Agriculture in South Africa

  • South Africa’s agriculture industry rallies after drought

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2017/04/06 Signs of a brighter outlook come next a lengthy drought, which has significantly pushed down production in the completed three years and continues to impact much of the eastern part of the continent and the Horn of Africa. Welcome rains in late summer and autumn brought some respite for South Africa’s agricultural producers towards the end of 2016, helping to boost yields and improving the chances of recovery next a two-year contraction. While still in marginally negative territory, the sector registered its smallest quarterly contraction in two years in the fourth quarter of 2016, paving the way for bigger harvests and a stronger performance this year.
  • South Africa to limit farm sizes to speed land redistribution

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2016/05/22 South Africa's government is planning to impose limits on farm sizes to free up parcels of land to hand over to blacks, a minister said on Saturday, giving an insight into the workings of a divisive redistribution scheme. Gugile Nkwinti, the minister of rural development and land reform, told Reuters the government was planning to set a range of limits - from a 1,000-hectare (2,470-acre) "small-scale" farm, up to the major allowed, at 12,000 hectares. "If you are a small-scale farm and have 1,400 HA, we will buy the 400, and leave you with your 1,000. We will buy the additional and redistribute it to black people," the minister said.
  • Annette Steyn, Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2013/11/28 The DA is concerned that national government does not appear to have taken any aggressive action to mitigate the effects of what is reported to be South Africa's 'worst drought since 1933'. According to media reports, as a result of the drought, farmers in some parts of the country have had to cull up to a third of their livestock. This could result in meat shortages in five months, seriously affecting South Africa's food security. The DA will write to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Presidency and National Treasury requesting that an urgent Summit be convened to formulate a plan to safeguard the country's food security.
  • Livestock Farmers Urged to Collect Drought Relief Forms in South Africa

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2013/08/22 Following the declaration of North West Province as a drought stricken area by the Premier of the Province Mme Thandi Modise, and the classification of the Province as such by the National Disaster Management Centre, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is calling on all affected livestock farmers who have not as from presently on collected the drought relief forms to do so, as the deadline for submission is Monday, 26 August 2013. The forms are obtainable from the local offices of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development throughout the Province, at the Organised Agriculture Management and Branches, and participating Agricultural Company Branches such as Noordwes Kooperasie, SENWES, SUIDWES, OBARO, and MONTENEGRO.
  • Africa: Can Africa Satisfy Its Hunger?

    BOTSWANA, 2013/04/02 Africa frequently experiences food shortages, although its 900 million farmers could feed the continent, inclunding supplying other parts of the world. But for this to happen they need the support of politicians.
  • No Seeds to Weather Climate Change

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2013/02/08 Thembikosi Gumedze, the curator of the national seed bank in cash-strapped Swaziland, has been unable to supply much-needed drought-tolerant food crop seeds to farmers for additional than two years.  He has not been able to source the US$7,000 to $10,000 a year needed to produce enough seeds to distribute to the country's smallholder people.
  • African Farmers Now Select Seeds for Their Needs 2012-10-30

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2012/10/30 Food-crop improvement by conventional plant breeding, without resorting to GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) technology, is the goal of the African Centre for Crop Improvment(ACCI), a plant breeding initiative based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Pietermaritzburg, spear-headed by Professor Mark Laing.Prof Mark Laing, Director of the ACCI, UKZN, is congratulated by Kofi Anan, chairperson of AGRA (A Green Revolution for Africa), for an AGRA Forum award for capacity building affecting food security in Africa.