Opinion

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ outlook for cotton production (2022 – 2031) looks at the opportunities and challenges facing the world’s cotton producers.

The South African agriculture sector is heavily burdened with crime. Using the Free State as a case study, Annelie Coleman spoke to industry stakeholders about the true cost of crime to the local farming community, and the threat it poses to the long-term sustainability of food production in the country.

Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, does not believe that South Africa is collapsing, despite its current political, economic and infrastructural problems. One reason for hope, he argues, lies in the compassion and patience of South Africans. He has seen it first-hand for 30 years.

There are many hypotheses on why horseflies may be put off by a zebra’s stripes. In a recent study, researchers concluded that this may be a result of the temperature on darker stripes, rather than the stripes themselves.

In the 6 & 13 January 2023 issue of Farmer's Weekly, we provide our readers with an outline of the agricultural landscape for the New Year, as well as analysts’ predictions in terms of upcoming local production seasons and commodity prices.

According to a new report, smallholders and indigenous peoples can be effective forest managers, as they occupy nearly half of the world’s forest and farm landscapes and are often invested in these areas.

I have made no secret of the fact that I find the world’s treatment of farmers deplorable. This treatment of the people who produce our food and the fibre for our clothing, as well as employ vast swathes of the world’s population, is particularly egregious when it comes to governments.

Education is vital to the transformation of South Africa’s agriculture industry, as well as the country’s economic growth. However, many agricultural colleges are in disarray. Magda du Toit reports on this crucial issue.

Dr Baty Dungu believes South Africa should take lessons from countries that have been using stockpiles for years to ensure adequate vaccine supplies before outbreaks occur.

Justin Platt, founder and managing director of agricultural technical services companies Zylem and RegenZ, says that farmers don’t need more knowledge, but rather better ‘knowing’.

The UN’s Conference of the Parties (COP27) ran from 6 to 18 November and was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. On the agenda, as always, was climate change.

Given the complexities facing the agriculture sector, it seems that the road ahead will be impossible to navigate without both the financial support and expertise of banking institutions and financiers, writes Nedbank’s Zhann Meyer.