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Animal behaviour as indicators for weather forecasting and climate predictions
For decades, indigenous people have observed biophysical animate and inanimate beings for weather forecast and climate predictions about current and future weather variables that cannot ...
The journey to better seed through innovation
In the beginning… Seeds are the basis of all plant life on earth. Since the beginning of time, mankind has continually found ways to improve ...
Technology in a bottle: the story of C4L tech
Think of what matters more to you than anything else in the world. It is likely to be someone, not something. People matter more than ...
The future of plant disease detection
Worldwide crop production is significantly restricted by plant diseases, which impedes the yield and quality of crops. One of the most important aspects of successfully ...
Indigenous African vegetables can contribute to food security
Several reasons are advanced for the neglect of these commodities despite their higher nutrients content compared to the conventional. They are also known to be ...
The future of crop protection lies in IPM
Since the dawn of agriculture, farmers have been dealing with the challenges of managing pests, weeds and diseases that threaten our ability to produce enough ...
Integrated pest management programmes make sense
Society is constantly looking for ways to improve. This is also true in the agricultural sector. Contrary to widespread belief created by suspense movie dramas, ...
The importance of crop health to sustainable crop production
The productivity of crops relates directly to their health. But what is a healthy crop? A healthy crop is a crop that receives sufficient water, ...
Biotech crops: Transforming Agriculture
Many years of human intervention, either through domestication of wild species or selective breeding, has given us the food crops that we eat today. However, ...
Is Climate Change a Reality?
The Mangaung Metro Municipality experience Whether or not climate change is a reality is a dilemma faced by many within the farming community and poses ...
Maggot burgers can help to solve world hunger
Fancy maggot burgers for dinner? Eating animals and plants which revolt many of us could cut hunger caused by climate change. A diet of maggot ...
The magical mystery of an apple’s sleep
It might have been an apple that Snow White bit into that sent her into a death-like sleep but, this notion of suspended-animation is not ...
Soil health in a nutshell
Soil is the upper layer of the earth’s crust, which sustains life. It consists of a mixture of mineral particles, organic material, organisms, and liquids, ...
The 10 elements of agroecology:
Guiding the transition to sustainable food and agricultural systems. Today’s food and agricultural systems have succeeded in supplying large volumes of food to global markets. ...
To restore our soils, feed the microbes
Our soils are in trouble. Over the past century, we have abused them with ploughing, tilling and too much fertilizer. What many thinks of as ...
Water in agriculture
Water is a critical input for agricultural production and plays an important role in food security. Irrigated agriculture represents 20 percent of the total cultivated ...
Jongboer van die Jaar 2021
Alexander Gibson: Agri Wes-Kaap Santam Landbou se Jongboer van die Jaar 2021 Die 32-jarige Alexander Gibson van Ceres in die Witzenberg Vallei is Woensdagaand 19 ...
Dekgewasse help natuurlewe in wingerde
Die aanplant en behoud van dekgewasse, veral kruidagtige of breëblaarspesies, is een van die belangrikste bestuurspraktyke om te oorweeg deur wyndruifboere wat sensitief te werk ...
Can biotech crops secure enough food?
Food security and nourishment is an important consideration for many communities in the developing world, including the African continent. However, addressing the food security challenge ...
Status of Food Security
Food security is generally defined as the situation when all people have physical or economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times ...
Keeping the Yellow Dragon at Bay in Citrus Orchards
Citrus Huanglongbing, better known as HLB, is currently regarded as the most destructive disease of citrus, having caused the near-collapse of the Florida citrus industry ...
SPRINKANE!!
Die twee sprinkaansoorte wat Afrika, die Midde-Ooste en sentraal Asië soms bedreig, is die woestynsprinkaan of rooisprinkaan wat in die Sahelgebied van Afrika tot selfs ...
Fall Armyworm and its Allies
Integrated pest management remains key in ensuring the tools that are developed for farmers to combat pests and diseases, remain relevant for as long as ...
Klimaat en Landboutoestande Oktober 2020
Ryp en lae temperature het steeds voortgeduur oor groot dele van Suid-Afrika gedurende September. Matige tot redelike strawwe ryp het gedurende die laaste week van ...
