Indholdsfortegnelse for 16 December 2022 i Farmer's Weekly

I have made no secret of the fact that I find the world's treatment of farmers deplorable. This treatment of the people who produce our food and the fibre for our clothing, as well as employ vast swathes of the world's population, is particularly egregious when it comes to governments. A case in point is the Netherlands, a developed country in Western Europe. Farmers and the government here have been at odds for many months, due to the government's decision to cut nitrogen emissions, which would mean the closure of thousands of farms. Recently, the government announced it would shut down 3 000 farms located near 'environmentallysensitive' areas. The closure of these farms is so that the Netherlands can adhere to EU policies and regulations on climate-change mitigation. The government…

In early November, Swiss multinational Nestle announced its partnership with the Africa Food Prize to help accelerate the transformation of food systems in Africa. The aim is to strengthen the continent's food security and boost its resilience to climate change. Every year, the Africa Food Prize awards US$100 000 (about R1,7 million) to individuals and institutions that are pioneering the transformation of agricultural and food systems on the continent. The prize spotlights uniquely impactful agrifood initiatives and technological innovations that can be replicated across Africa to increase food security, spur economic growth and development, and eliminate hunger and poverty. The Africa Food Prize is presented by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), an African-led and -based institution that puts smallholder farmers at the centre of the continent's…

The second phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) negotiations has started. This is where the negotiations focus on intellectual property rights, competition policy, investment, digital trade/e-commerce as well as women and youth in trade. While all of these protocols are critical, in this article I will focus on intellectual property rights (IPRs). IPRs are the rights relating to the creation of the mind; this can include inventions; literary and artistic works; design and symbols; and names and images used in commerce. The AfCFTA's protocol on IPRs will strive to provide a framework that enables creators, artists and commercial brands to earn recognition and prevent unauthorised use of their products and the acquisition of benefits drawn from them. The framework provides guarantees to users and consumers regarding the…

AFGHANISTAN The prices of vegetables, especially onions, have increased to unprecedented levels in Kabul, Afghanistan. This was according to Mirwais Hajizada, deputy head of that country's Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock. He told the TOLONews website that the reason for the high prices was a lack of refrigeration facilities across the country. "We call on the government to help our farmers and traders [establish] cold-storage facilities in districts and provinces," trader Abdul Maruf said. UKRAINE The volume of wheat and maize exported from Ukraine in the 2022/23 season was expected to total 13 million tons and 20 million tons respectively, the Ukrainian Grain Union told Reuters. However, total grain output was expected to fall sharply to 51 million tons from a record 86 million tons due to the Russian invasion,…

Farming conditions in Southern Africa vary tremendously, with grass type, climate, rainfall, temperature and so forth being very different from one area to another. These conditions can determine whether livestock parasites, such as ticks, flies and mosquitoes, become a problem. For example, ticks, which can carry deadly illnesses such as redwater and heartwater, thrive in hot, humid regions. Farmers here therefore need to have good animal health regimens (such as dipping) in place. In addition, their livestock will ideally be adapted to the region, particularly to known parasites. In other words, after ongoing infection by parasites over several generations, such animals will have developed a degree of immunity to tick-borne diseases. Indeed, some indigenous livestock breeds such as Nguni cattle and indigenous veld goats have a high degree of resistance…

Theo Maqashalala has run purebred Nguni cattle on his farm Blackwood 2 in the Amathole District Municipality of the Eastern Cape since the early 1990s, and is still impressed with their no-nonsense production on the veld. Five years ago, his decision to introduce Brahman bulls to a portion of his Nguni cows highlighted the latter breed's value as a dam line for use in terminal crossbreeding programmes. He says that, as a commercial beef farmer, introducing a terminal crossbreeding programme was the best production decision he's ever made, adding: "Nothing beats an FI Nguni-Brahman cross weaner." 'NO OTHER BREED OF CATTLE CAN BEAT THE NGUNI WHEN IT COMES TO OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES RELATED TO CLIMATE CHANGE' Maqashalala was born in 1937 near Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal. His father, Meshack, was an Anglican…

