Letter from the editor

At the end of last year, two reports were published that exposed findings so disturbing that if this knowledge does not spur South Africans into action to save the country’s future, I doubt anything will.

At Farmer’s Weekly we focus mostly on the ‘how’ of farming and provide a steady stream of practical information that can help farmers improve the efficiency, sustainability and profitability of their businesses.

The past two years have been tough for the local agricultural sector, and the strain that farmers and agribusinesses have been under is really starting to show.

Farmer’s Weekly has been proudly serving the Southern African agricultural sector for the past 106 years, and one of the reasons why we have managed to keep going for over a century is our absolute dedication to continually adapting to the changing needs of you, our readers.

As the political situation in Zimbabwe started heating up in mid-November, Farmer’s Weekly published a news story on its website about how the departure of President Robert Mugabe may affect the future of farming in that country.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the impact of widespread drought conditions across South Africa over the past three years has now become a humanitarian disaster.

It must be at least six years ago now that I first became aware of the real scope of one of the many harassments that farmers face.

As I write this, only one day has passed since thousands of South Africans took part in peaceful protests to say that they had had enough of crime, enough of constantly living with the fear that they or their loved ones would be the next victims of murderers, rapists, burglars or other assailants that have for too long terrorised the people of this country.

One plus one normally adds up to two. Unless you look at the performance of our departments of agriculture and land affairs.

When we speak about the challenges of farming, we almost invariably talk about economic difficulties such as the cost-price squeeze and attaining economies of scale.

These past two years have been some of the toughest ever for SA agribusinesses hit by supply constraints due to drought. These businesses have also been affected by cheap imports, low commodity prices, and the effect of the lacklustre economy on consumer spending behaviour.

On first impressions, it is difficult not to be envious of the Swiss and begrudge them their seemingly easy lives. It is one of the most peaceful and prosperous countries in the world, the scenery is achingly beautiful, and even the livestock wear jewellery too expensive for me to afford.