Farmer's Weekly 25 March 2022

At the time I was writing this column, Eskom had implemented another bout of load-shedding across South Africa. Load-shedding has been a problem for the country since 2007, and it is a challenge that we are likely to face for at least the next decade. As the world moves away from coal-generated power towards renewable energy, South Africa is lagging behind. This is despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s promise that South Africa is dedicated to investing in renewable energy, after striking a R131 billion deal with developed nations at COP26 in late 2021 to help South Africa transition to renewable energy. Making the situation even more precarious is Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe’s strong touting of fossil fuel energy in the public domain. According to him, South Africa needs to…

“Human-induced climate change, including more frequent and extreme weather events, has caused widespread adverse effects and related losses and damage to nature and people, beyond natural climate variability. Some development and adaptation efforts have reduced vulnerability; however, across sectors and regions, the most vulnerable people and systems have been observed to be disproportionately affected. The increase in weather and climate extremes has led to a number of irreversible impacts, as natural and human systems have been pushed beyond their ability to adapt. Climate change has caused substantial damage, and increasingly irreversible losses, in terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and open-ocean marine ecosystems. The extent and magnitude of climate change impacts are larger than was estimated in previous assessments. In addition to widespread deterioration of ecosystem structure and function, resilience and natural adaptive capacity,…

The Bloem Show is making a comeback in 2022, following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19-related restrictions. The show will include various national horse, small-stock and cattle championships, as well as entertainment for the whole family. It will also feature a funfair with amusement- park-type rides. Visit bloemskou.co.za. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 23 TO 25 MARCH Advanced Water Treatment and Wastewater Reuse Technology (online). Email Praise Madzonganise at praise@alliancetc.co.za. 24 TO 25 MARCH Agriculture Technology Conference, Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre, Johannesburg. Email info@leaderboardaf.co.za. 31 MARCH TO 1 APRIL Agriculture 4.0: Future of Farming Agriculture Summit, Radisson Blu Hotel, Cape Town. Email Charity Wockelmann at charity@agriculturefmi.co.za. 12 TO 13 MAY Drone and Unmanned Aviation Conference, Emperors Palace, Kempton Park. Email info@bussynet.co.za. 25 TO 27 MAY Irrigation, Drainage and Water Management Summit, Radisson Blu Hotel, Cape Town. Email Charity Wockelmann at charity@irrigationfmi.co.za. COURSES AND TRAINING 14…

In this article, a farmer used his experience to explain how a smallscale producer could achieve positive results on his or her land in the most efficient manner. “Sufficient water for irrigation, machinery large enough to do the most difficult job efficiently, and reliable labour are the main essentials for most farming enterprises, but even more so when the land is limited,” says Coen van der Berg, who farms with great success on 25ha near George in the Western Cape. “Too many smallholder farmers scale down their machinery requirements until they reach a ridiculous situation where mechanisation consists of a number of toys incapable of doing any job properly,” continues Van der Berg. A 60kW tractor, five-tine chisel plough, heavy 3m tandem disc harrow and a tiller form the basis of the machinery…

Donations of equipment to beekeepers and training from the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (NWDARD) have motivated beekeepers from the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality to work together for a better future. In late February this year, honey farmers from across the district converged on Witpan farm outside the town of Sannieshof to assist beekeeper Sello Nthoesane with his harvest. Nthoesane is one of the province’s many beekeepers who were recently trained on beekeeping management by the NWDARD. He also received 100 beehives and other equipment, including a honey-extracting machine. Nthoesane started beekeeping in 2018 with only 10 hives, and today he is a fulltime honey producer with over 160 hives. He sells his honey on the local market. One of the beekeepers who helped Nthoesane with harvesting was Onkarabile…

“Just as important as the best micro-irrigation design, is your relationship with the client. We need to ensure that everyone at Agrico is fully equipped and people-orientated,” says Johan Visser, who recently joined the Agrico team to enhance its precision irrigation capability. Visser began his career in 1968 as one of the first people to complete the South African Irrigation Institute’s irrigation course. Subsequently, he worked for various engineering and irrigation firms until 1992, when he joined Netafim. Here he spent the majority of his professional career encouraging and advancing the use of precision irrigation practices across Africa, before joining the Agrico team earlier this year. “I’ve had a very interesting career in irrigation that has introduced me to a variety of people, which is wonderful,” says Visser. “I value the people who…