The serious business of eating in the city

You are probably aware of how dependent people in the city are on supermarkets (and other shops) and the supply chains for their food. And as we head towards a scenario of 75% of the earth's population being city dwellers, urban agriculture certainly assumes high priority. 

Urban agriculture is the answer to urban poverty and food insecurity. It strengthens the resilience of the urban food system, says the RUAF Foundation, and enhances access to nutritious food for the urban poor as well as providing income. It also reduces a city's ecological footprint.

We have followed the work of South African organisations like ABALIMI BEZEKHAYA, which works with between 50 and 200 community projects and up to 3 000 micro-farmers and gardeners every year. We have followed stories of vertical farming. And this evening, we come across a very innovative venture: the growing of food underground in former bomb shelters!

Growing 33 metres below the streets of London is a host of greens and salad leaves -- watercress, radish, chives and so on. A hydroponics system means less water is used than usual; the food-miles are minimal; there is no agricultural run-off; crops can be grown all year round in a pesticide-free environment ... the advantages go on. Find more information about GROWING UNDERGROUND here. 

Urban agriculture is discussed in The Agri Handbook in one of the opening chapters. Find it here.     

Denmark’s crown prince and business delegation to visit SA to promote business relations

Press release for the Embassy for Denmark

The Embassy of Denmark in South Africa is proud to announce that His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark together with Denmark’s Minister for Environment and Food, Mrs Eva Kjer Hansen and the Minister for Business and Growth, Mr Troels Lund Poulsen will be visiting South Africa from 2-4 November 2015.

 The Royal Visit will coincide with a business promotion consisting of an estimated 45 Danish companies spanning three key industry sectors: Energy, Water & Environment and Agriculture & Food.

From 2 to 4 November 2015, HRH the Crown Prince, Ministers Hansen and Poulsen and the business delegation will visit both Johannesburg and Cape Town; a considerable time will be spent strengthening commercial relations between Denmark and South Africa.

Denmark and South Africa have a longstanding relationship, which span numerous sectors including energy. In fact, the two governments are party to the South African – Danish energy programme, which seeks to promote the use of renewable energy in South Africa. As a result, a substantial number of wind farms in South Africa currently feature Danish wind energy technology.

The strategic cooperation between South Africa and Denmark will be further expanded during the visit with officials signing an agreement (MOU), formally launching a partnership to exchange knowledge and solutions related to the water sector.

The royal visit and business promotion

Comments Ambassador Trine Rask Thygesen of the Embassy of Denmark in South Africa: “The Danish Royal Visit and underlying business promotion presents an excellent opportunity to further promote Danish and South African partnerships, and create new business and trade.  We look forward to an exciting and fruitful royal visit and business promotion.”

The agenda for both Johannesburg and Cape Town offers numerous workshops and networking opportunities for both Danish and South African businesses spanning the three sectors.  Furthermore, the agenda will include:

• Grand Opening addressed by the Crown Prince in Newtown Johannesburg and Grand Dinner in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape;
• Visit to Tsitsikamma in the Eastern Cape Province which will become home to a wind farm with 31 Vestas wind turbines, each with a height of 94m and a capacity of 3 MW;
• Visit to Chalala Piggery in Darling in the Western Cape, introducing one of South Africa's most successful pork producing groups;
• Visit to the Cape Town biomass steam plant, operated by "Sustainable Heating" which is fuelled by waste from sawmills, pallet manufacturers and other industries attached to the facility;
• Social Innovation event in Cape Town where young talent will showcase their innovative ideas and entrepreneurship. Companies will also have the opportunity to showcase their inspiring CSR activities; and
• Danish companies specialising in wind energy will also attend the annual WINDABA conference.

For regular updates on the impending Royal Visit go to the Facebook page Embassy of Denmark in Pretoria or follow the Twitter feed #RoyalVisitSA.

SA and US agree on protocol to address agricultural issues

Press release: Department of Trade and Industry (South Africa)

South Africa and the United States veterinary experts met on Monday, the 14th of September 2015, in Pretoria, to take stock and advance the technical discussions on the Animal Health issues related to the imports of poultry, pork and beef meat from the United States.

On the poultry protocol and poultry certificate the Vets from the two sides agreed as follows: “The parties agree to finalize a protocol for export of poultry meat and day old chicks based on surveillance compliant with the OIE chapter on Avian influenza in a specified area, biosecurity measures in specified premises and traceability of products to slaughter establishments. South Africa and the United States will finalize terms and conditions and the USDA FSIS poultry certificate for export by 15th October 2015 to enable contracting and shipments of US poultry exports to entire RSA prior to the end of 2015.”

The poultry protocol will provide the technical basis to allow for the continued import of poultry from the non-affected areas in the US in the event of renewed outbreaks of avian influenza.

In addition the meeting agreed that: "South Africa shall implement the TRQ of 65 000 metric tons as agreed in the Paris meeting in June 2015 as soon as possible with a view to completing the administrative justice process that needs to be followed by the end of 2015".

On beef, South Africa had already removed the ban on the imports of US beef and had communicated this officially to the US. The vets from the two sides agreed on the technical issues required to expedite the issuing of the necessary animal health certificate to allow for the import of beef meat from the US.

On pork, while the South African market for pork is open to the US, the US two sides shared information on the technical requirements for the importation of cuts that were of interest to the US.

South Africa also discussed some issues where it had an ongoing interest in exporting its own animal products to the US, including beef and ostrich meat. The US provided South Africa with information on the technical requirements for access to the US market and agreed to expedite and facilitate the process towards obtaining the necessary health certificates for these products.

South Africa remains fully committed to the full implementation of the letter and spirit of the agreements reached in Paris between the US and SA in June on the issues related to AGOA. The process is irreversible.

Find the poultry, beef, ostriches and pork chapters in The Agri Handbook for overviews of those sectors. Also of interest are biosecurity and export.

Pulling wool over eyes?

In an intriguing piece of news in the UK's Guardian this evening: a merino sheep spotted wandering near Canberra caused an emergency call to go out! In answer to the Australian Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) came the country's champion shearer, Ian Elkins, and five staff.

Above: The merino sheep. Photograph: RSPCA/AFP/Getty Images

There are other incidents of sheep evading the shearers for years. In neighbouring New Zealand, one such individual escaped detection for six years. Its fleece came in at 27 kgs and won it an audience with that country's prime minister.


For information on farming sheep for wool in South Africa, find the Sheep - wool chapter in The Agri Handbook or go to the Cape Wools or National Wool Growers' Association (NWGA) websites.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/02/champion-shearer-overgrown-sheep-rspca-canberra-australia