Two smallholder cotton communities in Limpopo and Mpumalanga packed their last woolpack by hand in August, after welcoming new baling machines. With automated baling these communities can look forward to making bigger margins on their cotton crop. African Farming’s Robyn Joubert reports.

Agricultural services company FarmSol Holdings is keenly focused on supporting the needs of black farmers. The FarmSol model aims to incubate emerging farmers into thriving businesses, by linking them to the key pillars of growth: access to markets, finance, training and mentorship. Peter Mashala spoke to FarmSol managing director Aron Kole about their track record in sustainable development.

Sithembele Malgas has run a successful vegetable and beef cattle farm in the Eastern Cape for 20 years, employing eight full-time workers. Although he moved out of agricultural extension services many years ago, his passion for transferring skills remains and he continues to mentor and inspire upcoming farmers. Peter Mashala visited him on his Idutywa farm.

Tiger Brands, the country’s largest food manufacturer, is committed to supporting South Africa’s black farmer suppliers through its enterprise and supplier development programme. A key aspect of this is the aggregator model, which builds both smallholder and commercial farmers. Peter Mashala caught up with Litha Kutta, Tiger Brands’ enterprise and supplier development director, to learn more about this initiative.