The Western Cape has the most lucrative agricultural economy in South Africa, but has not been able to transform in order to allow equitable black participation.

The Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape is at the forefront of using technology to enhance sustainable farming, and as part of its initiative to embrace the fourth industrial revolution, has introduced Sentinel-2 earth observation technology.

Western Cape farmers have built Africa’s first commercial floating solar park – it now let’s them tackle load shedding and drought. They say it’s a better investment than a new orchard.   

outh Africa’s wine industry is centered around Cape Town. But pioneers far to the northeast are forging a new frontier in unlikely surroundings as changing weather patterns test long-held conventions.

One cold morning, Stefan Smit, a white farmer in South Africa’s stunning wine region, woke up to find his vineyard under siege.

It can be difficult to cut through the noise and understand what Brexit really means for South Africa. The implications, depending on the outcome, will be far-reaching, but it is clear, the export of goods will be one of the areas most tangibly affected.

South African citrus growers in the Western and Northern parts of the Cape region are gearing up for the start of their 2019 export season to the US.

The Western Cape is the leading producer of South Africa’s winter crops, which are wheat, barley and canola. It is also in this province where plantings typically begin at the end of April, while in other provinces it’s around midyear.

South African deciduous fruit (apples, pears and table grapes) production and exports continues to grow mainly due to new orchards coming into full production, and some wine grape areas being diverted to table grapes. This has cushioned the impact of the recent drought conditions.

For over three decades, satellites orbiting Earth have measured the height of the ocean surface with remarkable precision. These measurements are crucial because changes in ocean height are one of the clearest indicators of how our planet is responding to climate change. Rising ocean surfaces signal warming temperatures, melting ice and shifting ocean currents.

South Africa's wine industry is facing a challenging future and it is desperately searching for a hero – an icon wine.

The first major volumes of South African citrus are due to arrive on the US East Coast in the first week of July.

Millions of hectares of sandy, infertile Australian farmland could benefit from the commercialisation of a South African shrub, allowing farmers to better carry sheep over the summer-autumn period.

Farming is proving to be one of the more challenging vocations in SA because of the ever-changing risk environment. Not only must farmers monitor economic conditions, changing consumer preferences and social dynamics, but the weather is proving to be the most unpredictable aspect of all.

“The effects of climate change are unfolding before our eyes,” says Janse Rabie, Agri SA policy head for natural resources. 

The Western Cape government is keen to fund a study on a sustainable agricultural sector in the face of climate change.

Rain over the weekend in the Hex River Valley has brought packing to a standstill as growers assess damage and the need for post-rain spraying programmes, which have implications regarding withholding periods, so that packing will resume by Thursday or Friday this week – unless it rains again tomorrow, in which case packing can only resume next week.

The Western Cape, which is a major producer of South Africa’s winter crops – wheat, barley and canola – has had favourable rainfall over the past couple of months and the crop in the province is in good shape.

Western Cape premier Alan Winde has called on the government to lift the ban on alcohol sales, soften the curfew, and reopen beaches as the province has passed the peak of its second surge in coronavirus infections.

In late August each year, the normally barren landscape of the Namaqualand, along the western boundary of South Africa, is transformed into a vista of brightly coloured daisies as far as the eye can see.