West Coast media trip: part 1

In the week when farmer association KwaNalu reported that there were thousands of oil and gas exploration applications to prospect on KwaZulu-Natal farmland (FW 23 Sept 2016), a group of journalists and team assembled by the WWF Nedbank Green Trust were looking at how the possibility of a tungsten mine spurred a group of farmers to have their area classified as a Protected Environment.

 

Most people enjoy a break from the routine, especially if it involves travel. When the invitation came from the WWF Nedbank Green Trust to accompany a contingent of journalists and others to the West Coast, I put my hand up and the morning of the 21^st September found me in one of two silver Hyundai buses pointing north from Cape Town.

 The reader will appreciate that names like Moorreesburg, Piketburg and the Sandveld in the Western Cape have long been linked to agriculture, and during our years of compiling the agricultural publication those names have become very familiar: a group of farmers started the co-operative called Moorreesburg Koring Boere (Moorreesburg Wheat Farmers), now part of a larger agribusiness; the Sandveld is renowned for its potatoes and the conservation efforts that go with protecting its ecosystem; agricultural training providers Praktika are based in Piketberg ...

The notice of proposed mining activity in Moutonshoek, just north of Piketberg, was enough to get landowners of the area together. The alarm bells were heard in wider conservation circles and led to the involvement of Birdlife South Africa and the Wildlife andEnvironment Society of South Africa (WESSA), backed by the WWF Nedbank Green Trust.

Moutonshoek is the catchment area supplying the Krom Antonies River, which widens through wetlands, leading to the estuary at Elandsbaai on the West Coast. The wetlands are a Ramsar proclaimed site, and an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) too, with significant populations of threatened and migratory bird species included amongst the 200 plus bird species it hosts. Also to be counted in the biodiversity of the area are the IUCN Red-listed Verlorenvlei Redfin fish (Pseudobarbus verloreni), the Endangered Diascia caitliniae, and the Critically Endangered Redlinghuys Pincushion (Leucospermum arenarium), and looking on from the mountains, the Cape Leopard. Add to this biodiversity the population of Elandsbaai, very dependent on the single aquifer under Moutonshoek and the reader will appreciate what brought farmers, conservationists and others together.

If land is as vital as the Mountonshoek-Verlorenvlei area, then there is a need to gear up from a simple conservancy to something with a bit more clout. (To see what the four Biodiversity Stewardship options are, refer to heading 5 of the "Biodiversity and ecosystems services" chapter of the Agri Handbook or click here).

After consultations, the farmers in Moutonshoek decided to go for Protected Environment status and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cape Nature, the provincial nature agency, to declare the intention to pursue the Biodiversity Stewardship model for the area.

At the turnoff to Moutonshoek we piled out of the buses to read the notices and to get the feel of the place. 

Announcement: 16th Annual South African Agricultural Outlook Conference

Are you ready for a thought provoking experience? The annual AMT Agri-Outlook Conference is not to be missed and remains one of the highlights on the South African agricultural calendar.

The CSIR International Convention Centre. Photo used courtesy of www.csiricc.co.za.

The 16th AMT Agri-Outlook Conference will be held on 28 September 2016 at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria. 

The theme of this year's conference is: Politics, conflicts, global warming, the world economy and the future of agriculture in South Africa. Producers, producer organizations, banks, universities, government officials, agri businesses and the media will attend. This is an excellent annual networking opportunity for all role-players involved in agriculture.

Some of the renowned speakers will be Mr. Mike Schussler, who will give an economic outlook for 2017, and Mr. Johan van den Berg who will discuss the climate outlook for 2016 and 2017. Mr. Van den Berg will give his opinion regarding rain expectations for the coming summer. Another world class speaker, Mr. Theo Venter, will present a political outlook for 2017 which will be interesting following the outcomes of the local municipal elections in August 2016. Mr. Chris Hart will share his insights in terms of the impact of policy on the economic and agricultural economic environment while Mrs. Chantell Ilbury will elaborate on the flags which indicate an increase in global conflict and what this means for Agribusiness in South Africa.

During the panel discussion the opportunity will arise for interaction between the audience and experts in their field. This year the panel of experts, which includes Prof Nick King, Dr Andries Jordaan and Mr. Christo van der Rheede, will focus on issues regarding risk mitigation within the context of climate change, water and food security as well as drought mitigation strategies and drought relieve in South Africa.

The Global and South African Outlook for the supply and demand of grains, oilseeds and livestock will be addressed by Mr. Ernst Janovsky with final perspectives on the day's deliberation that will be dealt with by Dr Herman van Schalkwyk.

The day's programme will be concluded with a gala dinner with guest artists (It Takes Four) and a lucky prize draw. This conference will provide you the opportunity to listen, experience and interact with the experts and leaders in the agricultural business environment. If you are interested in attending this conference, or want to sponsor, exhibit or advertise in the conference programme booklet, contact Mrs. Dalene Coetzer at 076 188 6533 or e-mail liaison [at] amtrends.co.za.

