GreenAgric's Blog
22 Jun 2021
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Agriculture’s language problem
One of the enviable things about South Africans is that just about every one of us speaks at least two languages, while many speak and understand three, four or even more.
It is becoming increasingly common for people around the world to learn a second language such as English or Spanish, but there are still many countries where the majority of people know only their mother tongue.
Lately, however, it seems as though instead of celebrating this uniquely South African advantage, language has become the cause and target of much conflict. Well, mostly one language in particular: my home language, Afrikaans.
The debate against the use of Afrikaans as a language for tertiary learning has been waging for many years, and sentiment seems to be building for the complete phasing out of Afrikaans at traditionally Afrikaans universities such as Stellenbosch University.
This debate has flowed over into other spheres of society and communication. Just recently, a reader of Farmer’s Weekly forwarded me messages from a farmers’ WhatsApp group. In these messages, farmers were getting into an argument about the use of Afrikaans on the community platform.
Language, I believe, is an important aspect of identity. And as far as possible, especially in a country as diverse in culture as South Africa, no one should ever be made to feel unwelcome, uncomfortable, or inferior (or superior) because of the language they speak.
Equally important, no one should be made to feel excluded for not being able to understand a certain language. And herein lies the difficulty; how do we create opportunities in which all of South Africa’s languages can flourish and be respected without, at the same time, creating language silos that exclude people on the basis of language?
Afrikaans is still the main language of commercial agriculture in South Africa. For this reason, it is often still the language of business. Unfortunately, this can be one of the barriers to entry that new, black farmers face.
These instances are rare, but it does still happen that black farmers who don’t understand Afrikaans are met by a stubborn refusal from other farmers, and even businesses, to communicate with them in a language that they do understand.
According to Statistics South Africa, only 8% of South Africans speak English at home. However, being the dominant language in government and formal business, it is the one we most readily default to when on official platforms.
We should therefore be mindful that more often than not, when we speak English to each other, most us are speaking in our second, third or even fourth language.
Afrikaans has as much a right and place in South Africa as any of the other official languages, but if a request is made for people to speak in English, either at a farmers’ meeting or on a WhatsApp group, consider for a moment that it is probably not a vote against Afrikaans, but rather a plea from Xhosa- or Zulu-speaking farmers for inclusion.
The way to defend your language is not to use it as an instrument of exclusion, because if you truly love your language, you’d never use it as a weapon. That’s not what you do with things you love.
Let’s learn to allow each other to speak. But more importantly, let’s help each other understand.
Article Credits : Denene Erasmus & Farmers Weekly
For The Record ...
GreenAgric's Website will soon be available in Afrikaans and other African Languages ...
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22 Jun 2021
Soils Provide 95% of All Food
Soils Provide 95% of All Food
World’s soils ‘under great pressure’, says UN Pollution Report.
Soils provide 95% of all food, but are damaged by industrial, farming, mining and urban pollution.
The world’s soils, which provide 95% of humanity’s food, are “under great pressure”, according to a UN report on soil pollution.
Soils are also the largest active store of carbon, after the oceans, and therefore crucial in fighting the climate crisis. But the report said industrial pollution, mining, farming and poor waste management are poisoning soils, with the “polluter pays” principle absent in many countries.
Pollutants include metals, cyanides, DDT and other pesticides, and long-lasting organic chemicals such as PCBs, the report said, making food and water unsafe, cutting the productivity of fields and harming wildlife. However, it said most releases of pollutants that end up in soils are not easily quantified and therefore the true damage remains highly uncertain.
The global production of industrial chemicals each year has doubled since 2000 to 2.3bn tonnes, the report said, and is projected to nearly double again by 2030, meaning soil pollution is expected to increase further. The UN also warns of emerging contaminants including pharmaceuticals, antimicrobials that lead to drug-resistant bacteria, and plastics.
“Global soils are under great pressure,” said Qu Dongyu, head of the UN food and agriculture organisation. “This thin crust of the Earth’s surface, the soil, supports all terrestrial life and is involved in many key ecosystem services that are essential to the environment and to human health and wellbeing.”
