Risk insurance vital for agricultural sector
Ryno du Toit, business development executive at Risk Benefit Solutions (RBS), an independent insurance and risk specialist, stresses the importance of mitigating risk in the agricultural sector.
Are farmers losing heart?
There was a palpable buzz during the course of last year’s Agri SA congress, something that I felt was missing at this year’s event.
The next food revolution: underground urban farming?
As apocalyptic as it sounds, a very successful underground farming initiative has seen the light of day (mind the pun) 33m under the busy streets of Clapham in London.
Do what is right and good
Agriculture should remain progressive and proactive if it is to ride out the storm, Kwanalu’s outgoing president, Mike Black, said at the union’s recent congress in Pietermaritzburg.
What about our water quality?
In the midst of the recent heat wave and prolonged drought, city folks were reminded of man’s dependence on water.
SAPS Rural Safety Strategy review underway
The South African Police Service (SAPS) is reviewing its 2011 Rural Safety Strategy in a series of stakeholder workshops held around the country. Brigadier Judith le Roux, section head of...
Maths counts, but South Africans can’t
If the World Economic Forum (WEF) is to be believed, South Africans are unhealthy, poorly educated and uncooperative.
Fast-tracking agri growth
Unlocking SA’s full agricultural production and processing potential is one of the ‘Big Five’ options to accelerate growth and job creation, according to a new McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) report.
Global farming concerns
Last month, I spent two days in Milan, Italy, with farmers and journalists from all over the world. The event was part of a New Holland social media initiative and...
Protecting a precious resource
CropX, PowPow and mOasis each offer ways to get the most out of your water, says Greg Miles.
SA farmers are ‘agropreneurs’
Local farmers seek to create sustainable business ventures out of agro-commodities, goods and services with other role players in the value chain. They are not mere landowners, according to Christo...
Time for a second attempt at a single voice
Never before in the 21 years since South Africa’s transition to a democracy has the ruling party placed so much faith in the contribution that agriculture can make to the...
Helping to put farmers first
The ‘Farmers Business Network’ enables members to share valuable information, says Greg Miles.
Breaking down the barriers of silence
Free State Agriculture (FSA) is committed to ongoing engagement with government in order to build trust and remove racial stereotyping, according to its president, Dan Kriek. Addressing the recent 2015...
DAFF female farmer award winner fiasco
The agriculture department is insulting the many hardworking, successful and deserving female farmers in South Africa by saying that Hlengiwe Hlophe is the best commercial female farmer we have.
Tracking your produce
Better traceability secures more customers for food producers, says Greg Miles.
Conserving the last lions
The king of the beasts may not survive the 21st century. Conflict with livestock owners in Africa, a growing demand in the Far East for large felid bones, shrinking habitat,...
Lessons from Europe
The heartbreaking image of the lifeless Syrian toddler washed up on a Turkish beach has got many people looking at immigrants in a new light.
How virtual reality is going to change the world as we know it
All over the world, techies are counting down the days to the 2016 launch of the Oculus Rift, a portable, user-friendly virtual reality (VR) headset that is expected to bring...
