Opinion

Rural economies in Africa have become zones of economic misery. According to Dr Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, stimulating economic growth in these areas through agriculture and the food industry should be at the top of the development agenda.

The expropriation without compensation debate has been making national headlines since last year, with many proponents arguing that it would economically empower the poor. However, Zamikhaya Maseti, a senior specialist for public and sector policy at the Land Bank, says that no land reform policy can be successful if new black farmers do not have adequate access to markets.

South Africa ended the year with some good news when fuel prices, which had soared to record highs in November, came down sharply in December, and Statistics South Africa announced that positive performance in the agriculture sector in the third quarter (Q3) of 2018 had helped lift the economy out of a technical recession.

The report, ‘Business models to ride the food-to-go wave,’ released by Rabobank, explores the growing trend of precooked and ready-to-eat meals, and how retailers and foodservice providers can work together to benefit from this movement.

At the end of November, the Twitter feed of South Africans interested in local politics was briefly overrun by the fracas between EFF and DA members of Parliament over DA chief whip John Steenhuisen’s lack of university qualifications.

The Continental Free Trade Agreement, which South Africa has signed, is key to increasing trade revenues, job creation and economic integration on the continent, writes Sifiso Ntombela, head of trade and investment intelligence at Agbiz.

South Africa is world-renowned for its biodiversity conservation and resultant variety of wildlife. However, public opinion is often divided on the subject of wildlife utilisation. Dr George Hughes, former chief director of the Natal Parks Board and CEO of its successor, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife before retiring in 2001, explains why sustainable wildlife utilisation is essential for biodiversity conservation.

South Africa is not an easy place to farm. Even if you ignore the threat posed by radical land reform, most farmers in this country still have to contend with relatively poor-quality soils, erratic rainfall that leads to frequent droughts, tough competition from countries that have better production conditions and state support, and the devastating impact of crime on their businesses and families.

If you have been involved in the farming sector in South Africa for the past decade, you have also probably heard the rumour that state departments are embroiled in a sinister plot to make land reform projects fail on purpose.

Adding to a farming operation or agribusiness is not simply a matter of obtaining more land. James Brand, senior associate in environmental affairs at law firm ENSafrica, discusses the legalities involved in securing water rights on additional land, and environmental authorisation for clearing indigenous vegetation.

The high cost of wages for workers in the public service is one of the major uncomfortable truths that Finance Minister Tito Mboweni will have to grapple with as he prepares to present the National Budget next year, which will hopefully clearly outline how the country will escape from the trap of virtually non-existent economic growth.

Let’s be honest, living in South Africa can be really depressing, despite our many sunny days, beautiful scenery and generally long-suffering disposition.

Namibia is a reliable export and import partner for South Africa, and the two countries are closely linked politically and economically. This interdependency should be founded on mutual respect and support, says Roelie Venter, executive manager of the Namibia Agricultural Union.

South Africa’s latest minister of finance, Tito Mboweni, will have the unenviable task of trying to find at least some good news to share with financially exhausted South Africans when he delivers the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement in Parliament on 24 October.

Food and nutrition insecurity remains a major problem worldwide. Alan Dangour, Professor in Food and Nutrition for Global Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, explains how women in agriculture should be empowered to help address this situation.

Dan Kriek, the president of Agri SA, has had to weather some harsh criticism this year from within his own organisation, as well as from outside.

The two-day Presidential Jobs Summit is underway in Johannesburg to find answers to South Africa’s overwhelming unemployment crisis.

South Africans must join hands and look beyond political differences to take the agriculture sector forward through one of the most challenging times it has ever faced, according to Gerhard Kriel, CEO of Free State Agriculture.

During the early years of the current decade, encouraging progress was made in reducing the number of people across the world who suffer from hunger, but the gains made have mostly been wiped out over the past three years.

The one crucial point that should not be forgotten by all the organisations and political parties representing, or claiming to represent, the interests of various civil society groupings is the question of what will happen to land, or any other property, after it has been expropriated.