Inger Andersen, head of the UN environment programme (Unep), said: “Soil pollution may be invisible to human eyes but it compromises the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. Pollution knows no borders – contaminants move through soil, air and water.
“It is time to reconnect with our soils, as it is where our food begins,” she said. “Soil pollution should no longer be a hidden reality. Let us all be part of the solution to soil pollution.”
The future for soils looks “bleak” and their state is as at least as important as the climate emergency and the destruction of the natural world above ground, according to the scientists behind another UN report on soil biodiversity, published in December. Since the Industrial Revolution, about 135bn tonnes of soil has been lost from farmland and, given that it takes thousands of years for soils to form, urgent protection and restoration of the soils that remain is needed, the scientists said.
The new UN report concludes: “Soil contaminants can have irreparable consequences on human and ecosystem health.” The biggest source of soil pollution varies by region, it found. The biggest problem is industrial pollution in western Europe and North America, farming in Asia, Latin America and eastern Europe, and mining in sub-Saharan Africa. In north Africa and the near east, urban pollution is the biggest single source of contamination.
“The fundamental step of identifying the party liable for the pollution is still lacking in many states,” the report said. “Soil pollution is expected to increase unless there is a rapid shift in production and consumption patterns and a political commitment towards a real sustainable management where nature is fully respected.”
How soil offers hope for the climate crisis ...
“Greater political, business, and social commitment is needed to seek alternatives to the use of highly toxic contaminants and to increase investment in research, prevention and remediation,” the report said, noting that cleanups after pollution occurs can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The world’s soils are also being damaged by other factors including erosion, acidification, salt contamination and compaction.
A 2017 report found that a third of the planet’s land is severely degraded and that fertile soil was being lost at the rate of 24bn tonnes a year. The UK’s environment secretary said in 2017 that the country was 30 to 40 years away from “the fundamental eradication of soil fertility” in places.
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21 Jun 2021
Meet Carl form Joburg
People Who Grow Food
Meet Carl from Johannesburg, South Africa
“I am a young South African graphic designer and part time gardener. My parents instilled a love of gardening and outdoors in me, but working in the garden always seemed like a chore until quite recently. I spent the lockdown period working at my desk, often into the night, and I wanted something that would push me to get up earlier and do some physical activity. I am in the fortunate position of dictating my own hours, so I wake up at sun-rise and spend the morning in the garden before I get in front of the computer screen.
In South Africa, mayhem descended when the lockdown began… it was as if all the other diseases of our society that were already there suddenly came to the surface (political corruption, racism, farm murders) and it seemed like most people had lost faith in the system. At the same time, I was just finding channels like Nature is Always Right and Rob Greenfield. I loved the idea of making food gardens and sharing knowledge and through them I realized that wanting to grow but having no land could actually be an opportunity rather than a setback.
I am based in Johannesburg, South Africa. My main growing space is about the size of an empty residential plot – a Municipal plot not far from where I live. The space has no electricity or bathrooms and it used to be a dump site until it was cleaned up. I also use my townhouse garden to germinate seedlings and grow a few crops, experimenting with small scale & vertical growing.
When I started a couple of months ago, the garden was full of spinach, beetroot, kale & onions but the beds had plenty of unused space so I began planting whatever seeds I could get at the local store, from beans to lettuce; cucumber; tomatoes; celery; a few herbs; cabbage; peas; etc. I hope to turn the property into a food forest and replace any weeds with useful plants of many different varieties. I want to spread things out so that people can wander around and pick and choose.
My number one goal is to cover the soil… best case scenario, with altering canopies. I have been making raised beds over cardboard sheeting and I have found that the cardboard works well to protect the lower layer, preventing weeds and retaining water. Just recently, I had my first attempt at making fertilizer using Korean Natural Farming Methods and I’m currently waiting for it to ferment.
The health and fitness benefits; eating what I grow and being connected to my food source; chatting to passersby; and being part of a solution are the greatest rewards of gardening.
The garden was started by a community leader (Mandla Nkosi) who runs a recycling business. He is involved in many initiatives and he started this garden with the purpose of growing seedlings to give to people who are interested in growing food. He calls his movement “Amatandamvelo” which roughly translates to ‘the ones who cared for the environment” and his goal is to uplift people who are living in poverty and make heroes out of the many underprivileged people in our area that roam the streets during the day collecting trash and dividing it to sell.
