Opinion

Raised in the village of Shimawusa in Giyani, Limpopo, Dr Tlangelani Baloyi’s passion for agriculture began beside his mother in the local irrigation scheme. What started as a chore became a lifelong drive to help strengthen South Africa’s food security.

Edwin Muturi, who holds a BSc in agribusiness management from the University of Nairobi in Kenya, is questioning why some agriculture graduates in Africa don’t pursue farmwork.

Reggie Mchunu’s roots run deep in the farming soils of Tugela Ferry, a rural community near Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal. Raised by a single mother who sold crops to support his education, Mchunu’s first lessons in agriculture were personal and profound.

Poor cell phone signal translates directly into lost productivity, compromised safety, and reduced revenue. At WaveBoosters, we deliver professional-grade 2G, 3G, LTE 4G, and 5G cell phone signal boosters that resolve connectivity issues immediately and permanently.

Nonduduzo Adelaide Simelane and her siblings grew up helping their grandmother tend maize and bean fields in Schoemansdal, Mpumalanga, and now she is studying towards a PhD in plant science at the University of Pretoria, reflecting her perseverance, passion, and purpose.

Stacey Fisher never imagined she’d find herself in agriculture let alone completing a PhD in plant biotechnology, but everything changed when she joined the Plant Omics Laboratory at the University of the Western Cape.

During her academic journey, Meryl Awkes, now a Standard Bank business centre head, pivoted from chemistry to agriculture thanks to the Maize Trust Bursary Scheme and has since built a career that feeds people and the economy.

In Limpopo, about 30km from the mining town of Marble Hall and surrounded by citrus orchards, fertile farmland, and maize plantings, lies the Tompi Seleka College of Agriculture, South Africa’s northernmost agricultural training institution.

If there were any doubts about South African farmers’ optimism for the 2025/26 summer crop plantings, strong tractor sales should provide reassurance.

The rural safety crisis in South Africa remains dire, with farm attacks and murders on the rise. Jacques Broodryk, chief spokesperson for community safety at AfriForum, talks about how the organisation’s farm watch initiative helps farmers protect their communities, improve security, and reclaim control over their farms.

From my time in the National Treasury, I’ve seen how agriculture’s role in economic planning is underestimated. Too often, it is viewed as a siloed primary sector of harvests and food security rather than a powerful tool for holistic development.

Zimbabwean farmer Stuart Brent was promised US$800 000 (about R14 million) compensation for improvements to property lost during the country’s land reform programme, but received less than US$8 000 (R138 000), turning his initial relief into disappointment.

Africa’s agricultural potential remains largely untapped, with post-harvest losses of key commodities exceeding 30% and continued reliance on imported processed foods. This deficit in local value addition undermines food security, erodes export revenue, and curbs job creation and industrialisation.

Since the Department of Agriculture held its seminar on the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan, which seeks to unlock inclusive growth in the sector, there has been some pushback from various corners.

Set in the hills of rural Eastern Cape, Tsolo Agriculture and Rural Development Institute focuses on animal health training. Located some 42km north-west of Mthatha, its work benefits the surrounding municipality, which is home to around 194 000 people.

Earlier this year, Dr Charl van der Merwe became manager of the Agbiz Grain desk. With nearly 30 years’ experience in grain handling, procurement, market analysis, and strategic development, he drives policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and industry representation.

While the South African livestock industry continues to struggle with foot-and-mouth disease, and considerable work is required to resolve it, other sub sectors are performing reasonably well.

Signal boosters are becoming essential in South African homes under the constant threat of load-shedding, while fibre broadband remains unreliable, expensive, and out of reach for most.

The spread of foot-and-mouth disease into some of the country's largest feedlots this year has once again exposed a systemic challenge that threatens to lock our farmers out of global markets, says Daneel Rossouw, head of sales for agriculture at Nedbank Agriculture.

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