Indholdsfortegnelse for 12 August 2022 i Farmer's Weekly

The consequences of climate change are apparent throughout the world. There have been heatwaves across Europe, for instance, with temperatures in some regions soaring to record highs. Of course, enduring heatwaves and limited rainfall have major effects on agriculture. And while scientists are constantly developing cultivars that are more heat- and drought-tolerant, the world’s farming practices have to change in order to ensure that sufficient food is produced. And farmers are certainly doing this. As agriculture is the most climate-sensitive industry in the world, farmers are well aware of the consequences of climate change. According to a 2021 study conducted by economist Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, associate professor at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University in the US, warmer temperatures are particularly detrimental to agricultural…

In Uganda, the need for promoting inclusivity is particularly important given that the country has one of the youngest populations in the world. More than 75% of Uganda’s total population are under the age of 25, and 80% of its youth live in rural areas. This makes agriculture and agribusiness a key point of entry and source of livelihood for many of these young people. Over the past four years, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has, through a partnership with the Uganda Agribusiness Alliance, provided a grant to operationalise regulations under Uganda’s inclusive agricultural finance framework. However, it is critical for development partners to support the implementation of reforming the agricultural credit system in order to tackle low levels of access to finance for women and…

South Africa’s succulents and reptiles, particularly those in the Northern and Western Cape, are increasingly drawing the attention of people intent on removing them unlawfully. This was according to Katherine Forsythe, Leslie Hill Succulent Karoo Project coordinator at the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Forsythe said these areas were known internationally for their remarkable diversity of species, some of which were now threatened by extinction. “Many of these animal and plant species don’t occur anywhere else in the world and are part of South Africa’s unique natural heritage. “It’s hard to say what the impact of removing any one element of these ecosystems may be, but what we do know is that ecosystems that retain their biodiversity are more resilient than degraded ones.” Forsythe…

Botswana is expected to commence large-scale commercial coffee production following successful trials in that country. In an interview with Farmer’s Weekly, agronomist Kennedy Moshabashebi said commercial coffee farming in Botswana was expected to increase, as the farmers who had initiated the pilot project intended to donate coffee seedlings to other potential producers. “Their intention is to increase the quantity of coffee beans produced in Botswana, and have a central point where the beans are delivered for processing and packaging. “Commercial coffee farming can be [undertaken] in Botswana. “We’re doing it and we believe other farmers can do it, too,” Moshabashebi said. According to him, the species that had proved to be suitable for farming in Botswana was Coffea arabica. “This is the most preferred bean on the coffee market because…

In an effort to increase grain production in the EU, the European Commission has proposed a temporary suspension of the region’s crop rotation rules. It was hoped that this would help head off a global food security crisis resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war’s impact on global food supplies. The commission said in a statement that its plan, which followed a request from the bloc’s member states, would put an additional 1,5 million hectares of land back into production. “The global food system faces strong risks and uncertainties stemming in particular from the war, where in the near future issues of food security may arise. Every ton of grain produced in the EU will help to increase food security worldwide.” If formally adopted by EU member states, the measure would apply…

South African soya bean farmers can now export their produce to China, the world’s largest importer of the commodity. This followed the signing of a protocol between the two countries in mid-July, which will allow for such exports. “South Africa has been fighting for a few years to gain access to the Chinese soya bean market,” said Jaco Minnaar, president of Agri SA. China imported about 100 million tons of soya bean per annum, or about 80% of its total consumption. Corné Louw, senior economist at Grain SA, told Farmer’s Weekly: “This is a historic moment, as it’s the first time ever that we can export soya [bean] to China.” While it had taken years to put in place, Louw said the agreement had finally come together quite rapidly. “It…

The importance of local production, the free market system, and timely, accurate information were all highlighted by the current uncertain global market situation, according to Dr Dirk Strydom, Grain SA’s head of marketing and research coordination. Speaking during the South African Grain Information Service’s (SAGIS) recent annual general meeting, Strydom said the COVID-19 pandemic, together with the Russia-Ukraine war, had had “a massive spillover effect on global food security”. “It caused both food supply and supply chain uncertainty. Locally, the immediate questions were: do we have enough food? Do we have enough of a stockpile? What will happen with prices?” South African stakeholders could answer all of these questions, because they had reliable information at their disposal thanks to credible information services such as SAGIS, he said. “Because we knew…