Project Fruit Fly Free Fruit Production in southern Africa
Tuesday, 1 September 2020, marks the beginning of Project: F3 Fruit Fly Free - Establishment and maintenance of fruit production areas free and under low ...
Regenerative Agriculture is Trending in South Africa
Arable farming systems across South Africa are going through a change. Forced by a variable climate and financial pressure, regenerative farming models are increasingly being ...
What is stem rust of wheat, and why does it matter?
Hundreds of millions of people rely on wheat as the main ingredient for at least one meal in a day or all meals in their ...
The COVID-19 recovery is a chance to transform global agriculture
The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the risks of unhealthy diets and the extreme fragility of the global food system. It disproportionately affects people who are ...
Why Container Management Matters
Plastic polymers such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are extremely valuable as packaging materials for a wide range of commodities because they are light (in mass), ...
Opportunities in Agro-Processing
The article intends to highlight the many opportunities within the agro-processing industry for agricultural engineers to assist small and medium scale agro-processing entrepreneurs with entering ...
Bewaringslandbou kan mielie-opbrengste hupstoot gee
Mielieboere wat geenbewerking of bewaringslandbou op hul plase wil toepas sal kan baat uit heelwat beter opbrengste tydens droër seisoene, omdat hierdie boerderymetodes hulle toelaat ...
How young vineyards can survive climate change
By choosing the right cultivars and adapting their irrigation regimes in young vineyards, winegrowers may mitigate the expected effect of climate change in coming years. ...
The impact of Crop Pests on Food Security
Crop production and animal production probably provide 90% of the world human population’s food needs. Very few people on earth live as hunter-gatherers (maybe those ...
Climate Change and Agriculture a challenge for pest management
Climate change is a reality whether one believes it is a cosmic occurrence or the effects of human society on earth. Fact is that we ...
A roadmap to resilience for Western Cape agriculture
The Western Cape has been prone to numerous climate-related extremes such as droughts, heavy rain, floods, storms (with strong wind and hail), wildfires and plant ...
Agriculture: a strategic sector, please be safe!
The President, in elaborating on his declaration of a state of disaster to curb the spread of COVID-19, identified agriculture as one of the essential ...
Pesticides and water: compatibility and safety aspects
The most recent drought which has brought a large section of South African farmers to their knees, is still not broken in the western arid ...
Food at risk as third of plants face extinction
More than a third of the world’s plants are so rare they face extinction. In a warmer world, that would leave supplies of food at ...
A fresh approach to managing invasive trees
For thousands of years, trees and humans have maintained an intimate connection. It’s therefore not surprising that many tree species were moved around the world, ...
Entomologists keep fruit flies at bay
Collection of data on fruit flies in South Africa will help improve pest management in Europe and contribute to development of technology such as sensors ...
Jet stream changes may hit global breadbaskets
Patterns in the winds of the jet stream that circles the Earth can bring simultaneous heatwaves to breadbasket regions which provide up to a quarter ...
Population, waste bigger environmental factors than livestock
As the world’s population increases and the planet’s temperature rises, many are pointing to animal agriculture as a leading cause of climate change, said Dr ...
Climate outlook for 2020
The variable and changing climate Climate conditions were in general unfavourable for agricultural production in the recent past seasons. Severe drought over most of South ...
African Environment Ministers commit to address environmental crises
At the 17th Ordinary session of the AMCEN all 54 African countries have committed to addressing the key environmental challenges of climate change, land degradation, ...
GM crops and the developing world
The majority of genetically modified (GM) crops are now cultivated in the developing world. In 2014, around 53% of the 182m hectares (nearly two million square kilometres) of ...
Could the Future of Farming be Urban?
Over the last two centuries, the United States of America has been transformed from a predominantly rural, agricultural nation into an urban one. Currently, over ...
Span tegnologie in vir effektiewe plaagbeheer
Produsente is goed daarop ingestel om plantpeste, siektes en onkruide met plaagdoders te beheer wanneer sulke plae gewasse bedreig. Sulke optrede is meestal reaktief en ...
