Opinion

South Africa’s dependence on imported fuel is once again under scrutiny as renewed conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s temporary ban on diesel exports, and rising global oil prices coincide with government’s proposal to overhaul the country’s strategic petroleum reserve system.

Prof Nick Binedell, a renowned leadership and strategy speaker, founding dean of the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and an authority on business education in Africa’s global economy, spoke to Magda Du Toit.

The overwhelmingly positive response to Willie Aucamp replacing John Steenhuisen as minister of agriculture belies deeper problems that, according to industry experts, have hampered successive agriculture ministers, including a broken animal health governance system, outdated legislation, and officials who are a law unto themselves.

While government's recent settlement allowing greater private-sector involvement in importing and administering foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines has been welcomed by many stakeholders across the livestock industry, vaccination must be supported by other measures.

Nearly 30 years ago, Mike Burgess travelled through Syria, exploring the multi-layered and ever evolving ancient cities of Aleppo, Palmyra and Damascus. Rich in history, culture and intrigue, these cities left a lasting impression and revealed stories stretching back thousands of years.

Consolidation in agriculture is undeniable, but success is not reserved for the biggest players. Increasingly, it is the most efficient and well-managed farms that are enduring.

When I suggested that Farmer’s Weekly start running adventure stories to encourage readers and their families to reconnect with nature, our general manager, Gary Wium, said: “You should keep a daily diary.” Risky business, considering some of the things that stay safely locked inside my head, but here goes.

Regenerative agriculture was once primarily viewed as a sustainability conversation, but it is rapidly becoming a commercial necessity. Climate volatility, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and rising input costs are creating a new operating environment where long-term productivity and profitability depend on rebuilding the natural systems that underpin farming.

From this issue, the cover price of Farmer’s Weekly will increase from R30 to R35. We know that no price increase is welcomed lightly, especially in agriculture. Farmers, agribusiness owners and rural households are under severe financial pressure.

With the application deadline for the current round of Gauteng’s R100 million agro-processing blended finance programme imminent, only four applications have been approved and finalised, highlighting the slow uptake of a fund intended to support black farmers and emerging agro-processing businesses.

The Department of Agriculture (DoA) has published the final Routine Vaccination Scheme for Foot and Mouth Disease (RV-FMD), introducing a more detailed compliance framework for livestock owners than the earlier draft proposal.

The role of district agricultural extension and technical officers in not only the growth of farming, but also in the socio-economic sphere of rural development, might possibly have lost its lustre since the late 1900s when these men (there were also a few women in the service then) were real pillars in the community.

Bolt and Engineering Distributors Group (B.E.D.) recently announced that it has been appointed as an authorised distributor for the Harris Products Group (Harris) in South Africa.

Olive Schreiner is without doubt one of the most famous women South Africa has ever produced, and as a writer tried to persuade the British and Boer warring factions about the futility of armed conflict.

How you rate as a farmer depends on how much you rely on your farming income, your personality, how you see things, how you react to events and conditions – and how you and your family cope with rural life.

In this strange, high CO2 world, it will become increasingly difficult to maintain open savannahs.

South Africa’s current foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, which began in July 2025 and has since spread across all nine provinces is no longer just a test of the country’s biosecurity system, but of its governance.

Many in the agriculture sector welcomed Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s 21 January announcement of the formation of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) Industry Coordination Council. The body enables farmer organisations to join a three-way partnership aimed at strengthening and supporting the national FMD response.

Poor mobile signal in 2026 isn’t just inconvenient—it’s costly. Mines, hospitals, and hotels face safety, clinical, and revenue risks, while proactive organisations stay in control with reliable connectivity.

For 2026, Farmer’s Weekly will be focusing on the overarching theme of artificial intelligence and technology, and the importance of this in sustainable and long-term farming.