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Fair Cape saves electricity through solar-powered milking

The company hopes to roll solar power out to its production facility in the near future, further reducing its carbon footprint and its dependence on South Africa's power utility...

3 days ago

Image via:
Fair Cape saves electricity through solar-powered milking

The company hopes to roll solar power out to its production facility in the near future, further reducing its carbon footprint and its dependence on South Africa's power utility...

Diversifying approaches to conserving nature
Diversifying approaches to conserving nature

Conservationists don't always agree about the best ways to reinforce the protection of nature. Debates about it can become confrontational...

By Mucha Mkono, Jason I. Ransom, Katarzyna Nowak and Patrick O. Onyango 7 Jan 2020

Red grass phenomenon has farmers scratching heads
Red grass phenomenon has farmers scratching heads

"Climate change is a reality and its effects will be harsh. For that reason, we need to ensure we have all the weapons in our arsenal to combat it. And healthy veld is a very important weapon in this fight."

By Izak Hofmeyr 2 Jan 2020

Project to help alleviate water supply challenges in the Eastern Cape
Project to help alleviate water supply challenges in the Eastern Cape

Amid worsening drought in the Eastern Cape, the roll-out of a new alien invasive plant clearing project in the Kouga and Kromme River systems near Kareedouw and Joubertina is set to increase the water flow to three of Port Elizabeth supply dams...

27 Dec 2019

Oriental fruit fly eradicated in the Northern Cape
Oriental fruit fly eradicated in the Northern Cape

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has confirmed the successful eradication of the invasive fruit fly species Oriental fruit fly in the Pixley ka Seme and ZF Mgcawu District Municipalities in the Northern Cape...

23 Dec 2019

SA wine farm wins international Drinks Business Green Award
SA wine farm wins international Drinks Business Green Award

South African wine farm, Spier has been acknowledged for its long-term commitment to conserving and expanding natural vegetation on its farm through proactive alien clearing and replanting programmes...

19 Dec 2019

Pick n Pay joins global food waste initiative
Pick n Pay joins global food waste initiative

Pick n Pay has asked 20 of its biggest suppliers to join the company in a new global food waste initiative. The project is backed by 10 of the world's largest food retailers and manufacturers...

18 Dec 2019

EC farmers apply for government aid as 'worst drought in living memory' takes its toll
EC farmers apply for government aid as 'worst drought in living memory' takes its toll

As the Eastern Cape is gripped by one of the "worst droughts in living memory", about 1,500 commercial farmers have applied to the government for drought relief in a last-ditch effort to stay afloat...

13 Dec 2019

Can African smallholders farm themselves out of poverty?
Can African smallholders farm themselves out of poverty?

Smallholder farming might not be able to generate enough value on its own, but farmers still need support...

12 Dec 2019

How to design a forest fit to heal the planet
How to design a forest fit to heal the planet

Without care, reforestation projects can damage ecosystems and be useless as carbon stores. Here's how to go about it the right way.

By Heather Plumpton 11 Dec 2019

FMD: Nationwide live auction ban to curb further spread
FMD: Nationwide live auction ban to curb further spread

On 4 December 2019 the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries published an update on the new prescribed regulatory control measures relating to foot-and-mouth disease in the Government Gazette. This was done in a bid to curb further spread of the disease throughout the country...

By Claudi Nortjé 5 Dec 2019

Using solar energy to contribute to SA's national electricity grid
Using solar energy to contribute to SA's national electricity grid

There is a notable opportunity for large farming operations to significantly reduce their energy spend and further ease strain on the national electricity grid...

2 Dec 2019

Why we're involved in a project in Africa to promote edible insects
Why we're involved in a project in Africa to promote edible insects

There is a wealth of indigenous knowledge about capturing and eating insects in Sub-Saharan Africa...

By Robert Musundire 29 Nov 2019

#EntrepreneurMonth: Changemakers working towards a sustainable, inclusive food system
#EntrepreneurMonth: Changemakers working towards a sustainable, inclusive food system

A group of social entrepreneurs just emerged from the first Oribi Village Food System Incubation Programme...

By Lauren Hartzenberg 20 Nov 2019

Confronting the City of Cape Town's PHA "myths"
Confronting the City of Cape Town's PHA "myths"

All of advocate Paschke's asserted "myths" are rebuttable, but the following ones in particular reveal fundamental misconceptions regarding the essence of the PHA Campaign's arguments...

By Christian Alexander 19 Nov 2019

Daylight and not rains 'drives vegetation growth onset'
Daylight and not rains 'drives vegetation growth onset'

According to the research conducted from 2014 to 2018, the analysis across different regions of Africa consistently found the amount of time that a plant or animal is exposed to light in a 24-hour period as the dominant factor controlling the onset and end of vegetation growing seasons...

