Deciduous fruit industry chooses green for sustainability

In a world with a constantly changing environmental and socio-economic landscape, it is challenging for South African deciduous fruit producers to farm competitively and sustainably, but not impossible.

In line with the Climate Change Act (Act No. 22 of 2024) and South Africa’s international obligations, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has published a draft report on sectoral emission targets (SETs). The report proposes emission targets for the agricultural sector, affecting various commodities, including fruit growing. After pointing out several data gaps, the finalization of the SETs was postponed until early 2025.

According to Nitasha Baijnath-Pillay, manager of Hortgro’s resource management and sustainability programme, sustainability depends on our producers’ tenacity to exist, compete, and produce high-quality deciduous fruit for an increasing population. Hortgro’s Resource Management and Sustainability Programme aims to assist our deciduous fruit producers in implementing environmentally conscious solutions into everyday decisions and actions.

Over the past decade, several sustainable interventions were launched:

• the monitoring and benchmarking of greenhouse gas emissions across value chain operations (via the Confronting Climate Change project);
• improving soil health and establishing more sustainable crop protection options backed by integrated pest management monitoring;
• monitoring and reducing industrial waste; And
• the promotion of water-saving irrigation technology and the use of cover crops.

According to Baijnath-Pillay, many producers have already reduced their reliance on non-renewable resources and turned to precision and regeneration agriculture.

In October the first webinar in the new Hortgro Footprint series was launched. Soil health was discussed. This will be followed by other sustainability topics such as operational efficiency, and responsible production. Agriculture is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, and therefore long-term adaptation planning is critical for our industry. Our producers require reliable science-based information to guide their decision-making in the different production regions with varying climate characteristics.

[Watch the Hortgro Footprint Soil Health webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck-MPjq9YY8]

Hortgro has established a Pro-Hort ecophysiological platform with Provar (a cultivar and rootstock evaluation company). The platform consists of 10 selections of apples, pears and plums planted in three climatically diverse regions and enables research on the interaction between climate, tree physiology and production. Hortgro and Provar are also collaborating on 11 Pro-Hort sites located in all the major pome and stone fruit production areas. Provar conducts independent evaluations of new cultivars to assist our producers in choosing the correct cultivars for their climate.

Moreover, we have recently developed an online science-based, relevant and practical guide (practitioners’ handbook) to pome and stone fruit producers in South Africa on climate change risks, impacts and adaptation responses. This is supplemented by Hortgro’s Climate Change Response Strategy for the Deciduous Fruit Industry. “We are also currently undertaking a Water Availability Strategy for the industry. These strategies will prioritize the most relevant, appropriate, and vital interventions to tackle climate change impacts on pome and stone fruit production. These climate change threats inflate our production costs, reduce our profitability, and ultimately weaken our international competitiveness,” said Anton Rabe, Hortgro Executive Director.

• AGBIZ attended the Emergency Summit on Climate Change and Agriculture, hosted by Food for Mzansi in Centurion. One of the standout presentations was delivered by Pieter van Niekerk, from AgriCarbon, titled Demystifying Carbon Credits: A Game-Changer or Just Hot Air? Agbiz interviewed Pieter, read more here: Mzansi Climate Emergency Summit 2024, Carbon SEques summary