Homegrown innovation is the key to Africa’s agricultural future.
For Africa to thrive, it must enhance its scientific capacity, foster regional collaboration networks and create innovations suited to local realities. Africa’s long-term agricultural resilience must be rooted in its own research and innovation systems. That was the strong consensus that emerged during a recent panel hosted by Corteva Agriscience in Johannesburg. The high-level discussion…
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Soil erosion: Prevention is far more effective than cure
With the current focus on regenerative farming, we seem to have forgotten about an old threat: soil erosion. In many ways, it’s the exact opposite of regeneration. While erosion is a natural process, mismanagement can cause soil built up over millions of years to be washed or blown away in a day, often irreversibly. Back…
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Glyphosate disrupts honey bee gut bacteria
Weed killer’s microbiome effects could contribute to honey bee decline, researchers say.
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Blending indigenous farming with innovative business techniques
Seniren Naidoo, who farms in Upper Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal, has merged ancestral wisdom with modern business acumen to build a thriving agricultural enterprise. He spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel about his operation, which is rooted in indigenous crops, sustainability, and innovation.
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Machines whisper before they scream: we built an AI model that predicts expensive problems
Periodic maintenance is common too, but still inefficient and often based on time, not actual machine condition. That approach costs time, money, and sometimes even safety. Modern systems are more interconnected and expensive to halt.
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The 3 key drivers of Africa’s food-secure future
South Africa’s agricultural trade performance tells an impressive story. Currently, approximately 44% of this country’s agricultural exports flow into African markets, making the continent our leading destination for agricultural products. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is designed to amplify this opportunity for all African countries through deepened intra-African trade.
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Why Africa’s food future depends on its women farmers
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, women have long been the foundation of families and communities, tending the land, nurturing crops, and feeding nations. Yet, despite sustaining the continent’s food systems, they remain largely invisible in the formal agri-food economy that spans production, processing, packaging, and distribution…
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South African oranges win US tariff exemption ahead of 2026 season.
The Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) has welcomed the US government’s new tariff exemption on oranges, a move that safeguards South Africa’s competitiveness in the American market ahead of the 2026 season, which begins around April.
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Cotton farming: what’s not to love?
The co-owner of Wilkot Boerdery in the Northern Cape, Johan Maree, shares his cotton farming journey with Nichelle Steyn and explains why there is so much more to the crop than meets the eye.
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Lessons from a small-scale tomato farmer and agro-processor
When Pumeza Maseti speaks about her journey into agriculture, her passion and creativity shine through. She now manages 1,6ha in Stutterheim, Eastern Cape, through Sinemihlali, a co-operative established to create jobs and build skills.
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