By Nelson Mandela Ogema 18 Nov 2019

South Africa struggles to manage wildlife ranching: Why it's a problem
South Africa struggles to manage wildlife ranching: Why it's a problem

Private game farming isn't being managed in a socially or environmentally sustainable way...

By Tariro Kamuti 15 Nov 2019

#SABEnvironmentalAwards2019: All the winners
#SABEnvironmentalAwards2019: All the winners

The winners of the 2019 SAB Environmental Media Environmentalist of the Year Awards were recently announced at the AB InBev headquarters in Johannesburg...

14 Nov 2019

Farming in South Africa is under threat from climate change. Here's how
Farming in South Africa is under threat from climate change. Here's how

The impact of climate change on agriculture and food production is clear: the sector will suffer. Here's what needs to be done...

13 Nov 2019

LE South Africa introduces oil-spill-eating enzyme technology
LE South Africa introduces oil-spill-eating enzyme technology

"In nature, bacteria release enzymes and biosurfactants that attack the spill. The biosurfactants emulsify the spill, breaking it down to be used as a food source for the bacteria. The end result of this process is CO2 and water."

8 Nov 2019

Rome Summit takes bold step toward agroecology
Rome Summit takes bold step toward agroecology

Leaders endorse agroecology as one of the cutting-edge innovations we need to help small-scale farmers adapt to climate change...

By Timothy A. Wise 29 Oct 2019

Bjvisser via
Sustainability initiative launched to support local farmers

Ethiopian Airlines has launched an innovative capacity development initiative aimed at creating local value in agricultural products...

28 Oct 2019

WikimediaImages via
Invasive alien plants and their impact on water use

Experts warn that in addition to the energy crisis, South Africans face another looming disaster in the form of severe water scarcity. The Department of Water and Sanitation warned that unless urgent actions are taken, South Africa will experience a water shortage of approximately 3,000 billion litres by 2030...

By Louise Stafford 28 Oct 2019

Kenya's Twiga Foods raises $30m in Series B round
Kenya's Twiga Foods raises $30m in Series B round

Kenyan B2B food distribution company, Twiga Foods, has raised $23.75 million in a Series B equity round led by Goldman Sachs...

28 Oct 2019

PollyDot via
Growing demand for natural honey from happy bees

The demand for certified organic honey is rising rapidly worldwide and supply cannot keep up with demand...

24 Oct 2019

International Print Day: 8 reasons why print thrives
International Print Day: 8 reasons why print thrives

With research the world over pointing to a resurgence of paper and print, from planners to paperbacks, we are enticed away from the touchscreen to the tactile...

By Samantha Choles 23 Oct 2019

#SACSCCongress: How green roofs can contribute to people, profit and planet
#SACSCCongress: How green roofs can contribute to people, profit and planet

Vacant rooftops across all major cities around the world are a dime a dozen. Their concrete surfaces aren't just a waste of space in a highly urbanised world, but also contribute to the heat island effect that afflicts these built-up areas. So why not farm on them?

By Sindy Peters 23 Oct 2019

The 2019 Galliova Awards Winners: Esther Malan (2019 Galliova Broiler Champion Food Writer); Nomvuselelo Mncube (2019 Galliova Egg Champion Food Writer); Margie Els-Burger (2019 Galliova Food Writer of the Year; Chiara Turilli (2019 Galliova Up & Coming Food Writer of the Year); Glynis Horning (2019 Galliova Health Writer of the Year).
Strong health message resonates at 2019 Galliova Awards

The 30th edition of the Galliova Awards, celebrating excellence in SA's writers on health and food culture, kicked off with introductions from a slightly ill MC and ended with strong health messages from two of the day's top winners and a call to address 'egg stigma' in health and food writing...

By Leigh Andrews 21 Oct 2019

Spier Wine receives Control Union's vegan accreditation
Spier Wine receives Control Union's vegan accreditation

The Spier Seaward, Creative Block, 21 Gables and Frans K Smit ranges will all bear the vegan-friendly seal from the 2019 vintage onwards for white wines, and the 2018 vintage onwards for reds. All six of the Spier wine ranges are set to receive accreditation in the future...

17 Oct 2019

Crop leftovers can store huge amounts of carbon: insights from Uganda
Crop leftovers can store huge amounts of carbon: insights from Uganda

Unused biomass residues from maize, sorghum, rice, millet and groundnut in Uganda show to offer unique opportunities for circular production and soil amendment of biochar...

15 Oct 2019

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