It is believed that successful farming requires a lot of land, but Ugandan veterinarian and farmer Dr. Emma Naluyima believes that with creativity you can build a productive farm on a small piece of land. Emma divided her 1 acre (0.4 hectare) piece of land into 4 quarters. On the…
The 18th annual, multi-award winning African Utility Week, taking place from 15 to 17 May in Cape Town, South Africa, will, amongst other topics, strongly focus on water challenges on the continent. Furthermore, issues like investment needed in water solutions by the public and private sectors to enable universal access,…
Syngenta and Grain SA, in partnership with the University of the Free State Business School in South Africa (SA), offers the Grain Academy, a tailored leadership programme to equip young SA farmers with the necessary tools to grow. The academy launched in 2013 and is a platform where commercial grain…
According to press release from national agricultural organisation Agri SA, experts are predicting widespread infestation by fall armyworm across South Africa (SA), with the possible exclusion of the Western Cape. Fall armyworm has infested South African farms, particularly in 5 districts in Limpopo Province, as well as parts of Mpumalanga and the…
Tobacco farming in South Africa (SA) is under threat due to an increase in the distribution and selling of illegal cigarettes. Tobacco farming had been severely affected by the 2015 drought and South Africa has lost around 2 million tons in production since 2012. Christo van Staden, Managing Director of…
The award-winning SA Cheese Festival, the biggest outdoor culinary event in Africa, is taking place from 27 to 29 April 2018 at Sandringham near Stellenbosch in the Western Cape Province. This will be the 17th SA Cheese Festival and offers guests a variety of cheese, wine, and entertainment, including music,…
Maize farmers in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province have been advised to be on the lookout for fall armyworm. The Eastern Cape was the last province to be infested by fall armyworm in 2017, and it is estimated that 355 hectares were affected. “So far the prevailing environmental conditions in…
The Land Bank signed an agreement for a loan of R900 million from the German development bank, KfW. The loan will provide a much needed boost for the South African (SA) agricultural sector. The KfW Development Bank has been supporting and funding agriculture in more than 20 African countries, including…
Rugani Juice, a brand flowing from Greenway Farms in South Africa (SA), has grown by 500% since its establishment 2 years ago. The juice range will be expanded and distributed to Zambia this year. Greenway Farms is SA’s largest carrot producer. Rugani and his business partner, Vincent Sequeira, produce 40%…
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry in Namibia announced that the Oshakati and Katimo Mulilo abattoirs, whose doors were closed for 2 years, will reopen in the first quarter of 2018. This follows a draft act from the Ministry of Works and Transport for the rehabilitation of both abattoirs.…
Mozambique’s major commercial banana producer, Bananalandia, in Boane district about 30 km west from Maputo, has seen production levels decrease by half due to a lack of water for irrigation. The company’s banana plantations are highly dependent on the Umbeluzi River for water, which in turn depends on the level…
Namibian dam levels have decreased by almost 10% since September 2017 and are expected to decline to less than 40% full. At present all the country’s dams are sitting at a collective average of 40.2%, says the Namibian agricultural magazine AgriForum. Southern dams have dropped by 12.5% since September and…
The public-private partnership between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Zambeef Products operating the Zampalm plantation project in Muchinga, Zambia, aims to commercialise the production of palm oil. The project is aimed at developing the country’s economy and improving the livelihood of citizens. The local production and processing of crude…
The South African wine industry is the 9th largest producer of wine in the world and contributes 4% to global production. South Africa exports 440 million litres of wine annually and sells 400 million litres locally. A survey conducted in the last week of November by the industry body SAWIS…
The South African agribusiness sector has maintained positive results for the past 5 quarters, however, the sector weakened by 5 points in Agbiz’s Agribusiness Confidence Index during the 4th quarter of 2017. Factors that contributed to the confidence decline are bad weather conditions in the Western Cape, uncertainty about land…
Absa’s agricultural outlook, presented in Centurion on 27 November, emphasised their predictions for Kenya and Zambia’s agricultural sectors over the next 5 years. “The purpose of the outlook is to inform producers of changing trends in the short term, so that they can be vigilant of possible changes in the…
A group of young African farmers were given hope for the future of their own countries after visiting South Korea on a recent trip made possible by the African Development Bank (AfDB). The AfDB identified farmers from across Africa, and took them on an academic excursion to South Korea. The…
