Denene Erasmus
Denene hails from a sugar cane farm in Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal, but after school she relocated to the Cape Winelands to study, for many years, at the University of Stellenbosch. She worked as a journalist for Farmer’s Weekly since 2009 and in 2015 moved to Johannesburg as Deputy editor for the magazine. In 2016 she was appointed editor, and at the end of 2021, she stepped down from her position to pursue her journalism career.
Fund farmers, not food
During the early years of the current decade, encouraging progress was made in reducing the number of people across the world who suffer from hunger, but the gains made have mostly been wiped out over the past three years.
Land: access vs ownership
The one crucial point that should not be forgotten by all the organisations and political parties representing, or claiming to represent, the interests of various civil society groupings is the question of what will happen to land, or any other property, after it has been expropriated.
Economic slip and unemployment slide
Sometimes I think that if we could only somehow bottle the eternal optimism of the average South African, the profit we’d make would be enough to solve the country’s economic troubles.
Impact of politics and economy on tractor sales
Tractor sales in South Africa recovered well in 2017 after a slump in 2016 due to the widespread drought, but the current political and economic climate could affect sales during the latter part of 2018.
Soil erosion: an overlooked threat
The land debate has been dominating headlines in South Africa since December last year, and in the run-up to the national election in 2019, every politician hoping to win a seat in Parliament has expressed an opinion on the matter.
A world of machinery on display at Agrishow Brazil
Denene Erasmus, who attended the Agrishow Brazil in May, reports on some of the highlights of the show’s machinery exhibition, which attracts manufacturers from around the globe.
Dawn of the DIY democracy
On the rare occasions when I manage to escape the city early enough on a Friday to drive the 450km from my office in Johannesburg to the farm where I grew up in northern KwaZulu-Natal, I usually pass through Ermelo on the town’s severely battered and potholed main road.
SA is ruining all hope of real change
Transformation in the farming sector, or any other sector, has not failed because too little effort and money have been invested in it.
‘Don’t stop farming’, Mabuza tells white farmers
Commercial farming will not be disrupted, land grabs will not be tolerated and food security will not be jeopardised by the ANC’s campaign to accelerate land reform.
Dear Minister Zokwana, you have failed our farmers
Let me start by apologising to all the civil servants working for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), those hard-working citizens who show up at the office every day with an honest intention to contribute in some way to the future of the agriculture sector in South Africa.
Superfruits can help save SA economy
While South Africa was creating jobs and achieving some economic growth, these processes were not happening fast enough to keep up with the rate at which the population was growing and people were entering the job market.
Chinese digital trading takes off
The Fresh Connections: Southern Africa Conference and Trade Show 2018 will include a special focus on identifying growth opportunities in China.
How do we attract women to agriculture?
This week we celebrate National Women’s Day in South Africa, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to say to, and about women in agriculture, to commemorate this day.
Getting comfortable with ambiguity
I am still busy processing the vast amount of ideas and information that were shared by the speakers and other participants at the 12th Agribusiness Africa Conference, hosted by Farmer’s Weekly in Johannesburg.
Good marketing knowledge key to fresh produce profits
Fresh produce suppliers can choose from a variety of marketing channels, which each offer different challenges and rewards, when selling their produce.
Let’s talk about farmworkers
Chris Clayton, a journalist from the US whom I met at a conference in Argentina about five years ago, recently wrote a column about a study on the rate of farmer suicides in the US.
Can agriculture really create jobs?
After reading the report ‘Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in South Africa’, which was published earlier this year by the World Bank, I started wondering whether we have begun taking for granted that growing the agriculture sector would be an effective way to create jobs in Africa.
Time to exit the commodity game
For some farmers, this might be easier said than done, but to make a living from farming in the future you will either have to go big or be unique.
Is fair trade a fool’s paradise?
The biggest story coming out of the recent Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada is the heckling by US President Donald Trump on Twitter, which was directed at other member countries of the G7, and Canada in particular.
Agricultural development’s education gap
Six years ago, Michelle Adelman, named Africa’s Most Influential Woman in the category for Business and Professional Services by CEO Global in 2017, started the boutique project development and impact investment firm, Accite, which focuses on technology-led, sustainable commercial agriculture projects that spur economic diversification.
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