I think we all miss opportunities every day because we have an idea of how things should be and we’re willing to wait until the stars align, but sometimes we just have to get down to it and get results. I deliberately started out in my parents’ garden with no inputs and in dry soil… and to my amazement things grew…. slowly, but they grew. I underestimated the determination of nature to overcome and now my job is just to make things grow faster and with more resilience. There is no reason why anyone should go hungry or be out of a job and there is more than enough land.”
Article Credits : Humans who grow food
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19 Jun 2021
Plastic Free Food Wrappings
Plastic Free Food Wrappings
Finally, a grocery alternative to single-use plastic!
Freshpact’s range of paper punnets is the ideal alternative to single-use plastic. These punnets are recyclable and reusable and do not compromise the shelf life of fresh produce.
A new innovation in fresh produce grocery packaging has finally given shoppers and brand owners an environmentally sustainable alternative to single-use plastic.
The new Freshpact range of paper punnets is one such solution developed by Mpact, the leading South African packaging manufacturer and recycler.
The De Agrela family have fresh produce in their blood with over 37 years’ experience in fresh produce retail.
Their flagship store, Impala Fruit & Veg in Northcliff, Johannesburg is an iconic fresh produce establishment and they are planning to expand and improve their newer store at Lifestyle Crossing in the West Rand even further.
New punnets ...
Bradley de Agrela, operations manager for the company, is constantly looking for better alternatives and technological innovations and improvements in all facets of the business, and saw the need for more sustainable packaging as an alternative to single-use plastic in their stores.
It is through De Agrela’s pioneering vision, technical, and consumer insight that concepts were developed and tested in-store in November 2020.
Impala Fruit & Veg needed packaging of optimal fit, ease of packing and premium display, with no compromise to shelf life. Advanced functional barrier coatings were added to offer high humidity performance of refrigerated applications.
“Presentation of fresh produce is of the utmost importance. There can be no compromise on shelf-life or aesthetics. The Freshpact trays offer us all the attributes of the traditional trays with the added benefit of being sustainable, biodegradable and commonly recyclable,” says De Agrela.
After successful test results and thumbs up by the customers, the go-ahead was given to move to paper trays in January across a wider range of products.
“Our customers love the new trays. Some even return their trays to us to ensure these are routed to recycling,” says De Agrela.
“We use three common sizes of trays and these days you will find tomatoes, brinjals, peppers, strawberries and kiwis in Freshpact trays on our shelves.”
Made from food-safe, 100% FSC-certified paper material, the Freshpact punnets have many after-life options. They can be reused, recycled or added to home composting.
Since the introduction of the range towards the end of 2019, Freshpact has grown their range substantially and actively driven sustainability by converting close to 20 million units from plastic to paper.
This equates to 400t of plastic to paper, which, when recycled, saves approximately 1 200m3 of landfill space, an area as large as 480 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Visit freshpact.co.za or impalafruit.co.za.
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18 Jun 2021
Agribusiness Confidence
Agribusiness Confidence
SA Agribusiness Confidence at its highest level on record.
Farmers have been urged to reinvest in their operations and clear their debt in the current positive agricultural environment.
The recently released record-high Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index figures provide agricultural producers with the opportunity to reinvest in their farming concerns and address their debt structures.
This was according to Francois Strydom, Agbiz chairperson, who told Farmer’s Weekly the combination of high yields and prices contributed greatly to the exceptional performance of the agriculture sector. It also attested to the resilience of South African farmers.
“The combination of a spike in commodity prices and high production is a very rare combination, [and] is evident across the board and not only in the grain production sector. This year was [also] characterised by brilliant fruit harvests, including apples, citrus, avocados and grapes. The local citrus industry, for example, has grown to such an extent that South Africa has become the second biggest exporter in the world, second only to Spain.
“Livestock prices also gained momentum and breeding animals achieved exceptional prices,” Strydom added.
According to a statement by Agbiz, in the second quarter of this year, the index reached the highest level since its inception in 2001 of 75, up from 64 in the first quarter of 2021.
