Innehållsförteckning för Vol 19 - No 3 2022 från AgriProbe

Naturally after spending almost 20 years of my total career at the Western Cape Department of Agriculture many changes have been witnessed in the agricultural landscape. Agriculture has met and is still meeting its fair share of challenges, such as the impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the threat of a possible Day Zero through the drought the Western Cape faced, threats on food security and the impact of climate change, to mention but a few. These “threats” have shown the Department’s strengths and resilience, which lie at the heart of its human capital. “I am forever grateful for the role I was afforded to play within such a dynamic environment.” It is through working in a productive, efficient, collaborative and innovative fashion, and through developing others to reach their…

The people of the Karoo have very little going for them. Rainfall is low and irregular, natural resources are limited, the population is widely dispersed and poverty levels are high. However, the opposite side of the coin is that these conditions also create economic opportunities. The unique combination of the Karoo’s geology, rainfall patterns, harsh climate and unique vegetation, culminates in lamb and mutton with unique, easily distinguishable sensory characteristics. These same conditions enable a visitor experience of wide-open spaces, serenity and salt-of-the-earth people – an encounter increasingly sought-after by domestic and international tourists. Indeed, even before COVID-19, an increasing number of knowledge workers made use of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4th IR) technology to permanently settle in this lifestyle – a trend that was strengthened by the pandemic and is…

Consuming content or information has always been an emotional connection, right? At least for me it always has been – albeit I have to take notes as I go along! Yet, I always eagerly want to buckle down and get into it, regardless of what I am choosing to read or whatever technology I am about to use and anticipating its performance. With the COVID-19 pandemic in the almost distant past, we can all agree that technological advances have started to take over most of our lives. We had become so secure in our Zoom meetings in our PJs – YES, WE ALL DID IT, do not lie – and slowly getting back into what is now our new normal. At the Department, we too had to dramatically adjust how…

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture wishes to caution farmers about the risk of buying livestock of unknown origin. Taking into account the ongoing outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in cattle in the previous free zones of KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo Province and recently the North-West, Free State and Gauteng Provinces, there is a high risk of spread of the disease by movements of cattle to other parts of the country. Sick animals get blisters and sores in the mouth and on the feet, making it difficult for the animal to eat and walk, and often causing drooling. Farmers lose money because sick animals lose weight, do not grow and produce less milk. Young calves may also die. Foot and mouth disease is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock…

The Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, donated hundreds of indigenous trees to various organisations as part of the Department’s Arbour Month efforts to raise awareness about indigenous trees and the importance of protecting them. Farmers were also given the opportunity to register for their own tree collection on the day. These farmers will be planting the trees along the riverbanks of the Berg and Breede Rivers, where alien clearing has been done.“ “We now have 76 farmers along 80km of river actively participating by doing alien clearing and restoring our rivers.” According to Rudolph Röscher, the district manager for the Cape Winelands in the Department’s Sustainable Resource Use and Management (SRUM) programme, the project began because of farmers’ concerns. “This was a cost-effective means of adapting to…

Grain SA’s Nampo Harvest Day is one of the largest agricultural exhibitions under private ownership in the southern hemisphere and it takes place annually, just outside of the town of Bothaville, Free State. In May, I had the opportunity to attend Africa’s most extensive agricultural exhibition, Agri SA’s Nampo, in Bothaville, Free State. The inexcusable state of the road infrastructure did not dampen my positive experience and the palpable excitement of everyone fortunate to attend the week-long exhibition. “Our partnership and collaboration approach has delivered tangible results.” The experience confirmed that the agriculture sector is at the forefront of inspiring investment confidence, as reflected in the vast number of cutting-edge equipment on display. In addition, the attendees’ willingness to fork out money on the equipment, evidenced consumer and business confidence,…

