peanuts, a well-known food producer, to improve quality and yield, as well as solve the problem of labour shortages.
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Lessons from Danish researchers and farmers
Research and development in agriculture is accelerating to keep up with the numerous challenges in the sector. On a recent agricultural tour of Denmark, Lindi Botha discovered the many different ways in which the Danish are tackling the age-old dilemma of optimising inputs while achieving maximum output.