by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 21, 2019 | Food Security
Since the start of the year, South Africa’s agricultural commodity prices have increased notably from levels seen over the same time in 2018, specifically grains and oilseeds. Under normal circumstances, one would expect the price increases in agricultural commodities...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 19, 2019 | Africa Focus
The headline of this post captures the consistent question I kept getting from folks after publishing an essay arguing that the recently launched African Continental Free Trade Agreement would potentially open additional avenues for South African products to...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 12, 2019 | Africa Focus
Droughts or floods always have a devastating impact on agriculture. But the second-round effects on livelihoods are manageable in countries that are economically stable, depending of course on the magnitude of the impact. However, for countries, with economic...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 11, 2019 | Agricultural Production
It is almost certain that SA’s agricultural economy will contract in 2019, mainly as a result of the poor summer crop harvest coming after a drought. The Western Cape, which typically provides a cushion when there is a drought in summer-rainfall areas, was not in good...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 7, 2019 | Agricultural Production
We can have different views about the agricultural policies that the South African government adopted since the dawn of democracy, but the one thing we can all agree on, I hope, is that the sector has grown tremendously – as illustrated in Figure 1. Importantly, this...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 5, 2019 | Africa Focus
The South African agricultural sector, and specifically the expansion in the sector over the recent past, is heavily reliant on exports. In fact, South Africa exports roughly 49% of its agricultural products in value terms. Hence, the newly launched African...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 2, 2019 | Agricultural Production
Essay by Professor Mzukisi Qobo[1] and Wandile Sihlobo[2] A spectre of cannabis is hovering above Africa. The boom is on the horizon and for some countries, it will be a slow burn. A number of countries in Africa have in the recent past reformed their cannabis...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Aug 1, 2019 | Agricultural Environment and Natural Resource
While memories of Day Zero warnings in late 2017 and early 2018 might be fading in Cape Town residents’ minds, the effects of the water shortages are still felt in some farming communities — and agricultural production has not fully recovered from the damage of the...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 30, 2019 | Agricultural Labour Market
I have been punting that agriculture could help boost employment in South Africa, but the latest jobs data are a reminder that fundamental change is essential. Today, July 30, we learned that South Africa’s primary agricultural employment fell by 0.2% in the second...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 27, 2019 | Agricultural Production
In her budget vote speech last week, Ms Thoko Didiza, the new minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development, noted that, among other things, she intends to expand SA’s agricultural footprint in export markets. This is a fitting message as the growth of...
