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The farmer’s weekly blog is the voice of emerging farming news.

The beginning of the end of ‘Big Food’

The beginning of the end of ‘Big Food’

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,...
Swiss Ag Tour

Swiss farming: not as easy as it looks

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...
Co-ops the answer for smallholders?

Co-ops the answer for smallholders?

One of the greatest frustrations farmers face in modern agricultural value chains is that they are, to a large extent, relegated to being price-takers.
The importance of data in agriculture

The importance of data in agriculture

In May this year, The Economist ran a cover story that said that the world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data.
Agriculture’s labour time bomb

Agriculture’s labour time bomb

Labour relations in the farming sector made headlines again these past few weeks after news broke of an unscrupulous labour broker operating from a farm in Wesselsbron in the Free...
How many harvests are left in your soil?

How many harvests are left in your soil?

Not to take anything away from the remarkable way in which large-scale commercial agriculture has managed to improve production efficiencies (for the past two decades, yield growth has far outstripped...
South Africa is slipping...

South Africa is slipping…

You would probably not be able to guess this if you met me today, but when I was at school and during my years at university, I spent as much...
What growing up on a farm taught me

What growing up on a farm taught me

I cannot imagine a greater childhood than growing up on a farm.
How to make use of long-term outlooks

How to make use of long-term outlooks

These past weeks have seen the release of two of the most prominent decision-making tools for the farming sector: the local and global 10-year outlooks for the agricultural sector, published...
The three things black farmers need

The three things black farmers need

There is something about the utter absurdity of watching President Jacob Zuma stand in front of an audience of honest, hard-working South Africans, saying things like, “Funds that are allocated...
Eighty-seven litres of water or less per day

Eighty-seven litres of water or less per day

On a recent visit to Cape Town, I experienced what Capetonians have been coming to grips with over the past few months: learning how to drastically curb daily water usage.
Let farmers handle transformation

Let farmers handle transformation

In an article in this week's issue (28 July 2017) of Farmer's Weekly, former finance minister and current ANC MP, Pravin Gordhan, urges farmers to “make the first move” and...
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