By Craig Macaskill Posted 2023-12-14 in Blog For many proud South Africans, a succulent lamb chop grilled over the open flame on a warm summer’s evening, is a symbol of national pride. If that lamb chop originates from the semi-arid landscape of the Karoo, it is bound to be exceptional, having a distinct flavour and fine-grained texture. It is […]
Written by Wandile Sihlobo, Agbiz chief economist As the year draws to a close, it is worth reflecting on critical events that dominated the South African agricultural scene over the past year. There are three in particular that stood out for us. Load-shedding First, the intense and persistent load-shedding right from the start of the year was […]
What are the challenges facing agriculture in South Africa at present? It’s a question with almost as many answers as there are farmers and other agriculturists in this country. Christian Giesel, head of marketing at Syngenta South Africa, proposes that looking at the challenges differently offers novel solutions. It is no secret that ours is […]
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2023-12-21 In Blog Photo (supplied): Sobengwe Trading from Ixopo is one of the first Sappi Khulisa grower participants to achieve PEFC certification. Sappi, a member of the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA), recently announced that five small timber growers in KwaZulu-Natal have made history by becoming the first participants in the Sappi Khulisa programme […]
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2024-01-09 In Blog Some of our most popular blogs have been where we answer queries from visitors. We thought it was time to do another one. Today a visitor asked advice on where to purchase a hard copy of a basic agriculture book. Thank you for your query. I will answer as best I […]
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2024-01-12 In Blog Written by Justin Platt, Founder & CEO, Zylem and RegenZ Let’s talk about how we grow our food. There’s a bit of a debate going on between two ways of doing things. On one side, there’s the traditional farming method that uses a lot of chemicals to grow crops. They worry that changing how we farm […]
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2024-01-15 In Blog Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine African countries have become reliant on a few food items. Just 20 plant species now provide 90% of our food, with three – wheat, maize and rice – accounting for 60% of all calories consumed on the continent and globally. This deprives the continent of […]
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2024-01-17 In Blog Eric Robinson, University of Liverpool The perils of ultra-processed foods received widespread coverage in recent months – thanks in no small part to the publication and promotion of TV presenter and doctor of virology Chris Van Tulleken’s book Ultra-Processed People. Ultra-processed foods, in short, are commercially manufactured food products that include ingredients you wouldn’t cook […]
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2024-01-17 In Blog Eric Robinson, University of Liverpool The perils of ultra-processed foods received widespread coverage in recent months – thanks in no small part to the publication and promotion of TV presenter and doctor of virology Chris Van Tulleken’s book Ultra-Processed People. Ultra-processed foods, in short, are commercially manufactured food products that include ingredients you wouldn’t cook […]
By Craig Macaskill Posted 2024-01-19 In Blog Written by Chris S. Duvall, University of New Mexico When I tell people that I research cannabis, I sometimes receive a furtive gesture that implies and presumes: “We’re both stoners!”, as if two members of a secret society have met. Other times, I receive looks of concern. “You don’t want to be known as […]
