Rural insight

Rural insight

IMIFINO – traditional food with a future

Growing along unkempt pavements and on wasteland across South Africa is a food source perceived by most as little more than weeds. Collectively known as imifino or morogo, the plants form part of the staple diet of many urban people originally from rural areas.

Qamata irrigation scheme: still waiting, still hungry

Under full production, the Qamata irrigation system could improve food security in the Eastern Cape, yet it continues to languish, says Orrock Robertsen.

Counting on chickens to fight poverty

A rural development programme is using broiler production as a means to alleviate poverty among small-scale farmers, writes Robyn Joubert.

How government fails smallholder farmers

A media trip organised by the Southern Africa Food Lab aimed to give journalists a first-hand glimpse of the challenges of smallholder farmers in Limpopo and Gauteng.

Teamwork: farmers’ strongest weapon against crime

Farm attacks are a grim, ever-present reality in South Africa. But farmers have started to work together to fight the scourge – and the results are beginning to show.

Meat classification – Time to enter the 21st century

South Africa’s meat classification system is outdated and must be changed, says Professor Frikkie Neser.

Teamwork: essence of the Dutch co-op

Co-operatives play an important role in the Netherlands. Currently, South Africa and the Dutch are working together to develop co-ops for the beneficiaries of land reform. Jacques Claassen recently visited a dairy co-op in the province of North Holland and assesses it as a business model.

Land reform in Ceres: farmers give away 30%

A recently launched land reform initiative in the Western Cape’s Witzenberg region has the potential to become one of South Africa’s greatest success stories in agricultural transformation.The farmer-driven project requires little support from government but substantial buy-in from commercial producers.

‘Govt must help us to help our farm workers’

A meeting between organised agriculture and Deputy-president Cyril Ramaphosa saw robust talks on evictions, municipalities’ failure to deliver, and ASUF urging government to adopt a ‘social pact’ for farm workers.

Namibian land reform: negotiated in good faith

Namibia appears to be redistributing land without threatening food security. Its commercial farmers do not bad-mouth their government, seeking rather to support and engage with it. The government in turn displays a realistic attitude to land reform. Nan Smith talks to Ryno van der Merwe, land reform representative of the Namibian Agricultural Union.

Broiler production in a squatter camp

The Phomolong squatter camp is not a place associated with chicken production. But, as Mike Burgess discovered, resident Prince Magagula is producing between 400 and 600 broilers a cycle from his cramped shack.
Fauresmith endurance ride test riders to their limits

Fauresmith endurance ride test riders to their limits

This year, the Fauresmith 200 saw 381 riders set out on what’s deemed to be the world’s toughest endurance ride. Greg Miles was there.

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