Personeel van die Oudtshoorn Navorsings-plaas het onlangs die Sakhisizwe volstruis-boerdery besoek om hulle touwys te maak in die hantering en oes van volstruisvere. Die Wes-Kaapse Departement van Landbou verskaf op verskeie vlakke ondersteuning aan die groep, onder meer deur die Program vir Landbouprodusentondersteuning en -ontwikkeling, in ’n poging om hulle te help om selfonderhoudend as ’n kommersiële volstruisplaas te kan funksioneer. Hulle is sedert 2021 ook deel van ’n veekunde-navorsingsprojek wat deels gefinansier word deur die Nasionale Navorsing en Tegnologie Fonds. Die projek fokus op bestuurspraktyke ten opsigte van die versameling van volstruisvere. ’n Belangrike oogmerk van die finansiering is die ontwikkeling en ondersteuning van opkomende boere deur opleiding en vaardigheidsontwikkeling, terwyl daar ook gepoog word om transformasieideale na te streef. Buiten die werk saam met Sakhisizwe, word daar ook…

Learn more! Scan the QR code or visit www.elsenburg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/SmartAgri-Climate-Change.pdf to download a copy of the SmartAgri: Updated Climate Change Trends and Projections for the Western Cape report. The Western Cape climate change response framework and implementation plan for the agricultural sector, known as the SmartAgri plan, provides a roadmap for agriculture that is low-carbon and resilient to climate change. In this series in AgriProbe, the SmartAgri plan is unpacked into its core elements, structured around four strategic focus areas (SFAs). Some of the active projects led by the various programmes of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA), and additional priorities will be highlighted. This is the fifth article in the series (refer to previous AgriProbe issues for the first four articles). SFA3 (“Strengthen monitoring and data and knowledge management and…

The programme Agricultural Education & Training (AET) provides formal and non-formal training programmes, i.e. B.Agric, Higher Certificate, Diploma in Agriculture, learnerships and short skills courses to students who aspire to become farmers or managers of commercial farmers as well as to individuals from agricultural and rural communities, inclusive of youth, small farmers, commercial farmers and subsistence farmers. • “The programme Agricultural Education & Training (AET) provides formal and non-formal training programmes.” In general, the definition Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a set of processes that allows candidates to identify, document, be assessed and gain recognition for their prior learning and experiences. During October 2020 until October 2021, a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme was rolled-out throughout the Western Cape Province. The Agricultural Skills Development (ASD) programme embarked on…

The Outeniqua dairy herd has 460 Jersey cows. We need 100 to 120 replacement Jersey heifers annually and do not want to rear surplus heifers as this is costly. The bottom half of the herd is selected based on genetic merit and milk solids production. These cows are inseminated with Angus semen. The Angus X Jersey calves born are sold to emerging farmers within 7 to 14 days after birth. The Outeniqua Jersey herd has distributed more than 1500 Angus X Jersey calves to emerging farmers over the past 10 years. Farmers apply to be part of the calf rearing group. This is facilitated by officials of APSD, who visit prospective participants to ensure they have the potential to rear calves successfully. Farmers then have to attend a one-day calf-rearing…

Agricultural Economic Services: Macro and Resource Economics Subprogramme, Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Private Bag x1, Elsenburg, 7606 1 Introduction The Chinese “march into Africa” in terms of trade and investment has a crucial role in the anticipated developments and poverty eradication projects in Africa (Sandrey & Edinger, 2009). This is even truer at the time when concerted efforts are to forge fairer and free trade relations between African countries with potential trade partners. Europe is the largest destination for agricultural exports from South Africa, and the biggest trading partner from Africa (EC, 2021). The observed economic growth in China is significant to South Africa’s trade to secure potential agricultural markets. The global COVID-19 pandemic has distracted the world food supply chains and set in new global trends that will reshape…

Although a support function, everyone knows the importance of financial services within an organisation. When one thinks of finance in any other government department, it leaves a daunting thought, as the answers are not always constructive or very supportive. Step aside for this CFO, Floris Huysamer, or Floris as everyone knows him, who is in a league of his own. From being, by far, one of the best dressed men at the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA), this CFO aces crunching numbers. But what truly sets him apart is the fact that he is a straight talker, with a down-to-earth heart. With over 18 unqualified and clean audits, Floris never leaves his team behind. In fact, he is constantly in awe and appreciation of the power of teamwork, citing…