This was attributed to higher domestic and global commodity prices, which were mainly supported by growing demand from China, combined with drought conditions in parts of South America.
Strydom said for the first time in 15 years, following (among other factors) extreme climatic conditions such as droughts and floods, farmers were in the position to address high debt levels, and cautioned them to address the matter of debt as a priority.
“It is a fact that every high in the economy is followed by a downturn. That is why debt clearance and reinvestment are so important. My message to farmers is to not go overboard, but to exploit the opportunities created by positive conditions responsibly,” he explained.
Article Credits : Annelie Coleman & Farmers Weekly
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Farmers have been urged to reinvest in their operations and clear their debt in the current positive agricultural environment.
The recently released record-high Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index figures provide agricultural producers with the opportunity to reinvest in their farming concerns and address their debt structures.
This was according to Francois Strydom, Agbiz chairperson, who told Farmer’s Weekly the combination of high yields and prices contributed greatly to the exceptional performance of the agriculture sector. It also attested to the resilience of South African farmers.
“The combination of a spike in commodity prices and high production is a very rare combination, [and] is evident across the board and not only in the grain production sector. This year was [also] characterised by brilliant fruit harvests, including apples, citrus, avocados and grapes. The local citrus industry, for example, has grown to such an extent that South Africa has become the second biggest exporter in the world, second only to Spain.
“Livestock prices also gained momentum and breeding animals achieved exceptional prices,” Strydom added.
According to a statement by Agbiz, in the second quarter of this year, the index reached the highest level since its inception in 2001 of 75, up from 64 in the first quarter of 2021.
This was attributed to higher domestic and global commodity prices, which were mainly supported by growing demand from China, combined with drought conditions in parts of South America.
Strydom said for the first time in 15 years, following (among other factors) extreme climatic conditions such as droughts and floods, farmers were in the position to address high debt levels, and cautioned them to address the matter of debt as a priority.
“It is a fact that every high in the economy is followed by a downturn. That is why debt clearance and reinvestment are so important. My message to farmers is to not go overboard, but to exploit the opportunities created by positive conditions responsibly,” he explained.
Article Credits : Annelie Coleman & Farmers Weekly
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17 Jun 2021
The Benefits of Cover Crops
Using Cover Crop Mulch
In many regions, there is a limited choice of crops that can be grown in a particular season. This provides an ideal opportunity to plant a cover crop to keep the soil organisms active and provide material for humus formation.
Grazing vetch provides much organic mulch above ground and an equal quantity of soil-building organic matter in its roots.
The use of cover crops makes a major difference to soil, especially under a no-till system.
Immediate access to nutrition ...
With no-till, you can start planting as soon as the cover crop is cut; there is no soil incorporation, hence no negative period when working the material into the soil.
Digging into the soil like this stimulates the soil organisms into a feeding frenzy and they take nitrogen and other elements into their bodies.
The plants also need these elements, but are forced to wait until the soil organisms have digested the material, died of starvation and returned the elements to the soil before they can gain access to it.
With no-till, by contrast, the material is left on the surface and decomposition takes place fairly slowly, avoiding the spike in soil organism activity. Moreover, this material on the surface, being a mulch, protects the soil from the elements and conserves moisture.
In most cases, it also greatly reduces weed growth as it restricts light on the soil surface.
Regulating the soil temperature also helps create the optimal environment for earthworms.
The value of legumes ...
When choosing a cover crop mixture, make sure that it includes a legume. There can be many tons of carbon in the plant material but without sufficient nitrogen present, most of the the cover crop will end up in the air as carbon dioxide rather than decomposing humus.
Nitrogen is a crucial component of humus, making up about 10% of it (carbon accounts for 50%), and few farmers really understand or appreciate this.
Legumes, with their high nitrogen content, provide excellent food for soil organisms and consequently break down much more rapidly than cereals or non-leguminous plants. If you want to have a cover on the soil for a longer period, you can combine a legume with a non-legume; the legume will decompose well ahead of the non-legume.
Oats is often used as a cover crop. It is fast-growing and can benefit soil condition, but on its own will not contribute substantially to humus build-up. One ton of residue will only have 5kg of nitrogen in it, whereas 14kg/t are required to maximise humus formation.
