How COVID-19 changed agricultural policy
As governments implemented containment measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020, they also introduced ways of limiting the effects of the virus and related lockdowns on agricultural...
How much will it cost to save the planet?
The ongoing loss of natural spaces, including forests, has become a systemic risk for the global economy, warns the report, ‘State of Financing for Nature: Tripling investments in nature-based solutions...
How Africa can benefit from a strong agri sector
A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations argues that African governments need to invest more in their agriculture sectors in order to promote growth, create...
How will history judge us?
I know ignorance is a poor and cowardly excuse. However, as someone born in the early 1980s, I was oblivious when growing up of the terrible and unfair reality that...
Rural safety: perception vs reality
Finding effective and lasting solutions to rural crime will require a collective response from individuals, community organisations, government structures and the police, writes Uys van der Westhuijzen, chairperson of the...
COVID-19 and the rise of organic farming
According to the 2021 statistics yearbook ‘The World of Organic Agriculture’, which presents the latest statistics and emerging trends in organic farming from 187 countries around the world, organic farmland...
Tackling climate change and biodiversity loss
Climate change is inextricably linked to the accelerating destruction of nature. This report discusses how natural climate solutions, which include land management programmes that increase carbon dioxide storage and reduce...
South Africa’s ‘real tobacco wars’
According to Shadrack Ntando Sibisi, executive chairperson of the South Africa Tobacco Transformation Alliance, the five-month long ban on the sale of tobacco products, which formed part of Government’s COVID-19...
Error 404: the barriers to digital inclusivity
Progress towards digital inclusivity is threatened by growing digital dependency, automation, information suppression, and gaps in regulation and capabilities, notes the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Risks Report.
Agriculture’s language problem
One of the enviable things about South Africans is that just about every one of us speaks at least two languages, while many speak and understand three, four or even...
How satellite data can boost agriculture
The use of Earth observation has brought about dramatic improvements in agricultural practices and access to water. A new report published by the World Economic Forum details how Earth observations...
COVID-19 and disillusionment: the impending crisis of unskilled youths
The present generation of youth has endured a number of profoundly disruptive global events during their lifetime, the latest of which is the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders need to initiate efforts...
What SA’s red meat industry must fix before scaling up exports
Export markets offer potentially lucrative trade opportunities for South Africa’s red meat industry. However, to profit fully from such opportunities, stakeholders in the industry need to take careful note of...
What do we mean when we talk about land?
Property rights or, more specifically, the power of the state to deprive a person of these rights, have been high on Parliament’s agenda these past few weeks as committees heard...
What hampers farm mechanisation in Africa?
Urbanisation, increased food demand, rising rural wages, and seasonal labour bottlenecks have led to the interest in promoting agricultural mechanisation in sub-Saharan Africa. A new report by the International Food...
We know how to fix land reform, so why don’t we?
You might have read, in media reports that have been circulating on social media these past few weeks, about the case of Western Cape farmer Ivan Cloete, a land reform...
The role of forests in global food security
The expansion of agriculture increases the risk of deforestation, which will not only have a negative impact on climate change mitigation, but also diminish food security for millions of desperately...
Understanding the role of the Maize Trust
The Maize Trust and various other boards are essential for research and development in the agriculture sector.
‘Agriculture must brag about its quality produce’
Mpumelelo Mkhabela, a political analyst, says that it is crucial for the South African agriculture sector to highlight the quality of its produce on international markets.
A return to normality beckons
Dr Roelof Botha, economic advisor to the Optimum Investment Group, explains the factors that leads him to believe that 2021 may be a return to greater normality.
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