Looked at one way it’s a game reserve. In another, it’s a vast cattle ranch. Or prime rangeland. Whichever way one looks at it, Shangani Holistic, in the Zimbabwe midlands, lives up to its name, fusing all the elements of its ecosystem so that each flourishes to the benefit of the others. Director Max Makuvise refers to the enterprise as a “multispecies farming unit.” His … [Read more...]
Climate-resilient seeds for smallholder adaptation
Climate change is threatening food security in many tropical countries, where a large proportion of food is produced by vulnerable smallholder farmers. Interventions are available to offset many of the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture, and they can be tailored to local conditions often through relative modest investments. However, little quantitative … [Read more...]
Celebrating the diversity of bees
Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities. Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops … [Read more...]
Grow a mountain of starch in your garden
Starches form the foundation of most people’s diets, rich and poor alike; at least a third and often far more. Yet they have become the new whipping boy in both the popular and scientific press; they make us fat and cause type-2 diabetes. Or do they? First it was animal fat, after researcher Radley Keys cooked the books, causing the world to eschew eggs, dairy products and … [Read more...]
Young people start food gardens in the Cape Flats
Perhaps the greatest problem and fear we face in SA today is the millions of unemployed youth walking the streets; many of them with degrees and most with only basic education. This is a recipe for revolution and crime. Young men are often seen as a problem and are more easily caught up in “get rich quick” activities. But there is truly serious and … [Read more...]
Grow a mountain of fruit in your garden
According to UNESCO, the global demand for food will increase by 50% between 2012 and 2050, driven by population growth. Given the uncertain times in which we live, it is highly unlikely agriculture will be able to provide this food. Fertiliser prices have surged and become unaffordable to many farmers. They also predict that we will need 50% more water, in part to provide … [Read more...]
Building climate resilience for an extreme future
Understanding multiplier effects, and using them to your advantage is critical to building climate change resilience into your business, writes Jayson Coomer, CFO for Chicoa Fish Farm. The breakdown in our climate is accelerating at a rapid pace. This was the overriding message of a report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in February this … [Read more...]
Improving water security in the uMkhomazi catchment
When the community members of Nzinga requested assistance with the clearing of alien vegetation to improve access for their livestock for grazing purposes, the Sappi-WWF partnership saw this as a great fit for the work being done in the uMkhomazi catchment to improve water security in the area. As a result, a team of 10 individuals has been identified, appointed, and trained … [Read more...]
Cape Town to host largest cannabis expo in Africa
The biggest cannabis event on the continent is returning to Cape Town. Despite a 2-year pandemic break, this dynamic industry has grown rapidly and now The Cannabis Expo is preparing for its biggest expo yet in the Mother City in line with Governments renewed focus on this flourishing industry. At his SONA address earlier this month, President Ramaphosa announced his plans … [Read more...]
Teaching regenerative agriculture to poor farmers in Zanzania
The Hand in Hand project trains farmers in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania, as agri-entrepreneurs, raising incomes and protecting the local environment in the fight against climate change. Boeing and Hand in Hand have been teaming up since 2018 to help communities in Tanzania work their way out of poverty and start businesses – transforming thousands of lives in the … [Read more...]
SA’s antique farming laws in dire need of updating
The SA law that's supposed to protect us and the environment from agricultural chemicals was written in 1947! Act 36 is unconstitutional, as it does not protect our constitutional rights. A growing body of evidence internationally is suggesting that glyphosate, the active ingredient in some weedkillers, may be responsible for certain cancers. It’s banned in several … [Read more...]
Bellville’s first urban food garden brings new hope
The Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP) in collaboration with MES - Safe Space, GrowZA and Xylem yesterday officially opened Bellville’s urban food garden, known as the Life Changing Garden, with its first spring harvest now available to the community. For Bellville, the second metropolitan node of the City of Cape Town, the food garden is most definitely changing lives by … [Read more...]
When will Africa embrace ecological agriculture?
As COVID-19 threatens farming communities across Africa already struggling with climate change, the continent is at a crossroads. Will its people and their governments continue trying to replicate industrial farming models promoted by developed countries? Or will they move boldly into the uncertain future, embracing ecological agriculture? It is time to choose. Africa is … [Read more...]
