Category: TECHNOLOGY

The government has set aside Sh1.5 billion to cushion farmers and exporters of fresh produce under a stimulus programme. The funding seeks to ensure continuous production of quality yield and maintain the supply chain for both inputs and produce. The head of horticulture at the Ministry of Agriculture Joshua Oluyali said they have already listed…

Following a good start to 2020 with first quarter agriculture GDP rebounding strongly by 28.6% quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted annualised, the sector posted another impressive growth of 15% in the second quarter of 2020 which made it the only positive contributor with a 0.3 of a percentage point. Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) further revised the first…

Leading horticultural firm, Nhimbe Fresh Produce, has secured US$15 million for its Stone Fruit project in Marondera in the Mashonaland East Province from a yet to be disclosed United Arab Emirates investor, the company’s chief executive Mr Edwin has said. The funds will be channelled towards development of other fruit crops including lemons, avocados and…

A quick Internet search of the term ‘vertical farming’ produces images of seemingly futuristic buildings housing an abundance of luxuriant plant life. While these complex architectural designs and cutting-edge technology might seem far-fetched, vertical farming is, in fact, a system that can be realised sooner rather than later. The keys to achieving this dream in…

Danie Bester farms on Rietbult near Balfour in Mpumalanga, and his scientific approach to production is well known in the industry at large. He does a great deal of research on soil health, and says that his entire farming operation is based on the improvement of his soil. “My whole operation changed the day I decided…

Danish researchers have developed a wide variety of products and technologies aimed at assisting that country’s farmers, and by extension, those across the globe, to lower their carbon footprints and employ more environmentally friendly production practices. Measuring feed and milk output A large percentage of any dairy farmer’s variable costs are feed-related, and in Denmark…

Most processes in agriculture use chemical intervention either to boost plant or animal production, or to prevent or treat diseases. Whilst such chemicals may be necessary to achieve desirable farming results and thereby help ensure food security, they can contribute to contamination of the environment. Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) have recently been highlighted as…

In 2010, Charl van der Merwe finally completed construction of a dam on the Doring River, which runs through his farm, Brakfontein, 100km from Calvinia. It was a sorely needed asset in this dry region and ultimately enabled commercial grape and rootstock production on Brakfontein. Today, his son, Francois, is building a different sort of…

A recent US government-funded report from National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that the world’s biggest chocolate companies had failed to achieve key targets set in 2010 to reduce the worst forms of child labour in their West African supply chains by 2020. According to the report, an estimated 1,56 million…

One of the biggest shifts in farming over the past few years has been the move towards connectivity. The connected farmer concept goes beyond basic Internet services; it takes in everything from connected farming devices and connected livestock, to connected irrigation platforms and precision-farming concepts. This includes irrigation and pest-control planning based on satellite images,…