by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 14, 2018 | My categories
I just read a story of Oklahoma farmers who insist that donkey milk has health benefits and they have witnessed that in their family. Another story published by The Indian Express earlier this year shared similar sentiments that donkey milk is used by some folks in...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 13, 2018 | My categories
Regular readers of this blog might know that I usually discuss brief history and production of crops and fruits grown in South Africa. This evening, the avocado was in my crosshairs. A number of studies that provide a historical context suggest that avocados may have...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 11, 2018 | My categories
THE WEEKEND ESSAY: By Wandile Sihlobo and Professor Johann Kirsten Some of the successful land reform programmes in the world took place in countries where the beneficiaries were those who occupied the land at the time of the reform. This may be true for the provision...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 10, 2018 | My categories
The United States Department of Agriculture has just released its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, which covers most major grains and oilseeds estimates for the 2018/19 production season. The broader global theme remains roughly unchanged from...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 10, 2018 | My categories
Today I am working off-site in a small coffee shop in my neighbourhood. I’ve just ordered coffee and asked also for a glass of water. For some reason, the waiter brought water, saturated with cucumbers and lemon, which was not what I longed for, but it was...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 9, 2018 | My categories
The World Bank recently released an interesting book titled Agriculture in Africa: Telling Myths from Facts. It covers a wide range of topics from smallholder land access, post-harvest losses, financing of agricultural inputs, agricultural labour productivity and...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 8, 2018 | My categories
Regular readers of this blog might have noticed that the past week or so has been a hit-and-miss affair with broken links to online, and even emailed articles. A few weeks back I decided to revamp this blog, hoping to improve your reading experience. The service...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 8, 2018 | My categories
OK folks, since we are in the midst of ‘land’ discussions, I thought it would be useful to share this chart (see featured image). It basically shows that South Africa has the potential to explore additional, unused land that is suitable for agricultural production....
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 7, 2018 | My categories
Having spent some time in June in Port Elizabeth, which is the nearest city to the heart of the South African chicory industry, Alexandria, I feel compelled to say a few words about its history and production. Chicory was first introduced into South Africa for...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 7, 2018 | My categories
I have said this before, but I will repeat it because I think it is important in highlighting the enormous contribution of South Africa’s agricultural sector. South Africa is ranked as the most food-secure country on the continent and is 44th out of 133 countries...
