By Invitation

Josh Becker, CEO of Impele Consulting Group, offers advice on how small-scale farmers in Africa can be assisted to modernise their farming practices.

A South African study into the benefits of research proves that research and development is vital to a robust agricultural sector. ARC economist Aart-Jan Verschoor reports.

Land restitution in SA is currently concentrated on the issue of the ‘formerly dispossessed’. This is a recipe for disaster. The focus should be on food security and using land to its maximum economic potential, says TAU SA’s Danie du Plessis.

Agri-business consultant, Peter Hughes, urges South Africans to set aside their entrenched biases and embrace Africa’s great economic turnaround.

Income tax incentives for farmers providing housing to workers, and greater protection for farm workers’ rights, are some of the recommendations made in a report aimed at finding solutions to problems facing the agricultural sector in the Western Cape. The report has been compiled by a multi-stakeholder initiative, consisting of the Future of Agriculture and the Rural Economy process.

An agricultural skills training model is ready, but government take-up is not forthcoming, says education expert Dr Raymond Sparrow.

Hans Vermaak, president of the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa (Phasa), explains why he is worried about Botswana’s looming hunting ban.

By 2030, the world will have one billion more mouths to feed. To meet this growing food need, we require a sustainable, enabling agricultural environment. Can this be achieved in 17 years? Nedbank Capital’s Zhann Meyer thinks it can, but we need to act now.

Australia is using broadband to revitalise farming. SA is falling behind, warns Santam’s Gerhard Diedericks.

At the recent National Emergent Red Meat Producers’ Organisation’s annual general meeting, Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform Gugile Nkwinti spoke about the reasons for some of the department’s policies.

The past year in agriculture has been fraught with labour unrest and tense negotiations between organised agriculture and the state. Speaking at Agri SA’s annual congress in Pretoria, the organisation’s president, Johannes Möller, spoke about how realism was needed on both sides.

According to Charles Darwin, the success of a species is not determined by its relative strength or intelligence, but by its ability to adapt to change. The same applies to countries, businesses and individuals, says former president FW de Klerk.