A legume such as grazing vetch, when mixed in with the oats, can provide the necessary nitrogen to make up the difference.
Using a non-legume as a cover crop will stimulate an increase in soil organisms as it is digested, and the soil will obviously benefit as a result, but these benefits are short-lived and the humus content of the soil will not increase.
I have been using grazing vetch as a winter cover crop for a number of years and this has transformed my soil, making production cheaper and easier.
Article Credits : Bill Kerr & Farmers Weekly
Bill Kerr is a vegetable specialist and farms a range of vegetables.
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16 Jun 2021
Cocoa
Cocoa
Cocoa is a huge part of life and the economy in Ivory Coast, but until now the husks of the cocoa pod have been discarded as waste.
The world's largest producer of cocoa, Ivory Coast, has found an inventive use for the cocoa plant that could power millions of homes.
If you've indulged in a chocolate dessert lately, there is a good chance that its cocoa came from Ivory Coast. This West African country is the largest producer of cocoa in the world, where more than 40% of all cocoa beans originate. With more than six million people working in cocoa in the country, it is Ivory Coast's largest export by far. The country's cocoa beans have been fuelling people worldwide for decades, but now another part of the cocoa plant will soon be powering Ivory Coast.
The coveted cocoa bean is just one small part of the cocoa plant. While the beans are exported to be made into chocolate bars, confectionary and drinks, the bean shells, pod husks and cocoa sweatings (a pale yellowish liquid that drains away during fermentation) are usually thrown away. Worldwide, the volume of cocoa waste is steadily growing.
This waste is now set to become a significant part of Ivory Coast's transition to renewable energy. After successful pilot projects, Ivory Coast has begun work on a biomass plant which will run on cocoa waste. The facility will be located in Divo, a town that produces a large share of the country's cocoa. In the biomass plant, cocoa plant matter left over after cocoa production will be burned to turn a turbine and generate electricity, much like a conventional fossil-fuel power plant.
"This plant alone will be able to meet the electricity needs of 1.7 million people," says Yapi Ogou, managing director of the Ivorian company Société des Energies Nouvelles (Soden), which is involved in building the plant.
Cocoa boost ...
The Divo biomass power plant will be West Africa's largest, and Soden, with support from the US Trade and Development Agency, is set to complete by early 2023. It will be able to produce between 46 and 70MW of electricity per year, according to Ogou. Feasibility studies showed that the facility could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4.5 million tonnes, compared with existing power sources.
The cocoa bean is the most valuable part of the crop, but other parts of the cocoa plant have their uses too.
The cocoa bean is the most valuable part of the crop, but other parts of the cocoa plant have their uses too.
Ivory Coast currently gets most of its power from fossil fuels, with natural gas generating 70% of its energy. The country has a target increasing usage of renewable energy sources to 42% and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2030. In a country with fast-growing energy needs, innovations such as the use of cocoa waste could make all the difference.
In total, the project will cost about 131 billion West African CFA francs (£173m/$244m). Nine other similar plants that will generate electricity from cocoa husks are planned to be built across the country. They will be built in cocoa growing areas where the raw material is in ready supply.
As well as producing renewable energy, it is hoped that turning cocoa waste into energy will help reverse the fortunes of the country's some 600,000 cocoa farmers. Fraciah, who manages 14 acres of cocoa in Divo, is one of them. For many years, she has been thinking of abandoning cocoa farming altogether in favour of rubber farming. She is not alone – in recent years, many cocoa farmers have been switching to more profitable crops such as rubber or banana due to an oversupply of cocoa – something that has only become worse the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I grow cocoa and it has educated my children but the returns have been minimal," she says. "We don't make much profit." But she welcomes the new biomass power plant, saying it will add to her income and it motivates her to continue cultivating cocoa. "Considering I am a widow – my husband died 18 years ago – extra income will also help me educate my four grandchildren. With more money, I can also save."
Alongside the opening of the new plant, the Ivorian government has also proposed a community cooperative for cocoa farmers. Groups of farmers will be able to save money and access loans, and receive dividends to support their families and businesses.