Scientists in the UK are modifying the roots of grain plants to enable them to continue to grow in hard soil by altering their ability to penetrate further, thus giving them access to water sources deeper underground. It this way, they are hoping to ‘climate-proof’ vital crops in response to changing rainfall patterns, which are resulting in drier, harder soils that threaten yields in dryland crops such as grains. An international team, led by researchers from the University of Nottingham in the UK and Shanghai University in China, have discovered key genes, hormone signals and processes in rice roots that control their ability to penetrate hard soils. Their findings were recently published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Hard soils led to short, swollen roots.…

Food prices have soared in recent months, putting huge pressure on household budgets. With this in mind, there is surely no better time than now to start an egg production enterprise. Eggs are a remarkable food: affordable, convenient, delicious and high in protein. Many communal farming and periurban residential areas have some space available where this can be undertaken. While not everyone can afford to buy purebred point-of-lay hens such as Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons or White Leghorns for between R100 and R150 a bird, many rural households have an existing population of chickens that produce eggs. I have used such crossbred chickens in the past and they have laid good-quality eggs. You should be able to buy young female chicks for between R10 and R30 each, depending on…

SERVES FOUR 350g baby marrows, sliced 30ml olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste 30g wild rocket 6 to 8 eggs, boiled to your liking and halved 2 spring onions, sliced For the salad dressing 100ml olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp crushed garlic ½ tsp dried chilli flakes Salt and pepper, to taste • Slice the baby marrows lengthways into quarters. • In a large skillet, sauté them in the olive oil over a medium to high heat, season with the salt and pepper, and set aside. • In a flat salad dish or platter, layer the wild rocket leaves, followed by the baby marrows, boiled eggs and spring onions. • For the dressing, add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and chilli flakes to…

The Tyranny of Growth by Malcolm Ray (Melinda Ferguson Books, R360) In a 500-page analysis, Ray details how the Global North got it wrong about growth in the wake of the Second World War and unleashed a wave of self-interested and self-defeating economic theorising on the Global South, in this case Africa. As he emphasises, this approach had, and continues to have, dire consequences for socio-economic survival, the environment and the balance of power. Equally, however, he could have traced the fear of economic recession in the Global North more clearly back to the First World War and the eroding of the imperial dream. He touches on the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, but this could have done with more coverage, as it explains the economic desperation that…

Persistently high commodity prices, fuelled by fears of recession and a clearer picture of this year’s global grain harvest, appear to be propelling food protectionism. This tendency is on the rise as countries restrict exports to cope with rising global commodity prices that have been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war. Malaysia, for example, recently announced a ban on chicken exports, causing consternation in Singapore, which imports one-third of its chicken supplies from Malaysia. India has also reduced wheat and sugar exports, while Indonesia has limited palm oil sales, and a number of other countries have issued grain quotas to reduce exports. Some commentators predict that India will restrict the exports of rice next. This is a concern, as rice, along with sugar and wheat, are products in which India plays…

CHINA Flash floods and mudslides due to heatwaves at the end of July could place cotton production in China’s Xinjiang province at risk. Xinjiang accounted for the production of about 20% of the world’s cotton, Reuters reported. “Continued high temperatures have accelerated glacial melting in mountainous areas and caused natural disasters such as flash floods, mudslides and landslides in many places,” Chen Chunyan, chief expert at the Xinjiang Meteorological Observatory, told the Chinese state media. ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe’s avocado picking season is under way, and local growers are expecting to export about 5 000t of the fruit this year. Avocados are grown commercially in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, with export prospects including countries elsewhere in Africa, Europe and Asia, according to ZimTrade, the country’s export trade promotion body. The Zimbabwe…

Shale gas and hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as fracking) are again making headlines in South Africa, with new draft regulations in this regard now open for public comment. Dr Stefan Cramer, science adviser to the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute, described the new regulations as “bizarre and disregarding the available science and other existing legislation”. “The new regulations do not address the particular risks of onshore oil and gas exploration and production to the scarce and sensitive groundwater resources of South Africa. “The lack of understanding or recognition of the Karoo groundwater systems could lead to a huge deficit in protecting public and municipal water facilities. “The new regulations also do not protect private water facilities and, with very few exceptions, the latest proposed regulations are not new, but…

The Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI) has lodged a criminal complaint against three government entities about the derelict condition of the historically important Potchefstroom College of Agriculture. These are the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, and the South African Heritage Resources Agency. According to the CEO of SAAI, Francois Rossouw, the complaints were lodged in terms of Sections 27(18) and 51(1)(a) of the National Heritage Resources Act of 1999. “The continuous decay of facilities, buildings and administration has been a problem for more than a decade. “It is a symptom of mismanagement at the Potchefstroom College of Agriculture. Therefore, SAAI appeals to the North West Department of Agriculture to place the management of the college in competent hands,” Rossouw said…

With the world in turmoil due to COVID-19-related logistical challenges and the Russia-Ukraine war, attendees at the Canning Fruit Producers’ Association’s annual general meeting, held recently in Rawsonville, Western Cape, were urged to focus on the things they could control. Anthony Dicey, chairperson of the association, said the canning industry had been facing a tumultuous time for quite a few years, with the current situation being especially arduous. While there was nothing that farmers could do about logistical challenges such as inefficiencies at the country’s ports, rolling blackouts, rising inflation, commodity prices, and escalating input costs, they still had some control over the volume of fruit they produced, fruit quality and production efficiencies, he said. “You need to be realistic. Being average is not good enough in the current economic…

The Russia-Ukraine war has placed much pressure on global agricultural markets, particularly grain. However, South Africa’s fresh produce sector has remained relatively unscathed, despite increases in fuel and fertiliser prices. In general, consumer demand has been stable in the five categories analysed here, due to the good quality of the produce. CABBAGES Market stakeholders reported cabbages of good quality over the past few months. As a result, consumer demand for cabbages was stronger at the end of June, but eased towards mid-July, which is typical for this vegetable category. Around mid-June, smaller heads of cabbage were selling at unexpectedly higher prices than larger heads of better quality at the Tshwane Market. The price of cabbages increased by 13,4% month-on-month (m/m) for the week ending 15 July (see Graph 1). Volumes…

Agriculture plays a substantial role in South Africa, particularly when it comes to the creation of employment and supporting livelihoods for rural dwellers. However, emerging farmers are mostly faced with significant challenges, often due to poor investment in rural development. Recently, I had a chat with Bruce Diale, founder and CEO of Brucol, a company that helps to drive rural farming development. He pointed out the three main challenges that rural farmers face: • Little access to information Emerging farmers need access to a range of information that can help them plan for weather changes and know when to make the right decisions, saving them time and money. Good, reliable market information enhances a farmer’s bargaining power. The availability of market information about variables such as prices and products in…

According to Taiwo Oyaniran, an associate director at PwC Nigeria, agriculture is a key sector in Nigeria, contributing around 22% to the country’s annual GDP and employing about 36% of the workforce. Despite the size and importance of the sector, more than 80% of farmers in Nigeria are smallholders, and they grow around 90% of the country’s agricultural produce. Investment in the sector remains fairly low, with only about R7,37 billion of the budget in 2020 apportioned to the sector. This is short of the 10% specified in the AU’s 2003 Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security. Crop production is the largest segment of agricultural production in Nigeria, accounting for 87,6% of total output. This is followed by livestock (8,1%), fishing (3,2%) and forestry (1,1%). Sesame seeds, cashew nuts…

SERVES 20 ½ cup apple sauce 2 large eggs ¼ cup butter, melted and cooled ½ cup white sugar ½ cup unrefined brown sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp sea salt 2 bananas, mashed ½ cup sour cream 1½ tsp baking soda ¾ cup cake flour ¾ cup wholemeal flour ½ cup roasted unsalted almonds, chopped ¼ cup poppy seeds (optional) ¼ cup chia seeds (optional) ¼ cup flax seeds (optional) • Preheat the oven to 175°C, and grease two 23cm x 13cm loaf pans with cooking spray or butter. • In a large bowl, beat the apple sauce, eggs and butter together until smooth. Add the sugars, vanilla extract and salt, and mix well. • In a separate bowl, whisk the bananas, sour cream and baking soda…

In this article, a cattle farmer in the Drakensberg area of KwaZulu-Natal revealed how he raised sleek, hardy animals under harsh conditions. It is late August. A cold, biting wind blows off the snow-capped Drakensberg and the veld is short and not very palatable, yet grazing on it are some of the sleekest cattle you’ve ever seen. Their coats are shiny and they’re in beautiful condition, despite the fact that they only have the remains of the grass and a lick to eat. These are obviously hardy animals, and that is just what JM Smythe of Bester, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), has bred them to be. JM is this year’s winner of the NLK trophy for the best general farmer in northern KZN, and trophies for the best general farmer, best cattle…