Die heuningmakers se toekoms is op die spel
Daardie bottel op die rak met die goue, stroperige vloeistof is uiters gesog by alle mense alhoewel dit ‘n plaas se prys is. Sedert oertye ...
How to keep pests out of your crops
Where you have plants, you can expect to have a few pests. However, they do not have to overwhelm you. There are great organic methods ...
A tiny beetle poses a huge threat to trees in South Africa
This article requires an active response after reading it. Please follow the action steps listed at the end. A minute exotic beetle that carries disease-causing ...
Genetic catalogue of the insect pests found on olives
A genetic catalogue of the insect pests found on wild and cultivated olive tree species in South Africa is being compiled by a small team ...
Voorkoming in plaagbeheer is beter as genesing
Die klimaatstoestande is besig om drasties hier op aarde te verander of Donald Trump dit wil glo of nie. dit veroorsaak beduidende impakte op die ...
Reënvalvooruitsigte vir 2019/20
Alhoewel bo-gemiddelde reën teen die einde van die 2018/19-somerseisoen oor die sentrale tot oostelike dele van die land voorgekom het, duur die droogte intens voort ...
How to help farmers prepare for climate change
Floods as well as droughts and heatwaves are increasing and will continue to do so in Africa and South Asia. Farmers and governments need to adapt to this changing climate regime. ...
Managing plastics out of the farming sector
Plastic products on the farm The year 1898 is long forgotten with nary a human being ever heard of a German scientist by the name ...
Hunger is growing as the world warms faster
Climate change is speeding up, and among its malign impacts is a setback for efforts to feed the world: hunger is growing again. The global ...
Rapidly rising heat will cut maize harvests
Soon the corn could roast on the cob long before the maize harvests are due. That could be far sooner than anyone expects. Rapidly rising ...
Amerikaanse indringer verg drastiese maatreëls
Suid-Afrikaanse boere is wakker manne en vroue wat vir niks op aarde skrik nie. Selfs nie eers die politieke dreigemente oor grondonteiening is genoeg om ...
Company’s Garden reclaims a piece of its history
The return of the first apple tree planted in the iconic Company’s Garden in the late 1650s is a remarkable story, made possible through a ...
“Game changer” for pincushion flower industry
The overseas flower market pays a premium for long-stemmed pincushions without any curvature, insects or signs of disease. To deliver such flowers are easier said ...
Young aeronautical engineers develop new crop-spraying drone
The Gryphon Corporation is an engineering and technology start-up founded in 2018 by two young aeronautical entrepreneurs - Samuel Mathekga and Clive Mathe. The company is ...
Hungry No More!
Bayer understands that participating in the development of small-holder and emerging farmers will be the route out of poverty, unemployment and overcoming food scarcities and ...
First commercial floating solar farm in Africa
From the ongoing issues at Eskom to the chemicals being sprayed and the high energy needs of farms, the agricultural sector is looking to become ...
Shared model of B-BEE farming a proven success in Ceres
With a successful 15-year track record, the Denou Farming (Pty) Ltd is a stand-out success story. Established in 2003 as a partnership between fifth generation ...
Cover Cropping for Climate Smart Agriculture
In recent years there have been several new terms being used pertaining to modern agriculture. Terms such as Conservation farming, Regenerative agriculture, Sustainable agriculture, Climate ...
What is Soil Carbon Sequestration?
What is Soil Carbon Sequestration? Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide can be lowered either by reducing emissions or by taking carbon dioxide out of the ...
Seeding equipment for a drier future
The agricultural sector remains vulnerable to water risks and a changing climate. The droughts we are currently facing have had a great impact on the ...
The philosophy of integrated pest management
To integrate or not integrate? Integration means to assimilate or mix one entity into another so that the combined entities maintain their own identities but ...
The role of Conservation Agriculture in Climate Smart Agriculture
The Western Cape Province and especially the agricultural sector is facing climate change with projections of continued warming of between 1.5 °C and 3 °C ...
Agronomic development of rainfed maize in response to plant population and row spacing under no-tillage
The agronomic development of rainfed maize in response to plant population and row spacing under no-tillage was investigated in a field trial conducted during the ...
