The technical production story of the recent pome fruit season concluded with a fairly happy ending given plot twists such as extreme weather events, “reliable” cultivars underperforming, and a global pandemic that almost single-handedly disrupted the fruit value chain. Despite…
The Koue Bokkeveld Opleidingsentrum (KBOS) again made a precious contribution to community development in the Witzenberg district with their practical Handyman/Woman workshops. This initiative began in 2024 and was born out of frustrations in the community about common household…
The Western Cape Bee Industry Association (WCBA) raised alarm over a concerning increase in honey bee poisonings across the province, attributed to the careless and often uninformed use of agricultural chemicals. Riversdale beekeeper, Jannie Nothnagel, has lost about 70 honeybee…
The 2022 Confronting Climate Change (CCC) industry benchmark process builds on 2020 – 2021 datasets and provides a meaningful platform for the South African fruit and wine industries to improve their understanding of the use of fossil fuel-based resources and…
A new schedule for CCC workshops has just been released (25 June 2020). Download it here: ccc-workshops The Confronting Climate Change benchmark reports are out now: Please download your copy of the pome fruit 2020 report here:benchmark-report-pome-fruit-2020-fin And the stone…
Climate change is everyone’s problem. As activism grows, the necessity for sustainable, and ethical agri-production practices are more important than ever. Find the CCC’s deciduous fruit benchmark reports here: 2019 Pome Fruit Report:benchmark-report-pome-fruit-2019 2019 Stone Fruit Report:benchmark-report-stonefruit-2019
Climate change is everyone’s problem. As activism grows, the necessity for sustainable and ethical agri-production practices is more critical than ever. Find the Confronting Climate Change deciduous fruit benchmark reports for the period 2023 to 2025, here: 2025 Pome Fruit…
Many outsiders scoff and say that agricultural sector has been “lucky” in that it did not have to close down as a whole during any of the COVID-19 lockdown phases. Those in the know, however, realise just how stressful the…
April 2022 President lifts national state of disaster As you are aware, President Cyril Ramaphosa has lifted South Africa’s national state of disaster more than two years after it was first declared in response to the COVID-19pandemic. Full details of…
By Elise-Marie Steenkamp “We are all in the same storm, but not in the same boat. And we have to be aware that everyone’s boat is different and changing all the time.” This was the message from Dr Colinda Linde,…
By Pieter-Steyn de Wet The 2026 pome fruit harvest and export season started on a positive note, but this momentum was disrupted in Week 6 when a severe hail and windstorm affected parts of the Langkloof and Ceres regions. Damage…
When the rain finally stopped falling in the Langkloof in early May, it left behind a valley split in half. Between Joubertina and Kareedouw, a stretch of the R62 known locally as “container draai” simply vanished; washed away to a…