Opinion

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.

Chemical fertilisers are a major contributor to poor soil and loss of biodiversity. In this article, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations looks at environmentally friendly alternatives.

With countries adopting more protectionist policies due to rising fears of a global food crisis, this report discusses the importance and need for world trade in agricultural commodities.

The number of people affected by hunger and undernourishment around the world is expected to remain high even up to 2030, largely due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations looks at alternative food options that could be used to feed the world’s growing population. However, as the report shows, not all of these options are feasible yet, and steps for safety assessment regarding human consumption might be required.

While sub-Saharan Africa is ready and willing to adopt digital solutions to improve agricultural production, this region still needs to overcome many barriers.

By implementing regenerative practices, South African maize farmers have the power to help prevent a food security crisis, say researchers Mary Maluleke and Prof James Blignaut.

Innovation and premium brands characterise the tea market, which is attracting a growing number of young buyers, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The buck stops with government, whose policymakers should stop scapegoating and allow South Africa’s economy to flourish in a free market, writes Temba Nolutshungu of the Free Market Foundation.

Ideal climatic conditions and access to irrigation have helped to propel South Africa’s raisin industry to ever-greater heights. But deficient logistics infrastructure and a lack of processing capacity are hampering further expansion, says Pieter Botha, Nedbank Business Banking’s area client manager for the Northern Cape.

In a recent report, the Namibia Agricultural Union outlined the state of that country’s agriculture sector, and how it has been affected by COVID-19 and other factors.

Groundwater is an essential tool in agricultural production. However, it remains an untapped resource in Africa, as this recently published report shows.

Energy-related challenges pose a significant obstacle to the agriculture sector’s continued growth in South Africa, says Abraham Cambridge, founder and CEO of The Sun Exchange, which specialises in solar-energy projects.