Archive for June 2022
Economic impact of polyphagous shot hole borer
The potential economic impact of the polyphagous shot hole borer in South Africa amounts to a whopping R275 billion over the next ten years, and municipalities will have to withstand the most of this cost if nothing is done to stem the tide. The shot hole borer was first detected in South Africa in 2012…
Read MoreThe Benefits of Berries and Agro-Processing Part 1
One of the opportunities available to farmers to grow markets, turnover and profits is by adding value to crops. This is especially true of berries. Berries is a food source that is consumed worldwide as a minimally processed crop, but also in jams, preserves, cakes, pies, as part of health food or trail mixes etc.…
Read MoreWildlife management in the Karoo
The Karoo consists of a bewildering variety of physiographic landscape types, each of which contains a great diversity of habitats. This habitat variability is the foundation for a rich Karoo fauna diversity, for even within the seemingly vast and featureless plains there are escarpments, watered valleys with thickets, koppies and gorges. Seasonal rivers and streams…
Read MoreFarming and conservation: How the two can go hand-in-hand
In most cases, “conservation” typically means putting up a fence around the animals you wish to protect. But that’s not the best way of doing things – especially in a world where there’s pressure not only on our biodiversity, but also on farmers to provide food for a nation, says Ross Kettles, project manager at…
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