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The Cape Women’s Agricultural Association turns 85 this year, making it one of the oldest women’s organisations in SA. The president, Erika Lubbe, talks to Roelof Bezuidenhout about the CWAA’s role in modern country life.

One of South Africa’s most renowned agricultural economics’ researchers, Prof Nick Vink of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University, was named the 2013 Agricultural Writers’ Agriculturalist of the Year. He spoke to Denene Erasmus about the state of agriculture and land reform in South Africa.

South Africa’s trade agreements have come under the spotlight recently, with government cancelling many bilateral investment treaties with countries abroad. John Purchase, CEO of Agbiz, spoke to Lindi van Rooyen about the changes and what they mean for local producers.

Global warming can be slowed if governments agree to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says Dr Bob Scholes, ecologist at the CSIR’s Natural Resources and Environment Division.

As trends in agriculture change, so too do issues surrounding agricultural finance. Lindi van Rooyen spoke to the newly appointed head of Standard Bank Agribusiness, Nico Groenewald, about working around tenure security and the complexity of financing emerging farmers.

Only 40% of SA’s groundwater is utilised, yet this figure could be much higher, says Department of Water Affairs’ scientific manager, Fanus Fourie. He spoke at the recent Groundwater Conference in Durban. Robyn Joubert attended the event.

In his 23-year career in the South African apple and pear industry, Tru-Cape managing director Charles Hughes has turned a simple commodity into a preferred brand name. He spoke to Denene Erasmus about how the industry has developed and continues to evolve.

Enrico Malan is a business development broker, specialising in agricultural and crop insurance at Marsh Africa, a global insurance broking firm. The company works with clients to design customised solutions. He explained the ins and outs of crop insurance to Annelie Coleman.

Dairy farming is changing as smaller farmers fall by the wayside and bigger operations expand. David Beca, director of Australian company Red Sky and CEO of NZ Farming Uruguay, dispels some misconceptions about economies of scale.

Agricultural transformation in South Africa has been a dismal failure since 1994, according to Agang leader Dr Mamphela Ramphele.

The aim of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is to increase agro-industrial capacity in the agricultural value chain. The organisation takes on projects based on their potential to transform rural communities and create sustainable jobs. Lindi van Rooyen spoke to Rian Coetzee, head of agro-industries at the IDC.

VKB is a strategic partner in government’s Recapitalisation and Development Programme. Transformation manager Moses Maine explains to Peter Mashala what this means in practice.