Agriculture: shining light or fading star?
For most industries, 2020 will probably be a particularly bad year with an abrupt fall in performance, but this should be followed by some degree of recovery in the near future.
An app for every farming task
Mobile applications make life more convenient for farmers while enabling them to be more productive. Glenneis Kriel reports on a number of apps that are changing the way farms are run.
Community farm’s drive and discipline rewarded at last
Having suffered several setbacks in their efforts to make their agribusiness profitable, a group of hard-working land reform beneficiaries in KwaZulu-Natal at last got the help they needed from an agricultural transformation organisation. Lloyd Phillips reports on the Gugulethu community.
The future of pig genetics
Pork producers can look forward to even greater production efficiency, thanks to improved genetics. Jurgens Reynders of DanBred Africa spoke to Glenneis Kriel about these gains.
Don’t be beaten by bollworm
The African bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) is normally a sporadic pest; it tends to arrive on lettuce plants in bursts, rather than gradually increasing in number.
When performance fails to live up to breeding values
Discrepancies between estimated breeding values and livestock performance have led some farmers to doubt the accuracy of these values. They are, in fact, excellent indicators, but animals may not be able to reach their genetic potential.
How the lockdown has affected food and farmers
The effect of the COVID-19 lockdown has differed from one country to another. In South Africa, disposable income available for basic food has increased due to money not being spent on other items.
South Africa: Top of the economic misery list
One of the great things about being an agricultural journalist during this time of crisis is that we often still get to report good news, thanks to the victories being achieved in the sector despite the general sense of doom surrounding our country’s economic and political future.
What COVID-19 has taught us about food security
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the importance of agriculture in South Africa and across the continent because of the sector’s capacity to support economic growth, create and sustain jobs, and boost exports, writes Roux Wildenboer, head of agriculture at Absa Corporate and Investment Banking.
Birdwatching: a novel income opportunity for farms
Avitourism, or birdwatching, has the potential to provide farmers with an additional source of revenue, write Dr Adam Viljoen and Christelle van Zyl, researchers at North-West University’s Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society.
Know your armyworm species
Effective control of armyworm begins with being able to differentiate between the various species. South African crop farmers need to learn and apply this skill, Dr Annemie Erasmus of the Agricultural Research Council’s Grain Crops Institute told Annelie Coleman.
South Africa is getting more violent
Over the past 10 years, more than 6,1 million serious crimes were committed against South Africans. At least 165 837 people were murdered, rape was committed 437 417 times, and over 200 000 violent home robberies occurred.
