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The UN has pledged to support Zimbabwe’s call to mobilise more than R37 billion after President Emmerson Mnangagwa recent declaration of a national State of Disaster following the devastating El Niño-induced drought.

While tourism plays an important role in the Namibian economy, agritourism adds considerable value on a farm level in this arid country. Annelie Coleman visited the Mount D’Urban camping site near Helmeringhausen to find out more about tourism’s contribution to the business.

The drought in South Africa is a societal challenge and not just an agricultural problem, according to Noko Masipa, the DA’s Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

El Niño continues its severe impact on Zimbabwe, with a marked decline in crop production. The total area planted to crops in Zimbabwe in the 2023/24 season declined 6% when compared to the previous season, that of cereals declined 6% and maize grain declined 12%.

The devastating drought, coupled with the grave impact that extreme temperatures have on agricultural producers, calls for government support, Grain SA said in a statement.

The Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor in the US has indicated that agricultural economists agree Brazil will remain the world’s top exporter of soya bean in the 2023/24 season.

The Valley Afrika Droughtmaster Stud Production Sale was held on the farm Strydfontein on 2 August on behalf of AC de Klerk.

A major part of Namibia is experiencing an acute drought, with the situation particularly serious south of the capital, Windhoek, with little or no rain received during the 2022/23 rainy season. According to Thinus Pretorius, chairperson of Namibia’s Livestock Producers’ Organisation, some parts south of Keetmanshoop had not received any rain.

Farmers in the Northern Cape, where a devastating drought has prevailed since 2011, are still in dire straits, despite the rainfall that occurred recently in some parts of the region.

Although the tractor sales figures for October released by the South African Agricultural Machinery Association (SAAMA) on Monday (7 November) were the highest in 40 years, this was probably based on “necessity, rather than extravagance”, according to Derek Matthews, chairperson of Grain SA, who said that “after several years of drought, many farmers had delayed replacing tractors.”

While earnings from ostrich production have declined following the fresh meat export ban caused by the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak, the birds remain a valuable income contributor. Glenneis Kriel spoke to farmer Jolian du Preez, who survived the tough times and is now expanding his operation.

Boets Nel, co-owner of De Krans Wines near Calitzdorp, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about how his business survived the drought, coped with COVID-19 trade restrictions, and adapted to a changing market.