She steps down in December but her contributions to dormancy research will continue to help pome- and stone-fruit growers negotiate climate change for many years to come. By Anna Mouton. Western Cape winters are getting warmer and the application of…
Vir die kerngebiede waarin koring- en appelproduksie bedryf word, was die onlangse meerjarige droogte die ergste in 30 jaar. Dit kan ’n vroeë teken wees van die uitwerking van klimaatsverandering op landbou in die winterreënvalstreek van die Wes-Kaap. Dít blyk…
No one can predict the future. But can we identify actions that we can take today to shape a better tomorrow? By Anna Mouton. Hortgro recently contracted professional futurist Tanja Hichert to facilitate a foresight study for the pome- and…
To counter the problem of load shedding and to encourage sustainability, farmers are going solar, which is good. But solar on the water is even better, Gerrit Rautenbach discovered. On the one hand, SA’s national electricity supplier is primarily using…
Hortgro spoke to her about her new role and to learn what the SmartAgri Plan offers to the deciduous fruit industry. By Anna Mouton Whatever their views on climate change, most people in the pome-and stone-fruit industries can agree about…
Population exposure to heat is increasing due to climate change, and this trend will continue. Globally, extreme temperature events are observed to be increasing in their frequency, duration, and magnitude. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of people exposed to…
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
By Elise-Marie Steenkamp To make water management institutions work, you must understand your resource. When and who uses it, but over the past two decades South Africa’s capability to manage its water resources has declined. This was the message from…
Text and photographs: Carmé Naudé The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in partnership with California farm organizations and research institutions traveled to the Western Cape during August to build international collaborations with South African partners and share best…
The new Minister of Agriculture in the Western Cape, Ivan Meyer, has a clear vision of what he must achieve in his term and he is ready to learn. “You must teach me,” he said to delegates at the opening…
A new approach that could transform agriculture in the region is gaining traction. Jorisna Bonthuys takes a look at regenerative agriculture and how it relates to the horticultural sector in the article: Rooting for a sustainable future – Unlocking regenerative farming.…