Home Opinion Page 25

Opinion

The farmer’s weekly team gives their opinions on all aspects of the farming, sparking conversation and providing insights.

Censorship

The SABC’s Hlaudi (Good-news) Motsoeneng has joined the philosophical school of thought popular with political leaders such as President Jacob Zuma and EFF leader Julius Malema, which contends that if...

Government out of touch with black farmers’ needs – IRR land report

Government’s land reform policy will not rescue South Africa from its 36% unemployment rate, nor is it a true reflection of the real needs and wants of black emerging farmers....

Do you feel safe in South Africa?

Someone recently showed me a photograph that a friend of theirs had posted on Facebook, showing an aerial view of a city burning.

Setting up a Facebook account

Facebook can be daunting for those farmers who say they were born BC (before computers). However, it’s an excellent way to share ideas with other farmers and stay in contact...

UK farmers were in favour of Brexit

The United Kingdom (UK) voted on Friday to withdraw from the European Union (EU), sending the pound and the rand diving, and David Cameron, former UK Prime Minister, running.
the-effects-of-poor-rural-road-conditions-on-produce

The effects of poor rural road conditions on produce

Highlighting the effects of rural road conditions on agricultural cargo is one way of enhancing the visibility of rural road research, according to Prof Wynand Steyn, an associate professor in...
Why conserving Africa’s biodiversity is so crucial

Why conserving Africa’s biodiversity is so crucial

While the topic of food security is being increasingly discussed in many parts of the world, it appears that in Africa this vitally important subject receives far too little attention,...

Why we should keep a close eye on vertical farming trends

A few months ago, I wrote about Zero Carbon Food, an urban, vertical farming initiative in London using hydroponic systems and LED technology in an old World War II bomb...

Innovation out of chaos

It was the Greek philosopher, Plato, who first said “necessity is the mother of invention”, but Albert Einstein later famously changed the phrase slightly to “necessity is the mother of...
botswana-beef-exports-opportunities-for-sa-farmers

Botswana beef exports: opportunities for SA farmers?

Preferential access to the EU should be fully exploited by Botswana’s beef producers and feedlots. More cattle need to be exported, with local demand being met by imports from South...

Why so angry, South Africa?

South Africa’s economy has stagnated, and by the time you read this, Standard and Poor’s may well have downgraded the country’s credit rating to...

A new app for sharing files over cellphone networks

Sending or sharing files over the Internet or cellphone networks can be a tedious affair, especially with a poor rural network connection.
Growing South Africa’s global fruit exports

Growing South Africa’s global fruit exports

The SA fruit and nut markets are driven by global supply and demand. Ezra Steenkamp, deputy director of trade research at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), and...

Land reform: exposing the myths

More and more evidence suggests that the actual demand for agricultural land in South Africa is not only being vastly inflated by those in power, but that government presently owns...

The DJI Phantom 3 Pro – stock thieves beware!

I recently took my DJI Phantom 3 Pro drone to a farmer’s day in Komga to demonstrate its capabilities.
Food for Africa: investing in the future

Food for Africa: investing in the future

Multinational agricultural companies have the capacity and expertise to provide African countries with the inputs needed to grow farming operations – even in challenging climatic conditions, according to DuPont Pioneer...

How many people can we support?

The planet’s human population is growing at an alarmingly rapid pace, and nobody knows this better than farmers.

More & more farmers are using drones

As I’ve noted before, drones are growing in popularity amongst farmers.

Emerging farmers must be empowered

Willem de Chavonnes Vrugt, a commercial farmer from Setlagole in North West, argues that agricultural transformation is essential for the sustainability of the sector. He stresses, however, that government’s current...

Adopting a farmer-centric approach

I was shocked, but not altogether surprised, to learn recently that farmers’ incomes worldwide have remained significantly lower than the average income in most sectors, often by as much as...
ADVERTISEMENT

MUST READS

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Send this to a friend