Plague of the countryside –drought and fire
As drought grips many parts of South Africa, it has again become clear how vulnerable rural communities are to weather extremes. Mike Burgess travelled through the southern Free State and...
Bushmen, rustling & the adoption of livestock
In the last days of their independence in the highlands of the Eastern Cape, Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal, the Bushmen became stock thieves and integrated domestic livestock into their rock art...
Commercial farming success for newcomer
Garnering support from government, industry and the community has helped ease Khanyisile Mkhanyawo’s transition from agricultural newcomer to commercial farmer.
Diversification farming success
Prof Lumkile Nkuhlu, former president Thabo Mbeki’s economic advisor, and his wife Nondima, farm near Vrede in the Free State. Diversification has enabled them to improve their cash flow and...
A day at the races… in the former Transkei
The horse arrived in the Eastern Cape with the first Europeans during the 1700s, and by the late 1800s had become a central part of Xhosa life. The desire to...
The long drought in Namibia
Namibia is suffering its worst drought in 30 years. This is not only affecting grain and livestock production but has left 34% of the population, in southern Africa’s driest country,...
Mpumlanga Top Farmer combines quantity surveying & farming
Combining quantity surveying and farming is highly unusual. But for Joachim Prinsloo, Agri Mpumalanga’s Young Farmer of the Year 2013, it has made all the difference. Lindi van Rooyen visited...
Cross-border problems can’t be ignored
The Eastern Free State region bordering Lesotho is both dramatic and charming, with its huge sandstone cliffs, orchards, grain crops and livestock-dotted landscape. But, as Mike Burgess writes, there is...
Diverse farming drives progress
Darling wine farmer Peter Duckitt sees the future of farming in diversification. Wine grapes form the basis of his operation, with wheat, beef, conservation and tourism spreading risk and ensuring...
Succeeding in a man’s world
Dakalo Magwede left a teaching career to farm cattle full time. Working hard to prove herself in this male-dominated business, she has been honoured as the Limpopo Female Farmer of...
Saving Xhosaland’s stick crafting culture
Traditional Xhosa sticks cut from the umnquma tree (African wild olive) are increasingly difficult to find in the Eastern Cape where communities are rapidly urbanising at the cost of certain...
Searching for the eye of the Jukskei
One doesn’t get many truly fascinating weeks, but I’ve just enjoyed one. I thought it would be a nice idea to walk the length of the Jukskei River.
Farms – Nice view, nice price
More and more farms are being bought solely for lifestyle purposes, as an escape from city life. This could soon see a farm’s selling price based not only on its...
Small-scale to commercial farming
Eking out a living from the land can sometimes become too difficult and the struggle to survive can be a challenge for even the toughest farmer. But dairyman Cyril Mhlatshana...
SA farm poetry
In a few months it will be a hundred years since the coming into effect of the Native Land Act, and the universities are frothing with activity as Phd candidates...
Model tractor collecting – ‘A delightful disease’
The old saying that the only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys was apparent at the latest SA Model Tractor Association (SAMTA) gathering in Bothaville....
From trucks to tractors – starting a new life in retirement
Usually considered a time to relax and pursue one’s interests outside the working world, retirement has not been so for Nixon Tenza. He’s probably working harder now, as a farmer,...
Bana ba Kgwale vegetable project assists community
Starting as a learnership programme, the Bana ba Kgwale vegetable project has grown into a viable agricultural operation that has brought fallow land back into production and created much-needed jobs...
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