Commercial farmers: brainstorming solutions

Last week the media was invited to the TLU SA Economic Sustainability Summit.
An alternative to Durban

The Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa is looking at moving away from Durban to Cape Town as the export point for the country’s citrus, Landbouweekblad reports today.
The main obstacle for the smooth running of affairs at Durban is the maintenance of infrastructure (or lack thereof). It is no good that attention is given to it only once infrastructure breaks. Incomplete or broken electrical points, for example, are a challenge for the coldchain, and harbour cranes’ functionality are a source of frustration.
Agbiz: Three practical steps to make the SONA vision a reality

The State of the Nation address delivered by President Ramaphosa set out five fundamental goals for South Africa. Three of these goals, namely eliminating hunger, growing the economy faster than the population growth rate and creating 2 million job opportunities, are partially premised on economic growth in the agricultural and agribusiness subsectors.
Jobs Fund assists Sekororo farmers to find markets for their produce

A programme supported by the Jobs Fund’s is benefitting black small-scale farmers in Sekororo, a rural community in Limpopo province that produces food that is sold all over South Africa.
Exporting: 8 lessons from tiny Holland

One can understand the United States of America, straddling a continent from Pacific to Atlantic Ocean, being the world’s biggest agricultural exporter, but how does the Netherlands (also called Holland), a country 273 times smaller than the USA, come in at position 2?
A reader from Limpopo writes in

We receive some ten emails a week from people looking for help on one agricultural issue or another. It was when we received two in succession about pigs that we decided to do an article.
New cabinet, cool heads?

The face of Thoko Didiza greeted anyone who opened the 2004/2005 National Agricultural Directory and its Afrikaans brother, the Nasionale Landbougids, our first agricultural publication. At that time Didiza was the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, a position she retained through two terms, from 1999 to 2006.
Can technology solve the biggest challenges to your farm?

South Africa’s farmers are facing a challenging economic climate which seems to be forcing many medium-sized farms to amalgamate to form more viable commercial units. Nevertheless, if yours is a smaller-scale operation and you are prepared to review your farming methods, you have a better chance of succeeding in these more demanding market conditions.
Veterinary services for the community

Student volunteers donating their free time in exchange for vital experience!
The little fellow, the pangolin

The pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal. As a result, this elusive little fellow is now threatened with extinction across its home range.