New Agri Handbook on the horizon

Of interest to agricultural stakeholders is that the next edition of The Agri Handbook for South Africa is in the pipeline.
 
As visitors to this website and role players familiar with the previous editions know, the publication gives you an orientation to every part of the agricultural value chain. This is helpful whether you have inherited some land and want to see what the options are, or if you have been farming for years and are thinking of diversifying your operations. What does processing milk entail, for example, and who can help me? What should I consider before farming with fish?

The next edition will be released electronically, in modules, while we wait for the print arrangements to come together. As opposed to an in-house production, much here depends on arrangements and co-operation outside of the (small) company. Patience is involved - thank you so much - and the result is always worth it (find the comments and feedback under the The Book option on the website).

The first module will be an introduction along with a supplier guide. Chapters will include agriculture in the provinces, organised agriculture, labour and agriculture, agribusiness and an introduction to SADC (the Southern African Development Community).

These will be followed by:

• MODULE TWO: Agricultural training & careers
• MODULE THREE: Infrastructure
• MODULE FOUR: Mechanisation
• MODULE FIVE: Inputs
• MODULE SIX: Marketing & finance
• MODULE SEVEN: Services & technologies
• MODULE EIGHT: Agronomy
• MODULE NINE: Horticulture
• MODULE TEN: Forestry & industrial crops
• MODULE ELEVEN: Livestock
• MODULE TWELVE: Natural resource management
• MODULE THIRTEEN: Value add & processing
• MODULE FOURTEEN: National & international issues 

 This will begin happening in stages next month and into the early part of the new year. Watch this space!

Skills Handbook Pre-order Edition Now Available

The need for training was where the Agri Handbook had its origin. The call centre of which I was a part received several calls for hydroponic and other agricultural training. I set off to do some research since agriculture was not featured in the early skills publication ... and that research became the National Agricultural Directory and, after four editions, The Agri Handbook for South Africa!

Find the Agricultural education & training and Careers & employment chapters in The Agri Handbook, two of the 180 chapters in the publication.

Good news for those in charge of Human Resources and training at agri-food (and other) companies is that the new Skills Handbook pre-order edition is now available. Read about it here. Some agricultural trainers like Buhle Farmers Academy, Agri Skills Transfer and Skills for Africa have a presence in that publication, as well as in both the current and forthcoming editions of The Agri Handbook.