West Coast media trip: part 3 (Elandsbaai)
The sight of the sea greeted me in the morning, that great mirror of something forgotten within ourselves, about ourselves …
Threats, challenges and opportunities: youth and agriculture
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2017-06-05 In Blog As the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) has set out in its 5-million jobs document, youth excluded from the labour force for long periods are deprived of on-the-job learning opportunities – and no-one learns as fast as youth. The International Labour Organisation estimates that between 80 to 100 million youth worldwide […]
Sustainable water and sanitation solutions for South Africa
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2017-06-05 In Blog Press release: Strategic Water Partners Network South Africa With the gap between supply and demand for water expected to reach 17% by 2030, many South Africans will be required to radically change their attitudes to the way in which this precious commodity is being used and conserved, especially in the treatment […]
Pigs like to live in mud
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2017-06-05 In Blog Do you know that pigs roll in mud to protect themselves against the sun and extreme temperatures, or against flies and parasites? Perhaps you knew, but many think that pigs just like to be dirty and to live in mud. The average person knows little about these intelligent creatures. Commercial […]
Corn and viciss … wot?
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2017-06-05 In Blog There is a lovely word in the English language — vicissitude. It is a noun and refers to the way things change. Speak of the vicissitudes of life and your audience will listen intently, aware that your tidings might mean some adaption is required in their world. We […]
The value of the African fish
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2017-06-05 In Blog For those of you who may have missed it, The Value of African Fish on the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) website provides a fascinating read. The fisheries sector in Africa employs around 2.1 per cent of her population. About 7.5% of these work with aquaculture, 42.2% are processors and […]
Water licenses and Obama’s ultimatum
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2017-06-05 In Blog On Friday, the Afrikaans agricultural magazine, Landbouweekblad, carried the article “Hoe moet boere vir droogte aanpas, minister?” [How should farmers adapt to drought, minister?] The piece was written in response to the national government’s lack of interest to assist the country’s commercial farmers in the face of the worst […]
West Coast media trip: part 1 (setting the stage)
In the week when farmer association KwaNalu reported that there were thousands of oil and gas exploration applications to prospect on KwaZulu-Natal farmland (Farmer’s Weekly 23 Sept 2016), a group of journalists and team assembled by the WWF Nedbank Green Trust were looking at how the possibility of a tungsten mine spurred a group of farmers to have their area classified as a Protected Environment.
Livestock, living stock and recently departed beasts
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2017-06-05 In Blog Many of us enjoy meat products, and the work of various red meat organisations mean that we do so with a measure of confidence that the process of turning live animal to meat product was a humane one. Our meal may be accompanied with a silent thank-you to […]
Agriculture stakeholder engagement meeting to address attacks on foreign nationals
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2017-06-05 In Blog Press release by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DALRRD), 22 April 2015 Business Sector stakeholders and Organised Labour had a constructive meeting with the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, General Bheki Cele, to discuss and share ideas to address the recent attacks on foreign […]