In July, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) increased the rate at which it lends money to commercial banks, commonly known as the repo rate, by 75 basis points to 5,5%. This represented the steepest hike the country has seen in almost two decades. SARB governor Lesetja Kganyago ascribed the significant increase to the global economy entering a period of persistently high inflation and weaker growth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have been aggravated by geopolitical tensions. These had, in turn, resulted in a tightening of global monetary policy. The same was also happening in South Africa, as the SARB had adjusted 2022 fuel price inflation upwards, from 31,2% to 38,9%, due to higher global oil prices and a weakening rand. Similarly, food price inflation had risen…

If a farmer builds an illegal dam, feedlot or mine on a property, he or she could be issued with a heavy fine, Janse Rabie, head of natural resources at Agri SA, has warned. He added that while an official implementation date for the fines had yet to be announced, landowners needed to be mindful of the regulations laid out in the National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Act (No. 2 of 2022), which was published in the Government Gazette on 24 June. “If somebody has started a project, without the necessary environmental [permits], and tries to rectify the matter later, they’ll have greater trouble than in the past,” Rabie told Farmer’s Weekly. “The new legislation compels government to force that person to stop his or her activities while the application…

The South African bee industry is up in arms about a draft import protocol that would allow bottled honey imported from Zambia to be exempt from irradiation. The exemption would be granted only for bottled honey, not honey imported in bulk. The draft documents argued that this posed a lower risk of spreading American foulbrood disease (AFB), a highly contagious bacterial disease that weakened and destroyed bee colonies by infecting the brood. The draft protocol stated that the bottled honey would be inspected upon arrival. A random sample would then be drawn and sent to the Agricultural Research Council for testing for Paenibacillus larvae, the bacterium that causes AFB, and Nosema ceranae, a parasite that reduced the lifespan of adult honeybees. If the tests detected a P. larvae spore count…

Farmers need to benchmark themselves against others to see what they can learn from those who are doing better. This was according to Rihan Saayman, director of Optimal Agricultural Business Systems, who was speaking during the recent Canning Fruit Producers’ Association’s annual general meeting held in Rawsonville, Western Cape. “Don’t get caught up in the numbers when doing exercises like that, but just look at whether you’re above or below the average and identify ways to improve the situation.” He presented the results of his analysis of production costs in the Klein Karoo region and the Ceres area to the conference. According to this, apricot production costs in the Klein Karoo increased from just over R96 690/ha in 2017 to almost R158 460/ha in 2022, while peach production costs increased…

To paraphrase the title of a recent Politicsweb article, South Africa has “no need for foreign invaders“, with employees from state-owned enterprises “willing to take the country down”. It got me thinking. Times are certainly very tough for many businesses in South Africa, and farmers are no exception. But surely what we’re going through is not comparable to the impact of the Great Depression of 1929 to 1939, followed by the Second World War (1939-1945), as some have said? Yet the more I think about it, the more I realise the parallels between the current situation and that period. Let’s take stock: • Fruit exporters are short of containers and shipping, and costs have gone through the roof; some imports have likewise been affected. • The costs of certain critical…

According to a recent study, it has been shown that the free app BirdNET, which helps users identify bird species through sound alone, generates reliable scientific data, making it easier for people to contribute to scientific data on birds. The app was launched in 2018, and uses machine learning to expand its database. Since its launch, 2,2 million users have contributed to the appʼs database. The app was designed for ease of use. Users simply press ‘Record’ on the app, which then uses artificial intelligence to identify the species of bird recorded. The app can already identify 3 000 species of bird. To test whether the app could generate reliable scientific data, the authors selected four test cases in which conventional research had already provided definitive answers, ScienceDaily reported. According…

Dear Prof McCrindle, At what age should puppies be sold, and what would you recommend for a feeding, inoculation and deworming programme? Kind regards,Anonymous Dear Anonymous, Healthy, purebred pups are in high demand in South Africa. However, if you wish to become a commercial breeder, you’ll need to consider not only market demand, but the relative cost of rearing puppies of different breeds. Don’t sell puppies before six weeks of age, which is when they are weaned. In general, good breeders sell them at about eight weeks. Feeding can start after 21 days, while the puppies are still suckling. Begin with soft puppy food (sold in tins or sachets) and dilute it with boiled, cooled water for easy feeding. To prevent choking, give only a little at a time. Over…