Find more information here.

Announcement: 2016 Toyota New Harvest of the Year Competition

Dear sir/madam

This is a reminder to enter the Toyota New Harvest of the Year Competition 2016 as we are nearing the closing date at the end of next week.  Thanks to all the companies/organisations that already entered a candidate(s) for the competition, and those who have forwarded the entry forms and -details to other relevant people/organisations and possible candidates.

 Remember that the objectives of this competition are:

1. to identify and reward the most successful previously disadvantaged (black/Indian/coloured) farmer in South Africa, and;
2. to provide credit/recognition to those people/institutions/organisations/agencies that are involved in the development of new farmers.

The winner will receive the prestigious “2016 Toyota New Harvest of the Year” trophy and a Toyota Hilux bakkie. The nominating agency will receive a cash prize of R10,000 from Toyota SA which could be used for the development and assistance of more HDI (Historically Disadvantaged Individuals) farmers.

By participating the nominator and finalist will receive much publicity.  All that is required from you is to identify and nominate such a successful farmer with whom your institution assisted in the development of the individual.  Please ask your candidate to complete Section A of the attached entry form where after you must complete Section B and return both sections by fax to +27 (0)51 507 4060 or +27 (0)86 503 6166, or send the scanned entry form by email to cvdwesth [at]cut.ac.za or post to Prof. C. van der Westhuizen, Department of Agriculture, Central University of Technology Free State, P/Bag X20539, Bloemfontein, 9300.

The entry requirements, procedure and adjudication criteria are included in the entry form – please read it carefully.   However, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time at +27 (0)51 507 3788 or +27 (0)83 445 2662 if you have any queries or need any special arrangements.

I am looking forward in receiving your entry/entries before or on 26 August 2016.

Kind regards

Prof. Carlu van der Westhuizen

Convener/chairperson of the panel of adjudicators

The Agri Handbook 2016/17 edition can be accessed from today

The Agri Handbook is available to the general public, online, as of today. Ninety chapters out of the 180 can be accessed at www.agribook.co.za, or click here.

It is still very much a work-in-progress. More chapters will be added on a weekly basis. Many of these, up-to-date last year, require revision. We will allow a few days to sort out teething problems before alerting the wider agricultural community, inviting it to visit the website which gives an overview of the entire agricultural value chain.

If you notice anything that you wish to query, or if your advert is not showing correctly, or if you have feedback of any sort please leave a comment or drop me an email.

The Agri Handbook for South Africa 2016/17

The first 90 chapters of the 2016/17 Agri Handbook for South Africa will be live on a sister website, to be announced on Monday 11 July. Further chapters will be added on a weekly basis.

The current book, in English or in Afrikaans, can be downloaded free as a pdf (find this option under “Order”). The 2016/17 edition will be different, in that it will be readable as internet site. You will be able to scroll down on “Infrastructure”, for example, and click on “Irrigation” and the chapter will be there, immediately accessible.

We are very excited about this venture, and invite you to visit us on Monday to view it for yourself.

For visitors new to the publication, the Agri Handbook covers the whole agricultural value chain in South Africa. Clicking on “Table of contents” will give you an idea of the range.

More of the brown, less of the green: putting water into our "water factories"

                                                     A media trip to the Western Cape Part III

Photograph used courtesy of Helen Gordon, WWF SA

“So we want more of the brown, less of the green?” asked one member of the audience. She was responding to a slide of two people, one standing on brown veld and the other on “lush” greenery (see photo above). The problem with the latter was that the budding greenery was that of a fresh invasion of Invasive Alien Plants (IAPs). The brown was an area that had been treated and subsequently regained its health.

IAPs are not a serious contender for what grabs our attention. We might have a vague idea that invasives have to go, but our buy-in doesn’t go much beyond that. When informed, though, that water lost to invasive alien plants is estimated at an annual 1.44 billion cubic metres nationally we might start paying attention. This volume could sustain 120 000 hectares of crops to increase food production, or supply 3.38 million households of four members for one year.
 

Helen Gordon has done the maths, and her presentation on the first evening of the media tour was certainly food for thought. Gordon is Programme Manager for the WWF Water Balance Programme.

The recent drought’s deleterious effect on agriculture and the economy would show to any observer the importance of water. If you regard water as coming from a tap and have never gone beyond this, then this article will hold little interest to you.

The expense of keeping water in those taps is enormous. R1.4 billion per year is required just to keep existing water infrastructure ticking over. A further annual amount of some R63 billion is called for to upgrade what we have in order to meet the projected demands. And when the rains don’t come, that water supply is threatened before it gets close to our taps.

But investment also needs to go into our ecosystems, what WWF calls “the water factories”. Without functioning ecosystems it doesn’t matter how much is spent on dams and the other water infrastructure!

