Crops

Social protection programmes to help farmers become more resilient aren’t just safety nets, but can help them make investments and meaningfully engage in markets, says the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.

Our farmers have played a major part in carrying us though two pandemic-ravaged years, and they deserve praise. But there’s no room for complacency; now’s the time to brush up on the business.

The UK-based agriculture solutions company, JF Hudson, has designed a first for the dairy industry: an attachment that can help to greatly reduce feed wastage in dairy sheds and save farmers money.

A new report has identified the five most likely reasons for tractor breakdowns, and also suggests ways to keep farming machinery in prime condition.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Programme’s Hunger Hotspots report highlights the countries most at risk of increased food insecurity from August to November 2021. In Southern African, these include Mozambique, Madagascar, Angola and the DRC.

Agrico’s new website makes it easier for customers to get into connect with Agrico’s experts. A colourful journey through irrigation projects in Africa, an interactive experience with Agrico centre pivots and multimedia encounters with robust implements, are just a few of the features that customers can enjoy on Agrico's brand-new website.

The past year has brought with it many challenges, including a significant increase in the prices of agricultural inputs. However, farmers have shown that there is much strength in unity, and they have managed to push through these difficulties to end 2021 on a high, as these agricultural leaders show.

Are you going away over the festive season? Three leaders in agriculture and security explain how common sense, technology, and good relationships with neighbours can help protect your possessions.

I thought I’d identified all the major personality traits needed for achieving great managerial success. However, I missed one important quality brought home to me by the COVID-19 pandemic, says Peter Hughes.

Just as you wouldn’t use a spoon to dig a ditch, you wouldn’t use a 13kW tractor to pull a 16-row planter. It is crucial to understand your farming needs, both present and future, so that you can choose the right type of tractor and make sure your hard-earned money is spent wisely.

Efficient drum design makes the CM-CT6 compost turner highly productive, resulting in farmers being able to produce high-quality compost more rapidly.

One of the topics featured in the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy’s latest agricultural outlook report concerns the prospects for growing South Africa’s agro-processing sector. Using vegetable oil as an example, the report presents some of the challenges that stand in the way of the country developing a strategy towards replacing imported products with locally manufactured alternatives.

The potato industry is investing in various technologies to improve its sustainability, and is currently in the process of developing a mobile app to improve communication with members.

It seems to be a flaw in human nature: everyone is keen to build, but no one wants to maintain. Yet the really important people are those who keep our assets running efficiently, says Peter Hughes.

To Tim Wise, whose sugar cane-growing family had always battled with the quality of crop spraying delivered by aeroplane, drones seemed to be a workable alternative. This led to research into drone technology in 2016, and the subsequent creation of Precision Agricultural Systems. The company has since been the driving force in having crop-spraying drones approved for commercial use in South Africa.

According to a new report by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, drought constitutes a global crisis that risks becoming a ‘pandemic’, causing widespread starvation if countries do not take urgent action on water and land management.

To thank its agricultural customers, Engen has launched an exciting rewards programme. Simply purchase Engen- and PETRONAS-branded lubricants and claim your reward!

New Holland’s award-winning NutriSense system is now integrated into the brand’s MyPLM Connect portal, enabling farmers to visualise crop nutrient data collected by their machines in the MyPLM Connect Farm application.

There is sufficient evidence that mechanisation of farming can improve production, reduce losses and help develop rural communities. In this report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations suggests a number of models, such as mechanisation hire services, that can help rural farmers mechanise production without requiring them to invest large sums of capital.

The unrest and looting that started on 9 July was appalling, but what a privilege it was to witness the fight-back by South Africans of all walks of life, including farmers, says Peter Hughes.