Farmer’s Weekly is an agricultural magazine based in South Africa, targeting the whole of Southern Africa. The magazine is committed to advancing the interests of the region’s farmers and its agricultural industry by serving as a mouthpiece for the industry and by keeping its readers informed of the latest developments in the agricultural sector.

Global agriculture in numbers

Farmer's Weekly

Benefits and risks of a digitised farm sector • Digital technology can make food markets more efficient and inclusive. However, according to a recent report, the digital divide places farmers in some of the world’s poorest regions at risk of being left behind.

Farmer’s Diary

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Dragon fruit: low water users with high returns

Trending in Agriculture

Positive maize outlook expected to continue in 2020/2021 • AGRIBUSINESS PERSPECTIVE

Robust debate needed on Expropriation Bill

Weekly quotes

Concern about quality of malting barley crop in the Southern Cape

‘High retail margins not only factor in inflated food prices’

‘Agriculture must take responsibility for water conservation’

DA in a bid to have farm murders declared a hate crime

International support for 10 000 Zambian smallholders

‘Farmers can cash in on alternative energy supply market’

US food giants boosted by home dining boom

Lobster exports fall foul of Australia-China trade spat

In Brief

MTN’s best agricultural solution winner for 2020

Hortgro 1662 Industry Award

Chickens coming home to roost in dodgy Mpumalanga land deals

Larger offerings bring uncertainty to wool market

SA’s wind power production to increase substantially by 2030

Women’s potential in agriculture must be increased

Agri sector must reposition for changing food demand

A positive working environment must be created for farmers

‘Farm security in South Africa faces many challenges’

Addressing inadequate security for rural communities

COSATU clarifies tobacco tax increase call

Clamping down on charcoal-related wildfires in Namibia

South Africa’s expropriation law: what it’s all about • Elmien du Plessis, associate professor of law at North-West University, outlines the long road that has been travelled to get to South Africa’s Expropriation Bill in its current form.

COVID-19 has changed perceptions of food security • When the pandemic resulted in closed borders and restricted international trade, many countries realised that they had become too dependent on international food supply chains, says Dr Koos Coetzee.

Compliance and the master grower • Commercial production of cannabis in South Africa faces a raft of legislative issues, and farmers and processors are advised to seek expert help in this regard. Nonetheless, there are opportunities for excellent profits from this crop, says Thomas Walker.

Savvy producers use social media to maximise profit • Social media offer small food and farm businesses a cheap and effective means of advertising. Yvonne Fontyn spoke to three e-commerce entrepreneurs about how they identify their target market, decide which platform to use for marketing, and go about advertising their goods and services online.

Making every drop of rainwater count • In this first of a two-part series, Dr Louis du Pisani, an independent specialist agricultural consultant, explains the basic components of the water cycle and how these apply to the growth of grass on the veld.

FAST FACTS

FAST FACTS

The wheat blast disease threat • The recent detection of wheat blast in Zambia raised alarms in the wheat industry in the SADC region. Once established, the disease is difficult to control, say researchers Dr...