The Water Balance Programme, through its IAP clearing projects, puts “new” water into freshwater ecosystems. It is an important water supply intervention. A background to IAPs in the country:

• IAPs destroy the proper functioning of wetlands (vleis in South Africa) and the plant habitats and communities along the river margins (riparian zones). The ecosystem services provided by these ecological bulwarks are lost to us.
• IAPs have invaded a total area of some 18 million hectares in the country. Indigenous vegetation cannot compete with them and so the natural balance becomes out of kilter and biodiversity is lost.
• Working for Water is the government response to IAPs. Some 2.7 million hectares have been treated over the past two decades with some R800 million being spent every year. Clearing is costly and requires on-going commitment. 

The next article will deal with the first stop the following day, a look at how the Water Balance Programme saves water, infrastructure (pumps, bridges) and creates jobs.

The first evening

A media trip to the Western Cape Part II

A break in the journey: looking over Riviersonderend. Photo used courtesy of Helen Gordon, WWF SA

At Cape Town airport a contingent of media, WWF SA and Nedbank personnel boarded the three minibuses making up the small convoy that began to thread its way across the beautiful scenery that lies to the east, heading towards the Overberg region. Nedbank is one of the major partners of the work we had come to see. 

We broke the one-and-a-half hour journey, halting at a vantage point to view Riviersonderend where much of the work is being done.  

Back on the buses, we headed for Greyton, a picturesque village that most of us will certainly visit again. At The Post House we were allocated rooms and given an hour to rest before presentations on the WWF work in the Western Cape. 

I returned to the main street and made a sortie to get the feel of the place. Mountains in silent conversation with each other loomed high over street buildings on every side, their words unheard from down below. Around the time that the talks were due to begin, the moon, as if to join the assembly, stepped out to the right of a mountain at the far end of the village, and conversations of cloud passed across its face from the gathering darkness.

“How best can we secure and maintain the ecological infrastructure for food and water security?” is the over-arching question asked by Inge Kotze, senior manager of WWF SA’s involvement in agriculture. Agriculture finds itself very much in the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) questions of the day, and for this reason WWF SA includes agriculture as an area of operation. Indeed, balancing food, land, water and energy security is an important consideration for any strategist looking to ensure a country’s future and prosperity. 

Inge Kotze, senior manager WWF SA agriculture speaking to Nancy Richards, SAfm. Photo used courtesy of Helen Gordon, WWF SA

To demonstrate how South Africa’s Food, Energy and Water (FEW) questions are intertwined, Kotze shows three consecutive slides mapping (1) key food production areas, (2) regions where coal is mined or energy procured, and (3) major catchment areas supplying water. Point made. The overlap is telling. And so the WWF SA-Nedbank partnership is very active in Mpumalanga, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Nearly 80% of land in the country is deemed agricultural land (for some reason, mining is included under the “agricultural use” label). Whatever the actual figure is, that farmers own most of the landscape is undisputed. For this reason, some view agriculture as a threat to biodiversity. WWF, on the other hand, recognises the “intimate land connection” of the farmer.  By reinforcing a farmer’s natural love of the land, a winning partnership can be created (we will take a look at some examples in the fourth and fifth of this series of articles).

Agriculture has the potential to be at the forefront of the country’s transitioning to a low water, low carbon economy, and WWF SA is helping the sector to make this reality. Numerous sector-specific best practice guidelines are available, and one area the organisation is focusing on is the WWF Living Farms Reference (LFR), an excellent idea as human beings learn more by seeing something demonstrated than by reading about it. It is practical and easier to absorb.

Other key focus areas are:

1. Making and building the business case for the WWF interventions;
2. “On farms” engagement with key sectors through the piloting and implementation of the LFR (wine and fruit, dairy, sugar, barley, grasslands beef);
3. Capacity development and regulatory support (government support, organised agriculture, worker unions, financial sector). 

 

"Food. Water. Energy. For all. Forever." is the WWF SA's logo. Photograph used courtesy of Helen Gordon, WWF SA.

“Priority projects” for the next five years are described as:

1. Conservation Agriculture for all commodities and farming systems
2. Restored ecological infrastructure for increased landscape productivity, socio-ecological resilience and soil carbon sequestration
3. Collaborative integrated catchment management for improved water security (quality and quantity) and job creation
4. Energy efficiency and renewable energy case studies to inspire the transition to low-carbon agriculture
5. Climate-proofing the growth of agri-processing in the Western Cape
6. Integrated knowledge system for climate smart agricultural extension.

Sustainable agriculture has been defined by role players like Prof Izak Groenewald at the University of the Free State’s Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Development and Extension simply as agriculture which ticks all the economic, environmental and social/ethical boxes. This is the trajectory on which WWF and its partners like Nedbank would like to see agriculture. The next articles will look at three visits we made on the day following.