Opinion

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.

At Farmer’s Weekly we focus mostly on the ‘how’ of farming and provide a steady stream of practical information that can help farmers improve the efficiency, sustainability and profitability of their businesses.

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 into improved seed, manufacturing of farming equipment, and other interventions. Sub-Saharan Africa can learn many lessons from India’s ‘Green Revolution’.

The past two years have been tough for the local agricultural sector, and the strain that farmers and agribusinesses have been under is really starting to show.

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 many shoppers are growing concerned about the possible health threats of agrochemicals.

Farmer’s Weekly has been proudly serving the Southern African agricultural sector for the past 106 years, and one of the reasons why we have managed to keep going for over a century is our absolute dedication to continually adapting to the changing needs of you, our readers.

As the political situation in Zimbabwe started heating up in mid-November, Farmer’s Weekly published a news story on its website about how the departure of President Robert Mugabe may affect the future of farming in that country.

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 and damage to the environment.

Farming the markets’ originates from the analogy that exists between personal finance (investing) and farming.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the impact of widespread drought conditions across South Africa over the past three years has now become a humanitarian disaster.

The 2017 ‘Food loss and waste: facts and futures’ report, compiled by the WWF-SA, investigates food loss and waste in South Africa. According to the report, a third of all food in the country is not consumed, but wasted, while millions of South Africans go to bed hungry every night.

It must be at least six years ago now that I first became aware of the real scope of one of the many harassments that farmers face.

During the Agribusiness Africa conference hosted by Farmer’s Weekly, Dr Riaan du Preez, manager of scientific affairs at Afrivet, highlighted a disturbing statistic about cow conception on the continent: six out of 10 cows in Africa do not produce calves. He spoke about the dangers this poses for food security, as well as possible solutions to the problem.

As I write this, only one day has passed since thousands of South Africans took part in peaceful protests to say that they had had enough of crime, enough of constantly living with the fear that they or their loved ones would be the next victims of murderers, rapists, burglars or other assailants that have for too long terrorised the people of this country.

One plus one normally adds up to two. Unless you look at the performance of our departments of agriculture and land affairs.

When we speak about the challenges of farming, we almost invariably talk about economic difficulties such as the cost-price squeeze and attaining economies of scale.

South Africa needs leaders from all sectors of the economy who are proactive, imaginative and understanding of the economic difficulties the country faces. This was according to former finance minister and current member of parliament, Pravin Gordhan, speaking at the 11th Agribusiness Africa Conference, hosted by Farmer’s Weekly in Johannesburg.

These past two years have been some of the toughest ever for SA agribusinesses hit by supply constraints due to drought. These businesses have also been affected by cheap imports, low commodity prices, and the effect of the lacklustre economy on consumer spending behaviour.

Climate expert Johan van den Berg recently addressed the Northern Cape Red Meat Producers’ Organisation congress on the outlook for climatic conditions in the future, and how to manage the associated risks. He highlighted the differences between climate change and climate variability and suggested how farmers could factor this into their planning.

On first impressions, it is difficult not to be envious of the Swiss and begrudge them their seemingly easy lives. It is one of the most peaceful and prosperous countries in the world, the scenery is achingly beautiful, and even the livestock wear jewellery too expensive for me to afford.