Farmer's Weekly 15-22 January 2021

Just after I finished studying, I got a job as a teacher at a high school in the Western Cape, teaching English as a first and second language to Grades 8 to 10. I am not a quitter by nature, but I resigned from that job after the first six months. It was clear to me that I just did not have the patience or talent to be a good teacher. I will be forever grateful for the experience, however, because during those few months I developed the highest respect for the people who follow the calling (and believe me, it is nothing less than a higher calling!) to become teachers. It must be one of the hardest, most difficult jobs in the world, possibly even harder than farming. For…

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 23 TO 25 FEBRUARY Africa Agri Tech, Pretoria.Visit africa-agri.co.za. COURSES & TRAINING 5 FEBRUARY Cattle Calf Rearing, Gauteng. Phone Lily Rothman on 078 546 7985. 8 FEBRUARY TO 9 APRIL Vegetable Production, Buhle Farmers’ Academy Campus, Delmas. Email Lovert Magwala at lovert@buhle.org.za. Visit buhle.org.za. 18 TO 19 FEBRUARY Cattle Nutrition Management, George. Phone Lily Rothman on 078 546 7985. 22 TO 25 FEBRUARY Short Course in Seed Science, Pretoria. Email az.ca.pu.sesirpretne@ofni. 22 TO 26 FEBRUARY Cattle Dairy Farm Management and Production, George. Phone Lily Rothman on 078 546 7985. 5 TO 11 MARCH Wildlife Photography, Karongwe Game Reserve, Drakensberg. Phone 013 752 2532, or email enquiries@ecotraining.co.za. ONLINE EVENTS & COURSES 2 FEBRUARY TO 26 APRIL The Fundamentals of Agribusiness, Agricolleges International. Email admissions@agricolleges.com. 9 FEBRUARY TO…

“Agricultural transformation is imperative for growth and poverty reduction in Africa. Yet progress has been elusive. The region is a net food importer despite the fact that agriculture accounts for 60% of employment. Main food crop yields are estimated at about half the world average, and rural poverty, hunger and malnutrition are persistent. Recently, increased attention has been paid to promoting a Green Revolution-style agricultural intensification, focusing on improved seed varieties, fertiliser and agrochemicals that increase land productivity. In comparison, much less emphasis has been placed on addressing seasonal labour constraints and rising rural wages through mechanisation to promote agricultural transformation. Up until now the supply of mechanisation in sub-Saharan Africa has failed to meet demand. This is due to market failures associated with characteristics unique to the continent, such…

For millennia, trees have provided humans with fuel, food, fibre and medicine from their fruit, flowers, roots, wood, leaves and branches. In fact, many things we use daily are connected to wood. Printer paper, chewing gum, planks, viscose fabric, vitamins, pallets, toilet tissue, toothpaste, and detergents all have a link back to wood. Wood is made up of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and extracts (waxes, fatty acids, resin acids and sugars). The properties of these elements make them suitable ingredients in countless products. As a sustainably farmed resource that stores carbon, wood is increasingly being used not only in the built environment for houses and high-rises, but also for its cellulose, lignin and sugars. These elements all have a role in helping the world find renewable and low-carbon alternatives to plastic,…

23 YEARS AGO The Ranunculus asiaticus’s (Persian buttercup) flowers are cut, and its tuberous rhizomes (‘claws’) harvested and exported. Every season for more than three decades, Pieter Kieviet has planted a crop which, in full bloom, is a riot of colours to match or surpass Holland’s tulips. And then he cuts the flowers and dumps them on a heap to rot. You see, the marketable product of commercial Ranunculus production is not the flowers, but the claws (thickened tuberous rhizomes radiating out from the base of the stem), which are harvested to be exported mostly to Europe, where they are planted. Kieviet, a pioneer of Ranunculus cultivation in South Africa, grows around 18ha of this specialised crop under contract for Hadeco. Sizanani Boerdery is situated on the 796ha farm Engelse…

In May 2020, the Kenya Markets Trust (KMT) released a report containing the four key tracks through which the country’s beef industry would be transformed into a “modern, efficient, organised and professional sector that is capable of adding significant value”. The vision set out was to “increase the returns to pastoralists from sales of livestock, due to increases in quantity, quality, reliability of supply and increased and consistent demand for high-quality meat from pastoral areas”. Overall, Kenya is the third largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa (after Nigeria and South Africa), with an overall size of US$95,4 billion (about R1,43 trillion). Livestock is estimated to contribute between 10% and 13% of the economy, and it is one of the largest agricultural industries in the country. The industry has a herd of…