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Whenever I see a rhino these days, I wonder if these remarkable creatures will still be around when I reach old age.

Humanity has always survived by adapting, but it seems to me that the next decade or two will require it to change more and faster than ever before.

During the first week of January, the University of Oxford in the UK hosted the annual Oxford Farming Conference. Reading through some of the presentations given at the event, I was reminded of how globalised the challenges and opportunities in farming have become.

New Year’s resolutions may seem passé, but they can be a great way of at least attempting to implement what is known as the Urgent-Important Matrix in your life.

The Global Seed Vault, the brainchild of scientist and conservationist Cary Fowler, was built nearly 150m into the side of a mountain in Svalbard, Norway, in 2008.

Finally, we have come to the end of a year that has tested farmers in this country like no other year before, and I am reminded of the poet, Robert Frost, who said, “in three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

I recently asked Agbiz CEO, Dr John Purchase, whether or not, all things considered, he would, in good conscience, advise someone with no current investment in agriculture to go ahead and buy a farm in South Africa.

South Africans are nervously awaiting the announcement by ratings agencies on whether the country has retained its sovereign credit rating, or if it has been downgraded to junk status.

The film The Martian, based on the novel by Andy Weir, has captivated audiences across the world since its premiere in 2015.

According to Absa’s senior agricultural economists Wessel Lemmer and Ernst Janovsky, who recently addressed the Absa Agribusiness round table in Centurion, technology will play an increasing role in food production as the world races to feed its growing population.

I have previously written about the serious threat posed to the future of agriculture because young people are no longer interested in following a career in farming.

Potchefstroom company Haevic, has recently developed a drone that can be used to dart game.