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Siyanda Sishuba has a degree in broadcast journalism. She graduated in 2010 at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape. She is passionate about the environment and agriculture. Siyanda grew up in Whittlesea and has seen how climate change and invasive species are affecting farmers in her community. She’s worked at the Weekend Post, a local newspaper in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape. Thereafter she landed herself a job at Debt Management Consultants in East London, writing articles for company’s newsletter. She then moved to Johannesburg to work for the Department of Environmental Affairs Biosecurity Advocacy Unit

Calling all small-scale black sorghum farmers

Grant funding is now available from the Diageo Empowerment Trust South Africa (DETSA) for developing black sorghum farmers across South Africa to supply United National Breweries.

Empowering small-scale women farmers in SA

The Women Farmers Programme, piloted in 2018 by the Vodacom Foundation in partnership with UN Women and South African Women in Farming (SAWIF), was formally launched in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

New traceability technology can give consumers peace of mind

While the traceability of retail items in the consumer goods industry has been in place for some time, the industry is now moving to serialised and unique identification at item level instead of only at batch level.

Slight increase in agri employment during second quarter

The agriculture sector is one of two sectors that contributed to an increase in employment in South Africa, with 5 000 people employed in the second quarter of 2019, according to Statistics South Africa’s quarterly labour force survey.

‘Maintaining good biosecurity is vital for export growth’

Disease management remains a key aspect of South African agriculture, especially when it comes to livestock, as this industry is the greatest contributor to the sector, accounting for 51% of total production.

How African superfoods inspire local agripreneur

Indigenous African ingredients and food traditions are underrepresented on the local and international markets. Black Umbrellas Global Entrepreneur Week 2018 overall winner Sipamandla Manqele founded her unique agribusiness to help bridge this gap.

Adapting climate smart adoption through trade

The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which was launched in July 2019 in Niger could help African countries with climate-smart agriculture adaptation through generating export earnings and accessing technologies.

Better results with a single-breed herd on the Highveld

After suffering the effects of a trichomoniasis outbreak in 2010, Afrikan Farms, winner of the ARC’s National Commercial Beef Producer of the Year award for 2018, decided to switch from running a mixed-breed cattle herd to a Beefmaster herd. Siyanda Sishuba reports

‘Heat stress to become greater threat to agricultural workers’

The agriculture sector in Africa could lose up to 14 million jobs by 2030 due to heat stress. This was according to a new report by the International Labour Organisation titled, ‘Working on a warmer planet: The impact of heat stress on labour productivity and decent work’.

Agriculture expected to recover from poor showing in 1st quarter

Output by the agriculture sector contracted 13,2% quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of 2019, thus contributing to overall negative economic growth of 3,2% for South Africa over this period.

Failing municipal infrastructure could cost Astral R85 million

The deterioration of infrastructure in the Lekwa Local Municipality has led to water supply interruptions at Astral Foods Limited’s poultry processing plant near Standerton in Mpumalanga.

Boosting regional trade in Africa

Reducing tariffs and, more importantly, addressing non-tariff bottlenecks will support further regional trade integration on the African continent, according to a report recently released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Traceability system on track, says SA Feedlot Association

Implementing a functional national identification and traceability system for the livestock sector would take about 10 years and cost approximately R200 million, according to Dewald Olivier, executive officer of the South African Feedlot Association.

What to expect at Nampo Harvest Day 2019

Grain SA’s annual Nampo Harvest Day agricultural show, which will be held from 14 to 17 May at Nampo Park near Bothaville, takes place just a week after the South African general election.

Emerging pig farmer’s commitment to learning pays off

At the time she was awarded a piggery by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Betty Nyambi knew little or nothing about pig farming. But she refused to let that stop her, and through hard work and training she has become a competent pig farmer. Today, she is aiming at her next goal: gaining quality assurance certification.