Call for collaboration between macadamia industry and government
South Africa’s macadamia industry is, together with Australia, the most sophisticated in the world. It is also the largest producer globally. This competitive advantage could ...
Invasive alien plants in South Africa pose huge risks
but they can be stopped There is a massive army marching across South Africa. It’s silent and looks harmless, but it’s growing by the day. ...
Managed bees versus wild bees?
It’s not that simple in South Africa There’s widespread concern about the global decline of honey bees and the associated loss of pollination services. Should ...
Nine vital signs found for forest health
Forests help to moderate climate change, which can itself affect forest health. Researchers still puzzle over how the canopy affects the global carbon exchange. It ...
Looking ahead to 2019
based on the trends and lessons of the past Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing is looking ahead to 2019 based on the trends and lessons of the ...
More vegetables, less meat for all our sakes
Researchers are clear: the healthy diet for a healthy planet is more vegetables, less meat. What matters is the food that’s served, and the way ...
Why massive effort needs to be put into growing trees on farms
It’s now over 50 years since the world was first warned that resources were being used at an unsustainable rate. It has now been estimated that almost one quarter ...
New plane can show geoengineering works
With new aircraft, humans could potentially mimic volcanic action, dim the sunlight and slow global warming, showing that geoengineering works. It’s a controversial idea. Nobody ...
Hotter climate will cost Europe dear
The continent must brace itself for the big heat: a hotter climate will cost Europe dear if average global temperatures soar by 3°C near the ...
Illegal use of pesticides
Emphasis on the word illegal The illegal use of pesticides killing of bees in the Constantia area of the Western Cape has received widespread media ...
Electricity cuts a great irritation to fruit industry
Eskom, the national (and sole) electricity provider in South Africa has embarked on a programme of load shedding (planned power outages) as a result of ...
Conservation Agriculture and soil fertility management Part 2
Case study on a degraded soil in the North West Province Following an introduction to some theoretical principles and practices of Conservation Agriculture and integrated ...
Big data shows big promise for feeding the world
Digital innovations are set to transform a global food system in crisis. These innovations, however, are reliant on large sets of data to help farmers ...
Agri Western Cape relieved that water restrictions have been lifted
Agri Western Cape is relieved that agriculture’s water restrictions have been lifted to 10%. This will help the sector a great deal with recovering from ...
A better future for honey bees
Farmers, beekeepers, Croplife South Africa and researchers take hands The Western Cape Bee Industry Association (WCBA) organised a workshop at the Buitenverwachting wine estate in ...
The spread of shot hole borer beetles in South Africa is proving tough to control
A tiny tree-killing beetle with the awkwardly long name of Polyphagous Shot hole Borer was detected in South Africa for the first time last year. ...
Inner-city rooftop farming ‘hola harvest’
SAB and partners look to making farming more attractive to youth in addressing challenges of unemployment and food security with Inner-city rooftop farming SAB and AB ...
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Principles
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use ...
Gerbils are gearing up for the grain season
With the grain planting season on hand, farmers have to be aware of the imminent threat posed by gerbils to newly planted crops. Gerbils are ...
US bekyk klimaat-slim landbou
Droogte en ‘n toename in waterrisiko’s is die nuwe werklikheid vir Afrika. Talle produsente en rolspelers in die landbousektor het reeds hierby begin aanpas en ...
Conservation Agriculture and soil fertility management Part 1
Theoretical principles and practices In South Africa, crop production systems based on intensive and continuous soil tillage have led to excessively high soil degradation rates ...
Planning for the long game: macadamia trees
South Africa’s industry could be underprepared for the future macadamia market because macadamia trees are a 20 year investment that requires planning for the long ...
Afrika bolwurm is ‘n gevaarlike kalant
Die Lepidoptera orde in die wêreld van ongewerweldes is legio. Wonderlike vlinders en interessante motte is onder die gevleueldes wat onder ander ook met bestuiwing ...
Fynbos app to manage your natural veld
Landowners and harvesters who harvest wild fynbos can now better manage their fynbos populations through a new cell phone application. The app, called i-Fynbos, collects information ...
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