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The only insurance against drought is a sound, scientifically based grazing management programme, coupled with a reasonable stocking rate even in times of plenty. So says Dr Mias van der Westhuizen, Free State rangeland specialist. Annelie Coleman spoke to him about the practical implications of good grazing management.

Agri SA has made an urgent request for the Office of the Public Protector and the Auditor-General of South Africa to conduct a forensic audit to investigate alleged discrepancies in how funds had been allocated for drought relief, and allegedly corrupt procurement processes.

East Africa is grappling with a fall armyworm (FAW) invasion, while still recovering from the effects of a drought that had resulted in significant maize shortages.

The Western Cape has been declared a disaster area due to the ongoing drought, now regarded as the region’s worst in more than a century.

Citrus growers in the Western Cape are optimistic about this year’s season, despite the devastating drought currently experienced by the province

South Africa’s commercial farmers are on their own during times of drought and cannot rely on support from government.

While the drought in parts of the Western Cape had adversely affected crop production, it is expected that it would have little effect on this year’s brandy grape harvest.

More than R380 million that could have been used to assist farmers during the drought has not been spent. This was revealed during a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee meeting in which the committee was given an account of how Treasury and other departments had assisted farmers during the drought.

According to Jannie de Villiers, CEO of Grain SA, South Africans have learned a number of valuable lessons from the drought, with the single most important lesson being that the country’s farmers have the ability to overcome challenges.

Some parts of the southern Free State remain desperately dry, according to a Free State Agriculture statement

Agri SA has urgently called on the private and public sectors to make further contributions to its drought relief fund.

Livestock farmers in the West Coast and Central Karoo districts are in critical need of fodder as the drought continues to prevail.