Afrika Tikkun has been working in underprivileged communities across South Africa for 27 years through our five community centres where we implement our holistic Cradle to Career 360° Model. We realised however, the importance of food security and creating sustainable food sources to assist communities who would otherwise be dependant to be independent. This is where our Agripreneurship Programme was born, an innovative collaboration between Afrika Tikkun, corporate South Africa and other NPO's. The ultimate outcome of the Agripreneurship Programme is the development of human capital for full and permanent inclusion in the agricultural economy of South Africa. For enquiries on our programmes or if you'd like to contribute to our endeavours (Afrika Tikkun is a registered NPC), please email Afrika Tikkun Agriculture CEO, Alan Fleming - alanf@afrikatikkun.org…

" South Africa's land reform policy remains highly contested. But, in our view, a number of persistent myths about farmland statistics and the structure of commercial agriculture skew debates. This makes it difficult to reach some common understanding about the realities of land and agriculture in the country. In 1994, when South Africa became a democracy, white farmers owned 77,58 million hectares of farmland out of the total surface area of 122 million hectares. The new government set a target of redistributing 30% of this within five years. This target date has been moved several times and is now 2030. According to popular belief, between 8% and 10% has been redistributed so far. But this is incorrect as it omits a number of key statistics. Only 17% to 20% of…

The livestock industry plays a crucial role in the socio-economic development of South Africa, particularly in rural communities. Livestock is an integral component of the country's complex farming system, and serves as a major source of both meat protein, as well as employment. Livestock farming (which includes cattle, dairy, pig, sheep, goat and poultry enterprises) comprises the largest portion of South Africa's agriculture sector. It accounts for more than 40% of the country's total agricultural output value, and occupies roughly 80% of land available for agriculture. Most importantly, this type of farming is the primary source of income in rural areas, and livestock is also a form of social capital for many people. For these reasons, South Africa has a much greater relative livestock population than many other countries around…

The deregulation of South Africa's agricultural markets was hailed as one of the defining moments in the sector. The state removed farmer subsidies, lifted food import restrictions and abolished control boards, thus creating the free market system we enjoy today. Ail indicators snow tnat tne decision to deregulate was rational, aligned with the globalisation agenda, and good for the country. For example, agricultural output doubled between 1996 and 2021, employment on farms remained relatively high at an average of 843 000, and agricultural exports have been growing by an average of 12% per annum since 1997. COMMODITY ORGANISATIONS MUST FULFIL THE ROLE OF THE FORMER FARMER CO-OPERATIVES Even during COVID-19, South Africa's agricultural exports grew by an average rate of 9%. It's safe to say that most farmers have done…

Namibia is the driest country in subSaharan Africa, thus its agriculture Tk sector relies largely on groundwater. Despite the high temperatures and the scarcity of water, Namibian farmers have been raising beef cattle successfully for many decades. As of November 2020, around 70% of the country's population rely directly or indirectly on agriculture for their incomes, and this industry is also one of Namibia's bieeest employers. Excluding fishing, agriculture's contribution to Namibia's GDP averaged 4% over the past five years; in 2019, it's contribution to GDP was 6,6%. Meat processing comprises 0,2% to 0,4 % of GDP. According to Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, livestock farming contributes around 66% to agricultural production in Namibia, and livestock production (particularly that of beef) is largely export-driven (see table). South Africa is…

Researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark believe ostriches could provide new clues about heat tolerance in animals. Ostriches can survive in very low and very high temperatures, making them prime subjects for research on the role of genetics in heat and cold tolerance. According to Earth.com, the university has awarded a grant of €1,5 million (about R27 million) to postdoctoral student Mads Fristrup Schott to investigate how ostriches cope with thermal fluctuations. "Ostriches are good subjects for research on the evolution of animal tolerance to hot and cold, as the adult [birds] are so large, while the chicks start off rather small. "Body size is an important factor in understanding the impact of temperature extremes," the website said. "A small body has a larger surface-area-to-body-volume ratio, so it loses heat…

ARCHIVE In this article, a strawberry farmer from KwaZulu-Natal described the benefits of growing these plants in plastic-covered beds, and the problems she encountered when it came to marketing and selling her fruit. Using plastic sheeting on the ground when growing strawberries eliminates a number of problems that are otherwise time-consuming and costly to correct. One of the difficulties in growing strawberries is the control of weeds. The strawberry plants send out runners and also spread out. This means their growth is thick and dense, and weeds are not easy to extract without damaging the plants, nor are they easy to see. Sally March, of the farm Sophia Dale in Sevenoaks, KwaZulu-Natal, has had excellent results with her straioberries using plastic. Her yields have been good - the equivalen t…

