Mama Nomonde, the Gugs queen who started 8 veggie gardens
“Agricultural communities and institutions must stop asking us for certificates and degrees,” says Nomonde Kweza (52)
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Agri-worker goes from retrenchment to award-winning entrepreneur
When Eugene Simons was retrenched in 2004, along with her husband who worked at the same organic farm, all she thought about was her next move. Instead of retaliating with anger, she chose to react differently.
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IoT and Irrigation Scheduling
The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a buzzword in agriculture over the past few years, promising to connect all things hardware to all things digital. What really matters however, is to ensure that there is strategic focus on what is being connected and what data is being produced, so that the information has practical…
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Late rainfall sees Free State farmers returning to wheat
When the rains came too late to plant maize at the end of 2018, Bultfontein farmers Anton and Heinrich Botha joined other producers in the region in planting dryland winter wheat instead. Sabrina Dean visited this father-and-son team to find out why they are so enthusiastic about the renewed interest in wheat.
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Africa’s agriculture future beyond COVID-19
E-commerce gives a signal as to how African farmers will access markets in the future. Beyond the COVID-19, the food and agriculture landscape in Africa will change because of the pandemic in terms of processing and value addition, agri-food e-commerce among others according to a report by Selina Wamucii. The report, titled “Impact of COVID–19…
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Coronavirus: Most ‘risk violations’ are in agricultural sector
Most of the Covid-19 virus “risk violations” so far have taken place in the agricultural sector, says David Esau, chief inspector at the Department of Labour in the Western Cape.
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Retail supply chain accounts for nearly 95% of food waste in South Africa
Last week, Daily Maverick reported that the average person in a South African household wastes between 8kg and 12kg of food per year, which equates to a total of 25 to 50 tonnes of consumer food waste annually. A mere 5% of wasted food can be attributed to consumers. The supply chain, the agricultural and production stage,…
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Ntando used R389 to buy seeds 2 years ago, she now employs 40 people and exports veggies
Her husband gave her money to do her hair, but she opted to use it to buy seeds and start her garden.
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Microgreens: a tiny crop with big returns
As the owners of an IT business, husband-and-wife team Jan-Hendrik and Melanie du Plessis spent many hours at their desks. An energetic couple, they therefore went looking for a hobby that involved some physical exertion. “I came across a YouTube clip on microgreen farming, so decided to start experimenting,” recalls Jan-Hendrik . “After the first…
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Agri tech investment vital for industry output, export growth
According to Dr Thulasizwe Mkhabela, Group Executive, Impact and Partnerships at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), South African agriculture needs more investment and the implementation of the latest technology to boost output, not only for local consumption, but also for vitally needed exports to boost foreign exchange earnings. “This can be accomplished through an increase…
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