Chillies, how to make the right choices
Whether dealing with chillies or peppers, you should know what your market requires before choosing a variety.
Diversification and value-adding rewarded
Wesselsbron maize farmer Boeboe Louw is the Free State Young Farmer of the Year for 2014. He shares his farming philosophy with Annelie Coleman.
Practical transformation
In his budget, former Minister Pravin Gordhan allocated large sums to improve the lot of small-scale farmers, while Fetsa Tlala will supposedly “boost domestic food production and reduce reliance on...
Mooketsi Market
It seems that one of my steadfast beliefs about markets has just suffered a blow to the solar plexus, so to speak.
Improving water usage efficiencies in sugarcane
The global sugar industry is often slammed for wasting freshwater resources. In SA, sugar farmers and processors have found practical ways to improve water use efficiency.
Common pepper species
This week, we take a look at the most important Capsicum species. Some of these vary a great deal from each other, while a number share similar characteristics.
Who will best serve our markets?
Prior to previous elections, I’ve taken the opportunity to offer what I thought was wise counsel concerning the upgrading of SA’s fresh produce markets.
Irrigation for protected crops
Paddy de Vries, national technical advisor for Hygrotech, talks to Nan Smith about basic fertigation techniques for tunnel farming.
Changeable chillies
There are approximately 22 species of Capsicum, of which five are grown commercially. However, some of these can be crossed with one another to produce different varieties.
A socialist dream in the making?
Once upon a time, the CEO of a certain fresh produce market in South Africa decided that his market would be run differently. He did away with the ‘market agency’.
Marketing fresh produce
TechnoServe South Africa is providing small-scale fruit and vegetable growers, who often have difficulty in finding established markets, with a ready market for their produce. The organisation’s operations director, Mandla...
What is a pepper, actually?
Peppers belong to the Capsicum genus (family Solanaceae). It’s when we come to common names that things get confusing.
‘We earn much more from sugarcane’
Supported by the Swazi government, the EU, Illovo and traditional chiefs, a smallholder sugarcane farming project is alleviating poverty in its area of operation.
The Draft Agricultural Produce Marketing Agencies Bill – A recipe for failure?
The Draft Agricultural Produce Marketing Agencies Bill is somewhere in the pipeline on the way to becoming an Act.
Likely diseases of Swiss Chard
Some diseases of Swiss chard are weather-related. These include Cercospora (leaf spot), downy mildew, mosaic virus, and a fungal disease I have yet to identify.
Other Swiss chard pests
In addition to those already discussed, there are other pests likely to be a problem with Swiss chard from time to time. Let’s look at three of the most common...
Competition benefits all
Anybody who has spent time on a busy fresh produce market floor will agree that it is a madhouse of noise and frenetic activity – especially at the daily trading...
Leaf miner: still a threat to Swiss chard
The leaf miner was once a major headache for producers, having a wide range of hosts and a particular fondness for Swiss chard.
What Colour! What variety!
Over the years, I’ve made it a habit to observe as much as possible about the fresh produce sector, be it while walking the market floor, shopping at my local...
The farming philosophy of a top maize farmer
American farmer David Hula holds the current world record for maize grain yield. On a recent lecture tour of South Africa’s principal grain farming areas, he shared some of the...