After the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions were behind us, I had high hopes of better times ahead. Then Russia's invasion of Ukraine killed off any chance of life getting back to normal. As we all well know, these two 'black swan' events, both emanating far beyond our borders, seriously disrupted our business and personal lives. To add insult to injury, back home we've had to deal with the bedlam of an ANC-led government, seemingly on a path of self-destruction and determined to take the country with it. It has been a litany of disasters, including steep price increases of farm inputs and a crippling rise in shipping costs. Local infrastructure is in a state of collapse, with roads in a shocking state, railways largely defunct, grossly inefficient ports and…

A lot of work has gone into setting a vision for the South African red meat industry, laying a strong foundation for sustainable growth. To set in motion the creation of this vision to unlock the sector's full potential, key industry role players initiated a process to develop what is formally known as the 'South African Red Meat Industry Strategy 2030' in order to harness the many opportunities that underscore the industry's strategic contribution to the South African economy. The industry has the potential to add an estimated R12 billion in real terms to the country's gross domestic product per annum by 2030. This is among the reasons why key role players, namely the Red Meat Producers' Organisation (RPO), the National Emergent Red Meat Producers' Organisation, the South African Feedlot…

Blueberry production has skyrocketed in South Africa in recent years, thanks to new cultivars that can be grown in a variety of climates, as well as to increasing demand for superfoods. In 2017, when Luan Swart, owner of Bluedrop Berries near Lydenburg, Mpumalanga, sought a high-value crop for his farm, blueberries were an attractive option. "I wanted an export crop that would earn an income in dollars or euros. At that stage, blueberry prices were really high, up to R250/kg, and because of our unique microclimate, it was a good choice." Swart ended up planting lOha to blueberries of various cultivars and 5ha to blackberries on his farm, Rietfontein. Temperature is the most important climatic factor in blueberry production, with the optimal maximum temperature being 26°C to 28°C. In this…

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp) should not be confused with Rhizobium spp root-knots, which are beneficial to the plant. Root-knot nematodes are very small: the worm-like male is about 1,4mm long and the pear-shaped female about 1,3mm. The female lays up to 500 eggs. The female larvae penetrate the tissue at the tip of the root (the softest tissue) and each larva moves to an opening between two cells close to the endodermis. The larvae stay here permanently and feed on the plant. WORLDWIDE, ABOUT 2 000 PLANT SPECIES ARE AFFECTED BY THESE NEMATODES, RESULTING IN A 5% GLOBAL CROP LOSS The adult causes tissue deformation and tumours that reduce vegetable yields significantly. Because it targets roots, the pest is difficult to control. For this reason, the nematode is one of…

The Presidents by Richard Calland & Mabel Sithole (Penguin, R300) As the ANC gathers this week for its elective conference, we can reflect with renowned political and governance commentators Calland and Sithole on the different ways in which South Africa's presidents have tackled the challenges since 1994. Substantial chapters on each of the five presidents are bookended by international context in terms of political developments and the current political discourse. Both here and within the central chapters, the authors' observations are interwoven with considered analysis from a wide range of highly regarded international publications, as well as important local sources who spoke, often candidly, to the researchers. Today sees a new financial crisis driven by fuel costs and a war that has confounded the world, plus South Africa's own deeply…

Dear Prof McCrindle, I live in a complex in a coastal town in the Eastern Cape. My neighbours feed pigeons and Egyptian geese daily. The geese make a hideous noise all day. It's unbearable and management does nothing to stop the noise nuisance. What is the difference between feral and rock pigeons? Both carry diseases, some serious. They are breeding here, and there are many trees. Bird droppings carry windborne diseases and cause damage to buildings and vehicles as well. Kind regards, Anonymous Dear Anonymous, Feeding of birds is a matter you should report to your trustees. The body corporate is responsible for pest control on common property, but if it is a sectional title, each owner should keep his or her section free of pests, including feral pigeons. To…