Introduction Following the introduction of mineral fertiliser, mechanisation and the industrialisation of the production process, digital agriculture brings the next major movement. It is part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Digital agriculture refers to the use of agricultural technology (AgriTech) and data-driven innovations to predict outcomes and guide the producer through every phase of […]
Introduction Food is a dynamic substance which changes with time and through exposure to different temperatures, storage conditions and processing methods. Food safety is a scientific discipline describing the production, harvesting, handling, processing, preparation and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of procedures and practices that should be followed […]
Introduction “Countries that create ideal conditions for [research and development (R&D)] to flourish reap multiple rewards. These range from solutions to health, environmental and social challenges to new discoveries that trigger economic growth and new knowledge … We need investment in R&D to thrive in all of these sectors to improve our national system of […]
Precision livestock farming (PLF) is a sub-set of digital agriculture and precision farming. The reader is referred to those pages. At the close of the last century, livestock farming worked with average values per group, largely because of the size of operations. With the aid of technology like software and electronic identification (EID), Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) returns to […]
Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash Also see the “Digital agriculture”, “Drones”, “Mapping” and “Agricultural media and ICT” pages. Introduction Precision farming utilises six ultra-modern technologies: Global Positioning Systems (GPS), which provides a navigation system to establish a position of a tractor or combine anywhere in a land within less than 2 meters on a latitude-longitude grid overlay. […]
Introduction Permaculture is a system based on natural ecosystem processes: through consciously combining plant, animal, built environment and energy systems, it endeavours to create sustainable human habitats, settlements and agriculturally productive systems. The intention is to design productive systems that ultimately generate more energy than they consume, with no negative impact on the natural or […]
Organic farming Agro-ecology Biodynamics Regenerative Agriculture Vegan Organic farming
Introduction It is essential to have accurate maps in any farming enterprise, particularly if you are planning to do precision farming. Other times when you will be grateful to have maps are when you are: planning aerial crop-spraying determining the potential of land applying pesticides ordering seed and fertiliser wishing to insure your crops hiring or […]
Introduction Agricultural activity takes place within a wider social, environmental and economic context, and so any attempt at compiling a list of the laws which affect agriculture necessarily goes beyond the laws administered by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). The reader will find two lists of legislation: one of laws […]
Introduction Laboratories play a vital role in the monitoring and effectiveness of the agricultural value chain. Resources like soil and water are evaluated. Precision agriculture and its accurate application of fertiliser, for example, depend on the soil tests. Inputs like animal feed and fertiliser are analysed. Using tainted inputs like fertiliser can have a detrimental […]
