Grim legacy

My heart aches for every person in South Africa who has lost a child, a spouse or a loved one to farm violence.

Hunting is not poaching

Repressing hunting will only increase poaching, says Adri Kitshoff, CEO of the Professional Hunters’ Association of SA.

Farmers are tough enough

A farmer is a farmer is a farmer, irrespective of where you farm and what you farm with.

Growing communities through small-scale farms

Afasa president Mike Mlengana was educated on the proceeds of his father’s surplus produce. Deeply in touch with his roots and South Africa’s current challenges, he describes a solutions-based approach...

Accelerated land reform in the wildlife ranching industry

The wildlife industry is committed to advancing land reform through partnerships, says WRSA’s Cobus du Toit. Annelie Coleman spoke to him at Nampo.

Is SA still the gateway to the continent?

Dr Theo de Jager, a frequent visitor to Africa in his unofficial capacity as roving agricultural ambassador, says SA may not quite live up to its reputation as the obvious...

Nkwinti flying a dangerous land reform ‘kite’

The recent ANC policy proposals around land reform made by the minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Gugile Nkwinti pose a constitutional dilemma that would serve no good purpose...

Aquaculture legislation quagmire

The development of the aquaculture industry in South Africa is hampered by obstructive bureaucracy, warns ichthyologist and hatchery owner Nicholas James.

Measure & record to secure the future

Emerging beef cattle farmers in sub-Saharan Africa struggle with low fertility and high mortality in their herds. Yet the situation could be improved if farmers were taught the importance of...

Keeping us in the dark

As a visitor to South Africa, as far as I am concerned, the last paragraph of ‘Rolling blackouts stall SA economy’ (The Mercury’s Business Report, 7 March) summed up the...

Government the cause of unemployment

In a recent interview on a finance show, an economist mentioned that employment in the agriculture industry had fallen from 2,1 million before enactment of the minimum wage to 770...

Protecting the interests of a few

I refer to “New bill needs to better define value” in Farmers Weekly of 14 March. Those who are calling the Property Valuation Bill a “quick fix” are still hellbent...

Land reform – another perspective

When Danie du Plessis’s article says food security must be a priority, it sounds like a desperate attempt to bring up anything that may protect the rights of land owners.

Welcome to winter

O glorious day! Winter has finally come. This is my favourite time of the year. I adore a cold winter.

Where is South Africa heading?

Our country is facing a bleak future ahead, unless economic stability and growth are achieved and maintained. Poverty and unemployment are some of the factors contributing to this, according to...

Zokwana and Cele – the mind boggles!

You don’t need the Rosetta Stone to decode the message behind President Zuma’s appointment of NUM stalwart Senzeni Zokwana as the new minister of agriculture.

GM crops: the truth will free us from hunger

When it comes to genetically modified crops, ignorance isn’t bliss, it’s downright dangerous, making the public prey to scaremongers and hampering food security, warns Dr Charlie Reinhardt.

Escaped game is not yours to shoot

The booming game industry has had an unintentional spin-off – animals escaping onto neighbouring, unfenced properties. Whom do these animals belong to now? The answer is not as simple as...

Making SA’s groundwater last

Maintaining and managing SA’s scarce water resources have become highly contentious issues, especially in rural areas, says Gert Nel, partner and principal geohydrologist in SRK Consulting, East London.

The looming dangers of land reform promises

Impending land reform legislation threatens food security and the rural economy. Dr Frans Cronje, CEO of the SA Institute of Race Relations, believes it is crucial to fight now for...

Opinion