by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 30, 2020 | General Comments
One of the big questions that have occupied South African agricultural economists over the past decade has been: how to foster inclusive growth in the sector. This is, of course, a broad question with several dimensions. One of the more technical aspects related to...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 25, 2020 | General Comments
The global grains environment has changed somewhat from the optimistic picture of a few weeks ago. The increased dryness in parts of Europe and the US is weighing on global crop production, specifically maize and wheat, and this has raised the prospects for downward...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 23, 2020 | Agricultural Production
This essay first appeared on Business Day, July 21, 2020 As SA’s summer crop — which includes maize — is set to be one of the best on record, focus now shifts to the outlook for winter crops, specifically wheat. Alas, for wheat farmers the 2020/2021 season had a bad...
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 16, 2020 | Agricultural Production
In the second week of July 2020, the Economic Transformation Committee of the African National Congress (ANC)[1] and Business for South Africa (B4SA)[2], released their respective strategy documents for the post-COVID-19 inclusive economy recovery for South Africa....
by Wandile Sihlobo | Jul 9, 2020 | Agricultural Production
The locusts which emerged in East Africa towards the end of last year remain a serious challenge for the agricultural sector. This is specifically the case in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, according to reports from the Food and...