In 2011, the food garden competition was launched by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) with the aim to recognise, reward and encourage food garden producers within the Western Cape. The goal is always to encourage subsistence farmers and food producers (including households) to produce food in a sustainable way, thus responding to the challenges of food insecurity in rural, urban and peri-urban areas. The food garden competition further seeks to heighten public awareness on the global challenges of hunger and malnutrition. Each district team, together with the support of the Agricultural Producer and Support Development (APSD): Food Security Sub-Programme was responsible for organising and hosting the respective award ceremony within their district. During the month of April 2022, award ceremonies were held in the North West Coast, Swartland…

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) hosted the 11th Annual Departmental Extension & Advisory Services Symposium at the Protea Hotel, Technopark in Stellenbosch during July 2022. The symposium aims to keep Extension and Advisory staff informed of the latest trends in the agricultural space in order to support farmers and move the sector forward. The theme of this year’s symposium was: “Agriculture is pushing forward: Advancing the role of Extension and Advisory Services towards inclusive and resilience food system”. Discussions centred around the following sub-themes: Commodity approach and new models of mentorship for inclusive agriculture. Commercialisation of black farmers and opportunities for blended finance and other forms of funding. Beyond production to value addition through agri-processing. Moving food security to nourish to flourish households and communities. In the opening…

Planning for an agricultural future in a changing climate must be based on the best available data and scientific analysis. The Western Cape Climate Change Response Framework and Implementation Plan for the Agricultural Sector (SmartAgri plan, 2016) made use of a climate change science study conducted in the years 2014-2015. This study was published as a chapter in the Status Quo Review of Climate Change and the Agriculture Sector of the Western Cape Province (2016). The science and understanding of climate change has made rapid progress since 2015. In the intervening years, the global climate models have been further developed and improved, methods employed to downscale the global models to local spatial scale are more advanced, future socio-economic scenarios used for the modelling were updated, and longer climate databases are…

World Rabies Day is recognised worldwide on 28 September every year, including in the Western Cape, where preventing this deadly disease is a priority for Veterinary Services. Rabies usually occurs sporadically and at a low level in wildlife in the rural areas of our province, but in the past year there have been several cases in pet dogs in the City of Cape Town. This is probably a result of high infection pressure from other parts of the country where there are ongoing rabies outbreaks, including several large cities in the Eastern Cape and KZN. Figure 1: Rabies virus In these areas, there have also been several cases of human rabies deaths. Historically, the Western Cape has been free from rabies in dogs. When rabies occurs in dogs it is…

The GreenAgri website, emanating from a longstanding collaboration between the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and GreenCape, has recently been updated with information and resources that detail agri-specific plans and policies, resources, tips and funding opportunities. “Climate change is key on my priorities as a minister. This year marks the seventh year of a fruitful collaboration between the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and GreenCape. The agricultural sector plays a critical role in food security, economic growth and job creation,” said Dr Ivan Meyer, Minister of Agriculture in the Western Cape. GreenAgri supports the Western Cape’s Provincial Strategic Goals and its Green Economy Strategic Framework, and hosts information around its SmartAgri programme. “Realising the full potential of this sector heavily depends on the natural resource base and smart technologies that…

Introduction The demand for high value agricultural products present economic opportunities for competitive producers, both in international and local markets. In the South African context, policies such as the National Development Plan, the Agricultural Policy Action Plan and the New Growth Path guide the sector towards export-focused, labour-intensive farming to bolster economic growth and job creation. High-value export crops offer a source of foreign earnings to support economic growth. Given the increasing risks of climate change, competition for land and water, and high levels of unemployment in the Western Cape (WC), there is scope to boost support for smaller industries, such as saffron, potentially as an alternative or niche crop for smallholder farmers. Figure 1: World imports and exports of saffron, value in Rand 2001 to 2020 Source: ITC (2021)…