The large plant in Ivory Coast is the first of nine further facilities planned to make use of cocoa husks and other biomass.
The large plant in Ivory Coast is the first of nine further facilities planned to make use of cocoa husks and other biomass (Credit: Getty Images)
Mohammed Adow the founder of Powershift Africa, a thinktank located in Nairobi which has advised governments across Africa on energy issues, says that the Ivory Coast initiative comes at a critical time. "Successful utilisation of these cocoa pods will not only ensure universal access to electricity, but also add value to the cocoa production value chain, in addition to other economic benefits," says Adow. "Job creation through collection, transportation, storage and processing of the pods will be realised. It will empower many economically."
Esther Ruto, general manager of Kenya's Rural Electrification Authority, also welcomes the cocoa power plant. "It's a good move," she says, citing job creation and waste reduction as additional benefits of the plant. "Ivory Coast is one of Africa's success stories with 94% of its population already connected to the national grid."
Ivory Coast is not the only cocoa producer to put its waste to use. In Ghana, cocoa husks are already being used to generate power on a micro-scale. Researchers Jo Darkwa, Karen Moore and colleagues at the University of Nottingham in the UK have developed a small 5kW generator which runs off cocoa husks. The goal is to bring power to rural areas, where only 50% of people typically have access to electricity. In Ivory Coast, there are also plans for facilities to convert the husks into biodiesel, Ogou says.
Finding more uses for the waste products of one of the world's most-loved crops could help keep farmers supplying the chocolate industry for years to come – even as climate change makes it harder to grow cocoa. But even within a crop that faces many pressures there is a seed, or rather a husk, of hope.
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The world's largest producer of cocoa, Ivory Coast, has found an inventive use for the cocoa plant that could power millions of homes.
If you've indulged in a chocolate dessert lately, there is a good chance that its cocoa came from Ivory Coast. This West African country is the largest producer of cocoa in the world, where more than 40% of all cocoa beans originate. With more than six million people working in cocoa in the country, it is Ivory Coast's largest export by far. The country's cocoa beans have been fuelling people worldwide for decades, but now another part of the cocoa plant will soon be powering Ivory Coast.
The coveted cocoa bean is just one small part of the cocoa plant. While the beans are exported to be made into chocolate bars, confectionary and drinks, the bean shells, pod husks and cocoa sweatings (a pale yellowish liquid that drains away during fermentation) are usually thrown away. Worldwide, the volume of cocoa waste is steadily growing.
This waste is now set to become a significant part of Ivory Coast's transition to renewable energy. After successful pilot projects, Ivory Coast has begun work on a biomass plant which will run on cocoa waste. The facility will be located in Divo, a town that produces a large share of the country's cocoa. In the biomass plant, cocoa plant matter left over after cocoa production will be burned to turn a turbine and generate electricity, much like a conventional fossil-fuel power plant.
"This plant alone will be able to meet the electricity needs of 1.7 million people," says Yapi Ogou, managing director of the Ivorian company Société des Energies Nouvelles (Soden), which is involved in building the plant.
Cocoa boost ...
The Divo biomass power plant will be West Africa's largest, and Soden, with support from the US Trade and Development Agency, is set to complete by early 2023. It will be able to produce between 46 and 70MW of electricity per year, according to Ogou. Feasibility studies showed that the facility could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4.5 million tonnes, compared with existing power sources.
The cocoa bean is the most valuable part of the crop, but other parts of the cocoa plant have their uses too.
The cocoa bean is the most valuable part of the crop, but other parts of the cocoa plant have their uses too.
Ivory Coast currently gets most of its power from fossil fuels, with natural gas generating 70% of its energy. The country has a target increasing usage of renewable energy sources to 42% and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2030. In a country with fast-growing energy needs, innovations such as the use of cocoa waste could make all the difference.
In total, the project will cost about 131 billion West African CFA francs (£173m/$244m). Nine other similar plants that will generate electricity from cocoa husks are planned to be built across the country. They will be built in cocoa growing areas where the raw material is in ready supply.
