Farming Basics

Soil erosion is a major problem in South Africa, and with few monitoring structures, land degradation is a threat to food security and sustainable development. Lehman Lindeque, president of the International Erosion Control Association Southern Africa (IECA-SA), spoke to Denene Erasmus about the erosion problem.

In September Farmsecure Technologies, a division of the Farmsecure Group, bought Yara South Africa's fertiliser retail marketing business, including the Kynoch brand.

Kevin Watermeyer, president of the Nguni Cattle Breeders' Society of South Africa, shares his views about the way forward for animal improvement and the future of the Nguni. Heather Dugmore reports.

Swimming against the tide of low investor confidence in South Africa's land reform processes, Futuregrowth Asset Management has created a R3 billion agri fund, and believes it has a model for investing in failed farms. Fund manager James Howard explained how it works to Sean Christie.

American missionaries Ronnie and Janet Vehorn travelled to South Africa to preach to the Xhosa. Now they've fulfilled their dream of establishing the Eastern Cape's first wine estate along the Klipplaat River near the former Ciskei town of Whittlesea.

Amadlelo Agri (Pty) Ltd, an empowerment company driven by the expertise of 70 dairy farmers from the Eastern Cape and KZN, has attracted much attention for establishing commercially viable dairy projects in the former Ciskei - one of the few examples of truly viable agricultural development in the country.

Eastern Cape's Umnga flats was once a highly productive commercial farming area. But it slipped into decay in the early 1980s, when commercial farmers were relocated and the farms were leased to emerging farmers and incorporated into the former Transkei bantustan.

Known as an 'economic spy', Africa Project Access consultant Paul Runge has an eagle's view of development in Africa.He shared some of his insights with Robyn Joubert at the Africa Investor Agribusiness Investment Summit in Durban on 31 August.

Once Eskom's poster boy for electrified greenhouse heating, cut-flower farmer David Gates feels he has now been hung out to dry by the state utility. The annual fees he's charged are up to R150 000 before he's even flicked on a switch, and they're crippling his business.

Government's attitude towards our water crisis seems to be changing from denial to tentative action. This is largely thanks to the activism of a few determined men and women. Sean Christie spoke to three of them and found that each has learned unique lessons from agriculture that can help solve the current water crisis.

Cape Town-based entrepreneur Wynand Odendaal says spekboom is ready to take the carbon market by storm – and earn some farmers big money. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.

After describing her communications department as “incapable of writing a letter”, agriculture minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has hired the services of slick corporate propagandist Rams Mabote.

The planned ethanol-from-sugar-beet project in Cradock looks like it's going ahead. But the farming community has been left divided, with some excited by the prospect of new markets, while others dread increased crime and a disrupted community.

Elezane Industries started as a community development project in 1999 and is now South Africa's first live-snail exporting business. It creates hundreds of jobs while also offering an environmentally friendly solution to the snail problem on Cape farms.

Agri Eastern Cape supports sustainable and responsibly executed land reform measures. It accepts that attempts at land reform by previous governments have, almost without exception, been unsuccessful, with a disastrous impact on individuals and communities.

Etienne Rabe of integrated citrus company Biogold USA believes introducing new citrus varieties that cater to changing consumer demands is key to ensuring the global citrus industry remains competitive. A progressive grower can’t afford to sit on the sidelines and new management tools can greatly reduce the risks involved.

It seems people can come on your land and kill you with impunity these days, but woe betide the farmer who fiddles with a watercourse or indulges in a “listed activity” without the proper permission. A host of legislation now determines what you can and can’t do on your land. And failure to comply, even through omission, can lead to hefty fines and even imprisonment. Advocate Douw Venter takes us through the fine print.

Richard Tate, a former top farmer and leader in Zimbabwean farming circles,says it’s time for South African consumers and business people to realise that failed land reform will seriously affect the whole economy. Roelof Bezuidenhout spoke to him.

The current low maize price, with supply greatly exceeding demand, is a problem for most maize farmers. Henry-Ben Rheede, Standard Bank’s agricultural adviser for the northern Free State shares some creative ideas on how to counter, survive and even profit from the situation.

The views and expectations of South Africa’s farmers are being misrepresented by some groups and, all too often, the media. KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) president Robin Barnsley says the commercial farming community must set about marketing the truth about themselves. He spoke to Lloyd Phillips.