Agribusiness: the 2012 agenda
Various challenges are expected in agriculture for the year ahead. The local economy is faced with addressing unemployment while also attempting to achieve economic growth. The Agricultural Business Chamber recently...
Can the ANC survive rampant food inflation?
Because food prices are a combination of many factors, they’re a good indicator of a country’s economy. What’s more, food inflation affects different consumers very differently. For the affluent, food...
If we fail to talk, we’ll fail SA
There should be no dispute regarding the ultimate objective of agricultural development. If it's not possible to work together, and if role players have divergent motives and hidden agendas, the...
Seed industry loses out
The rejection of a merger between Pioneer Hi-Bred and SA's Pannar Seed is based on fallacious assumptions and will deprive South Africa of affordable seed technology, thus affecting food security,...
SA farmers: An asset to our people, a liability to our leaders
Year after year, commercial farmers prove their worth by feeding the nation. Yet they remain the target of ANC politicians determined to force through unworkable ideologies. This is a grave...
Fight agricultural stereotyping
Stereotypical ideas about farmers and agriculture have resulted in many unfavourable decisions in parliament regarding the sector. Dr Pieter Mulder, deputy minister of agriculture, explains why these stereotypes must be...
Why we need a food revolution
With the planet's human population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, agriculture must rise to the challenge of meeting the massive demand for food. Professor Aidan Connolly, vice-president of...
How our Constitution ensures land for all
Julius Malema's talk of changing the Constitution to allow for land grabs is merely a case of "opening one's mouth to change feet". A brief perusal of our Constitution shows...
The year ahead
Agri SA president Johannes Möller's New Year message to farmers is one of optimism and opportunity.
Living with drought
Roelof Bezuidenhout, a Farmer's Weekly correspondent who farms near Steytlerville, is experiencing drought first-hand. He believes government will have to reconsider their drought aid if they want to keep farmers...
Start by supporting commercial farmers
Dr Reuel Khoza is a black farmer and chairperson of Aka Capital and the Nedbank Group. His family trust owns a 200ha export avocado and macadamia farm near Hazyview and...
Tide turns for African Farmers
Africa is the only continent which doesn't grow enough food to feed itself. But a revolution is underway that can change that, and it's affecting everyone from smallholer farmers to...
Demystifying ‘us’ and ‘them’
In the "us vs them" game no one wins, and the divide between the government and commercial farmers has largely been created by "stone-throwing politicians", says Agri Eastern Cape president...
How to speed up African food production
African countries need to implement home-grown policies to accelerate food production that are better suited to their state of economic growth and development, says Akin Adesina, former president of the...
Play the game
Like any business, farming is a game. To win, you have to adapt to meet changing circumstances. You also have to help other players - at least those who show...
Why holistic management needs better PR
Controversial Zimbabwean rancher Johann Zietsman has championed severe grazing and high-animal impact since 1995. He responds to our recent feature on Allan Savory’s revolutionary approach of combining high stocking rates...
Agriculture: not just feeding the nation
'It's time for agriculture to make a concerted effort at unity,' said Prof Mohammed Karaan, dean of the Agri-Sciences faculty at Stellenbosch University, at Kwanalu's 12th Annual Congress in Pietermaritzburg.
Is big business stealing Africa?
A new colonialism is on the rise, as governments and private companies grab land across Africa to feed and fuel demand in their own countries. They say their projects will...
The truth about labour
It's a tall order, but why not take the politics out of farm labour and concentrate on what will actually work, asks journalist and farmer Roelof Bezuidenhout.
Are farmers supporting illegal trade?
Recently there’s been a lot of buzz about the illegal practices of “off-market fresh produce agents”. But they can only function with farmers’ support, and it’s up to farmers to...
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