How agriculture can ease the global urban water shortage
A new study that looks at the water competition between cities and agriculture has found that urban water demand in 482 of the world’s largest cities will increase by 80%...
Stock theft threatens growth in SA’s goat value chain
While common across South Africa, goats remain a largely untapped resource for poverty alleviation and rural development. But efforts to remedy the situation are being undermined by the widespread theft...
Time for the private sector to fight rural poverty
While rural development is supposed to be a key focus of the South African government, the state is failing in this obligation. Veteran rural development expert Jimmy Lonsdale believes the...
Animal welfare: are consumers wilfully ignorant?
Wilful ignorance is when people consciously avoid information. Many studies have documented consumer attitudes toward farm animal welfare, but few have questioned whether people really want to know how farm...
Global hunger: the price we pay for food
In poorer nations, buying the ingredients for a single meal can use up a significant portion of a person’s earnings. Where there is conflict or economic collapse, it can exceed...
Do we need a new way to measure our prosperity?
Claims have emerged that institutions such as the World Bank are ‘doctoring’ the methods they use to measure food security, competitiveness and other factors in developing countries.
Agriculture is changing and so must agri economists
It’s not only farmers who have to adapt to the fundamental changes occurring in world agriculture, or go out of business. Agricultural economists also have to adapt. This is the...
Black youths must be made aware of agri sector careers
In his BCom Hons research paper, Mlungisi Mama examines why so few black youths are interested in agriculture as a career. His conclusion is that they believe the sector comprises...
We all want land reform. Let’s make it work!
Meaningful land reform is crucial, not only to allay the farming community’s fears, but to help restore the economy and benefit South Africa’s poor.
How Africa can emulate India’s agricultural success
India’s self-sufficiency in grains is no accident. In the 1960s, in response to food shortages, the country began systematically modernising its agricultural sector. This was achieved through government subsidies, research...
Addressing agrochemical residues on fresh produce
The use of agrochemicals in the commercial production of fresh produce is widespread in South Africa and elsewhere. However, according to Tom Murray, technical manager at Woolworths, retailers realise that...
The role of ‘human error’ in climate change
Speaking at a technical information day hosted by the Dried Fruit Technical Services and Canning Fruit Producers’ Association, environmentalist Dave Pepler focused on individual responsibility in terms of climate change...
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