By Kara van der Berg The aftermath of the drought that hit the Klein Karoo in 2016 is still being felt by the area’s farmers even though the drought technically ended two years ago. “The drought had different effects on different…
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…
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…
The South African stone fruit industry remains committed to supplying consumers with good quality and great tasting products as the country’s drought continues in production areas. Hortgro, the organisation which represents South Africa’s stone and top fruit industries, has been…
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…
Challenging Stone Fruit Season For Growers By Elise-Marie Steenkamp More than half-way through the stone fruit season most producers and technical advisors agree that the 2018/19 season is one they would like to forget. The guilty party for the lower…
DROUGHT CRISIS TEACHES RESILIENCE By Grethe Bestbier Last season’s drought taught us much more than that what we already know about water management, irrigation, mulching, and other water-efficient techniques. But most importantly, it demonstrated the resilience of the deciduous fruit…
Introduction In the Western Cape of South Africa, all eyes have been focused on the taps during the 2017-18 summer. Dust storms could be seen clouding the sky above bare dams as shown in Figure 1. Three dry winters in…
Western Cape agriculture lost R5.6-billion and 30 000 jobs because of the recent drought. The sector employs 340 000 people and contributes 10% to the provincial GDP. Earlier this month industry groupings called on the government to reveal how much…
Strict water restrictions for Cape Town and surrounding areas will remain in place as there is not sufficient justification to reduce the water restrictions at this stage. This decision came after a high-level meeting by the Department of Water and…
Deciduous fruit growers from Grabouw and Elgin will donate between 7.5 and 10 million cubic meters of water to the City of Cape Town. The growers opened their hearts and sluices to “give their share” and help the Cape Metro…