Farmer's Weekly 3 March 2023

Food-tech media company UKTN recently published an article on the apparent rise in investors' appetites for UK lab-grown meat in the UK. According to the article, investment in the UK's cultivated-meat sector skyrocketed by 400% in 2022. This data was released by the Good Food Institute, which found that between 2021 and 2022, investment in the lab-grown meat sector in the UK rose from £12 million (about R260 million)to £59 million (R1,3 billion), as reported by UKTN. This helped Britain secure the top spot in Europe for ‘sustainable protein funding'. However, despite the rise in investment in lab-grown meat, regulations are supposedly stifling further growth into investment in this industry. I am not an economist or investor by any stretch of the imagination, but investing in lab-grown meat seems like a poor…

“ Each year on 10 February, the UN commemorates what probably sounds to many like a strange occasion: World Pulses Day. However, as a researcher focused on forgotten and underutilised legumes, I think the initiative is an important step towards food security. Getting people to eat more pulses can ultimately help achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. For clarification, ‘legumes' and ‘pulses' have different meanings. Legumes are all the plants that belong to the Leguminosae or Fabaceae family, while pulses are the dried seeds of legume plants. The latter include beans, chickpeas and lentils. One reason that legume plants offer such promise in ending hunger is that they don't need good soil or nitrogen fertiliser to grow. Plants need nitrogen to build important molecules such as protein and DNA, but most…

The Africa Agri Tech Conference and Exhibition (AAT) connects the Southern African agricultural, scientific, and technology communities under one roof. The event aims to deliver premium insights, coupled with best-in-class presenters and suppliers. Visit africa-agri.co.za. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EXPOS 20 TO 24 MARCH Africa Regional Apimondia (bee) Symposium, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre, Durban. Visit apimondiaafrica2023.org.za. 24 TO 26 MARCH Cannabis Expo, GrandWest, Cape Town. Visit thecannabisexpo.co.za. 30 TO 31 MARCH Smart Farming: Transforming Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security in Africa, Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Pretoria Menlyn. Phone Edna Lupiya on 011 862 4001. 3 TO 5 MAY Africa International Sustainable Agriculture production, Biotechnology and Engineering Conference, Cape Town Convention Centre. Email at charity@federatedmi.co.za. COURSES AND TRAINING 27 FEBRUARY TO 3 MARCH Cattle Beef Farming Management and Production, George. Email Rothman Livestock and Training Services at office@RLTSafrica.com. 28 FEBRUARY TO 18 APRIL Fundamentals of…

In early February, eight small-scale farmers in North West received the stamp of approval after completing the South African Good Agricultural Practice (SA-GAP) programme. The main objective of the programme is to assist smallholder producers to access both local and international markets by producing goodquality products that comply with food-safety and quality standards as required by the market. During the 12-month training programme, these and other smallholder producers were empowered with knowledge of efficient farmmanagement practices; trained on complying with food-safety legislation, environmental protection, and animal and worker welfare; and assisted in mobilising the financial means for realising the necessary infrastructural and other related investments in the agricultural value chain. The certification programme ensures health and safety for consumers and helps producers to gain gradual recognition and acceptance from mainstream commercial markets. CRITERIA FOR…

MOST POPULAR ON FARMERSWEEKLY.CO.ZA CASSAVA: AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE IN SOUTH AFRICA Light Ngobeni and Zinhle Nkosi, agricultural economists and master's students at the University of Pretoria and University of Limpopo respectively, write about the importance of cassava production for farmers and consumers in South Africa, and how the value chain can be developed. Read the full article at bit.ly/3lGfKfd, or scan here: Posted: 9 February 2023. Follow us at @FarmersWeeklySA FROM FACEBOOK @FarmersWeeklySA We posted about President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement during his State of the Nation Address 2023 that government aimed to issue another 250 000 PESI vouchers to small-scale farmers this year. Some of our followers shared their thoughts on this news. Posted: 10 February 2023. READERS' COMMENTS Neo Leburu: “If only the vouchers were being allocated to farmers.” Bruce Mabizela: “Whether you are a small-scale commercial farmer or a subsistence…

In this second article, we continued our series on snakebites with the dos and don'ts of treating bites. After serious bites by cobras and mambas, giving antivenom is not the sole method of treatment, or even the most important. Several confirmed envenomations have been saved merely by ensuring adequate oxygen gets to the lungs by efficient mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. However, giving antivenom also aids recovery. The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) is the exception, and because of the large quantity of venom usually injected, the first symptoms appear within 15 to 30 minutes. EXPERT MEDICAL ATTENTION Dr Neil Goodwin, head of the intensive care unit at Addington Hospital in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, says expert medical attention must be sought without delay after all mamba bites. The spitting cobras and all adders secrete cytotoxic venoms that damage tissue and blood…