47 Farm murders a tragic loss
Agri SA is concerned about the number of farm murders that was announced by the South African Police Service (SAPS) today. Although this figure is a decrease from the 62 farm murders in the previous financial year […]
An account of a morning with the Masisizane Fund
We received (and accepted) the invitation from Nontobeko Vilakati for the 2019 Masisizane Fund Annual Client Market Day.
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?
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.
South African farmers can reduce the impact of fuel price hikes on production costs
Given the perfect storm currently raging amongst the traditional drivers of South Africa’s fuel price, the question can be asked: “What can farmers do to manage today’s increased production costs and heightened price risk?” […]
Technology is ‘disrupting’ agriculture and will bring benefits to 21st century farmers, says Standard Bank.
Technology is changing the face of agriculture by enabling farmers to increase production, reduce costs and streamline activity across the entire agricultural value chain to help ensure that long-term food security is maintained, says Standard Bank […]
Biofuel production in sub-Saharan Africa should be prioritised for aviation
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2019-01-24 In Blog Press release A WWF-SA report has found that while there is a small but not insignificant potential for the production of sustainable biofuels in sub-Saharan Africa, this should be prioritised for the aviation industry which has limited other options when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. It’s estimated that by 2050, […]
Digitally transforming agriculture across distances
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2019-01-24 In Blog Cloud based solutions enable 50% savings Sensors can transmit vital information over 50 kilometres Digital data speeds up compliance reports The implementation of the cloud, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 can offer benefits to the agriculture industry by enabling farmers to optimise their operations through digital transformation, […]
Overberg media trip: Flower Valley Farm (part 8)
The rationale behind the Flower Valley Conservation Trust (FVCT) is straight-forward: “… if we pick all the fynbos this year, there will be no fynbos to pick in the future” (Van Deventer et al, 2015).
Overberg media trip: fynbos packhouse (part 7)
The world is divided into six floral kingdoms, according to the plant types occurring in each given region. The smallest and richest of these is the Cape Floral Kingdom, found only in the southern tip of Africa – in the Western Cape through to Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape – and nowhere else in the world.