Finance for new farmers and SMMEs
Introduction For small farmers and other small entrepreneurs, access to finance is a crucial part of being in the game. Farmers all over the world borrow money for seed, fertiliser and other technologies or inputs. These are investments into the business so that it is able to generate products to sell. Finance is also necessary […]
Co-operatives
Introduction Co-operatives are not only for the poor, but of all the different types of business organisations, co-operatives reach down most to the low income groups. The main feature of co-operatives is that they help people to help themselves. Helping people to help themselves means: making them aware of needs and problems they have in […]
Agribusiness
Introduction Agribusiness is a broad concept that covers input suppliers, agro-processors, traders, exporters and retailers. Agribusiness provides inputs to farmers and connects them to consumers through the financing, handling, processing, storage, transportation, marketing and distribution of agro-industry products and can be decomposed further into four main groups: Agricultural input industry for increasing agricultural productivity such […]
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
Threats to biodiversity, Payment for Ecosystem services (PES), Biodiversity stewardship and agriculture, Different Stewartship models
Organised Agriculture
Introduction Farmers may voluntarily be part of organised agricultural structures through local farmers’ associations and/or through commodity organisations. At grassroots level, commercial farmers are members of their local farmers’ associations, through which they address local agricultural issues and liaise with officials and organisations on matters concerning their members. The farmers’ associations delegate members to represent […]
Agriculture in the Provinces
Introduction Unemployment and the associated lack of food security are the greatest crises facing South Africa. Stats SA (2026) gave the first quarter of 2026 percentage of the working age unemployed per province – and in brackets the unemployed plus others outside the Labour Force: Eastern Cape – 44.6% (54.4%) Free State – 37.8% (44.3%) […]
Future farmers: a coming of age
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2015-04-07 In Blog Last Monday, Judy Stuart dropped by to collect some Agri Handbooks for her Future Farmers Foundation. It is interesting that one of the most successful initiatives in agriculture comes from a person who was denied the opportunity to study agriculture as a career (women weren’t accepted at agricultural colleges […]
On pigs and ignorance
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2014-07-10 In Blog The love of money is not the root of all evil. Ignorance is. If we could know and feel the consequences of our actions we would change what we say and do. The weekend brought news of a new-on-the-land project which has ended in great suffering for animals. […]
What to do about this?
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2013-11-30 In Blog The last SA The Good News newsletter reminded us that the black middle class in the country grew from 1.7 million in 2004 to 4.2 million a few months ago. These findings by the University of Cape Town’s Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing are good news for the country’s demographics (strange we […]
What is happening in the Western Cape? Details
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2013-11-11 In Blog In an interesting development, the province which saw farm labourer unrest earlier this year [2013] and at the end of 2012 has seen a GROWTH in employment opportunities on farms. In the other eight provinces, jobs on farms decreased. According to Statistics South Africa, farm worker employment in the […]