FruitLook is a web-based tool that is informing farmers, consultants and researchers in the Western Cape since 2011. It used to be used primarily for monitoring the growth and water use of vineyards, hence, its original moniker of GrapeLook. Since…
Hortgro Resource and Sustainability Manager, Nitasha Baijnath-Pillay, shares her top 7 tips on how to become a more sustainable fruit grower: Have a long-term perspective: Long-term planning, continuous innovation and sufficient investment in research and development, adopting new technologies and…
People simply do not talk about their emotions enough. They focus a lot on practical matters, and the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on the economy at large, yet do not divulge how it is affecting their own…
The Jobs Fund Initiatives is the Deciduous Fruit Development Chamber’s Commercialisation Programme. It started in 2016 and is aimed at graduating a group of smallholder farmers to commercial status. Hortgro and the DFDC-SA recently went on a monitoring and evaluation…
By Gerrit Rautenbach It doesn’t matter where or who you are, we all have the same essential drive. To not only make it, but also to make a difference. On a certain day in the Bokkeveld this universal truth was…
Text and Pictures: Elise-Marie Steenkamp Standing on a hill in Mpumalanga, overlooking the rolling green valleys of Zwelihle near Amersfoort, it’s hard not to think of Karen Blixen’s famous line: “I had a farm in Africa.” But for businessman and…
In the heart of Ceres, South Africa’s apple country, Robert Zulch stood out as a symbol of both tradition and innovation in agriculture. With a career spanning over three decades, Zulch became synonymous with high-quality apples and sustainable farming practices…
Three, two, one…Launch! Deadline for nominations has been extended to 15 January 2026 Hortgro hereby invites industry stakeholders to nominate suitable and interested individuals to apply for participation in the two-year Industry Launchpad – The Next-Generation Leadership Programme. The Industry…
By Eddie Vienings and Dianca Yssel South Africa is a water scarce region of the world, receiving 40% less precipitation than the global annual average. The implications of this have become clearly evident in recent times – with almost all…
Deur Elise-Marie Steenkamp “Produsente het dikwels nie beheer oor wat buite hul plase gebeur nie. Daarom moet hulle ’n positiewe ingesteldheid oor die toekoms hê, want as daardie boompie in die grond gesit word weet ons dit is nog vyf…
Background On 14 April 2022 the Registrar of Act No. 36 of 1947 published a letter informing agricultural remedy registration holders in South Africa of his intention to prohibit the use of agricultural remedies (products) that contain one or more…
Laetitia is the second-largest plum cultivar in South Africa according to 2020 figures for area planted and cartons exported. Unfortunately, it is also at high risk of heat damage because it matures late in the season. A recent Hortgro-funded project…