Use 2021 to prepare for tougher years to come
It is a theme I remember well from the children’s tales and Bible stories my mother used to read to my sisters and me when we were girls. Aesop’s loafing...
2020: A year to remember
There isn’t much left to say about 2020 that hasn’t already been said. It was one of those years that will punctuate our generation’s brief time on this planet in...
SA needs to spend on animal health
In a recent presentation to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee for Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform, the Auditor-General reported that the department of agriculture and related entities had R46,3 million in...
Why every farmer needs a dog
I was 10 or 11 years old when I saw, for the first time, a grown man cry. Back then, the only veterinarian in town had an office across the...
Issues with the 900 state farms bonanza
Land reform has, for the most part, been somewhat in limbo since Cyril Ramaphosa became president in 2018. But the recent announcement by Minister Thoko Didiza of the Department of...
COVID-19 erases hard-won job gains
The positive growth trend in agricultural GDP so far this year has failed to translate into an increase in employment in the agriculture sector.
Living as we do is killing our world
Scientists have recently observed signs of possible life in the thick cloud cover that envelopes our neighbouring planet, Venus.
Agri GDP better, but not at its best
There weren’t many surprises, nor much good news, among the second-quarter (Q2) GDP results that were released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) during the second week of September.
A reflection on ‘women’s month’
August has passed and with it we bid goodbye to the month which, every year, is marked by numerous overtures to women, some earnest and some opportunistic, as companies, organisations...
Struggle to access water behind many land reform failures
There are a few common threads that run through most stories of those people who have, over the past 25 years, benefitted from one of South Africa’s land reform and...
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...
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...
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...
Africa is falling further behind
Something needs to change, otherwise Africa and the people who live on this continent will experience another decade of poverty, hunger and hardship.
It doesn’t rain grass!
As I write this, it's been about four months since South Africa went into a national lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Sorting fact from fiction
One of the problems that always emerge when we start debating the role and future of smallholder farming is that there is no clear definition put in place to describe...
When the hungry steal food
About seven or eight years ago, I interviewed a farmer who produced vegetables on a farm in Philippi in Cape Town. The area was and still is one of the...
A zero-based budget for the agri department
The grim realities that were presented by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni when he delivered the Supplementary Budget to Parliament recently did not come as a surprise.
Dear readers,
I love swimming in the ocean and even as a child I would swim out far behind the breaking waves to where the water was calm. Sometimes, though, I misjudge...
COVID-19 lessons for agriculture
As the South African economy limps its way through the various lockdown levels, all of which are aimed at slowing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection rate, we’re getting to learn...
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