Bottomline

Seed potato production is complex and calls for dedication and perseverance, says Sanette Thiart, managing director of the South African Potato Certification Service.

Extreme poverty is still rampant in South Africa’s rural communities, with traditional agricultural practices often unable to solve this problem. Biodiversity manager Greg Martindale explains to Lloyd Phillips how environmental and wildlife conservation can be a better alternative.

South African farmers operate in a difficult agricultural and economic environment, and for many it has become imperative to find new ways of generating additional income. In a bid to do this, some have started to embrace tourism. Breedekloof Wine and Tourism CEO, Melody Botha, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the growing interest in agritourism.

Land reform in South Africa should follow free market principles that keep the integrity of the land market intact, says Dr John Purchase, CEO of Agbiz, the agricultural business chamber. Land, he stresses, is the foundation of commercial funding and this relationship could be utilised to ensure that land reform beneficiaries continue to produce food.

The goal of the Africa Farm Management Association (AFMA) is to bring experts in agriculture from across Africa together to share knowledge that can help solve African problems, says AFMA president, Prof Phillip Nyangweso, of Kenya’s Moi University.

Dr Theo de Jager, well known for his work in land reform and rural transformation, was voted out as deputy president of AgriSA and replaced by Dan Kriek (president of Free State Agriculture) at the association’s annual congress recently. De Jager remains chairperson of AgriSA’s General Affairs Chamber and head of the Transformation Committee.

Seed company Monsanto recently appointed Gyanendra Shukla as head of its African division. It has also set up headquarters in Kenya close to its intended future customers: East African smallholders.

Accusations are rife that mainstream veld research has failed SA’s extensive livestock farmers. A group of well-known pasture scientists, including Dr Amie Aucamp, have publicly responded. Roelof Bezuidenhout asked him about the background to the veld management debate.

Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing’s supply of apples and pears is growing – and so are its marketing ambitions. The company plans to increase market share in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East, says Roelf Pienaar, Tru-Cape’s managing director.

Wildlife Ranching SA recently introduced its land reform transformation model during an indaba on the Bona Bona Game Farm near Klerksdorp. WRSA consultant Jacobus du Toit explained it to Annelie Coleman.

Land reform models that rely on group or communal farming rarely work, according to Prof Hans Binswanger, extraordinary professor of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Pretoria. He says SA must embrace plans that support development.

Dr Johann Strauss, secretary for Conservation Agriculture Western Cape and scientist at the provincial department of agriculture, and Richard Findlay, committee member and co-ordinator of the No-Till Club in KwaZulu-Natal, share their expertise about no-till practices in South Africa.