As well as producing renewable energy, it is hoped that turning cocoa waste into energy will help reverse the fortunes of the country's some 600,000 cocoa farmers. Fraciah, who manages 14 acres of cocoa in Divo, is one of them. For many years, she has been thinking of abandoning cocoa farming altogether in favour of rubber farming. She is not alone – in recent years, many cocoa farmers have been switching to more profitable crops such as rubber or banana due to an oversupply of cocoa – something that has only become worse the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I grow cocoa and it has educated my children but the returns have been minimal," she says. "We don't make much profit." But she welcomes the new biomass power plant, saying it will add to her income and it motivates her to continue cultivating cocoa. "Considering I am a widow – my husband died 18 years ago – extra income will also help me educate my four grandchildren. With more money, I can also save."
Alongside the opening of the new plant, the Ivorian government has also proposed a community cooperative for cocoa farmers. Groups of farmers will be able to save money and access loans, and receive dividends to support their families and businesses.
The large plant in Ivory Coast is the first of nine further facilities planned to make use of cocoa husks and other biomass.
The large plant in Ivory Coast is the first of nine further facilities planned to make use of cocoa husks and other biomass (Credit: Getty Images)
Mohammed Adow the founder of Powershift Africa, a thinktank located in Nairobi which has advised governments across Africa on energy issues, says that the Ivory Coast initiative comes at a critical time. "Successful utilisation of these cocoa pods will not only ensure universal access to electricity, but also add value to the cocoa production value chain, in addition to other economic benefits," says Adow. "Job creation through collection, transportation, storage and processing of the pods will be realised. It will empower many economically."
Esther Ruto, general manager of Kenya's Rural Electrification Authority, also welcomes the cocoa power plant. "It's a good move," she says, citing job creation and waste reduction as additional benefits of the plant. "Ivory Coast is one of Africa's success stories with 94% of its population already connected to the national grid."
Ivory Coast is not the only cocoa producer to put its waste to use. In Ghana, cocoa husks are already being used to generate power on a micro-scale. Researchers Jo Darkwa, Karen Moore and colleagues at the University of Nottingham in the UK have developed a small 5kW generator which runs off cocoa husks. The goal is to bring power to rural areas, where only 50% of people typically have access to electricity. In Ivory Coast, there are also plans for facilities to convert the husks into biodiesel, Ogou says.
Finding more uses for the waste products of one of the world's most-loved crops could help keep farmers supplying the chocolate industry for years to come – even as climate change makes it harder to grow cocoa. But even within a crop that faces many pressures there is a seed, or rather a husk, of hope.
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* Free Delivery to most places on SA
* Free Assistance with your DIY Tunnel Installations ...
* Free Ongoing 'Best Help and Advice' for growing your own Food Crops ...
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Contact GreenAgric on .
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15 Jun 2021
Edible Flowering Plants
7 beautiful foods to plant in your garden
Do you want to grow food in your garden ? ...
or wish you had a veggie patch but don’t have the time ? ...
You can have the best of both worlds, by scattering edible plants among your borders or in pots on the patio ...
These are seven expert-recommended plants that are edible ...
Chives (and other herbs) ...
Chives are completely edible and have a beautiful purple flower
Chives have a gorgeous ball-shaped flower that’s bright purple. Both the leaves and flowers are edible and can be used in dishes such as eggs royale, hearty soups and frittata as well as flavouring creamy cheeses and butter.
In borders, if the chive flowers aren’t picked they will run to seed and you’ll have clumps of chives popping up everywhere ...
You can start them from seed, or find pots of chives in some supermarkets. Supermarket pots of rosemary and thyme will transplant into fresh compost well and carry on growing if you don't harvest too much until they are established. They like a dry sunny spot, nothing too soggy, but are fairly unfussy otherwise. There are different sorts of rosemary and more of thyme – from golden or woolly-leaved to trailing and creeping varieties with pink, white and purple flowers – if you want to seek them out from a garden centre. Just check that it's an edible variety.
These herbs are perennial and easy to grow, so a great starting point. Other unfussy herbs such as mint, lovage, sage, oregano and marjarom all have beautiful foliage and can be used in borders, too, even if they have less dramatic flowers.
Edible flowers ...
Edible viola scattered on this creole squash is super summery
Viola tricolor, sometimes called heartsease, pot marigolds (calendula) and cornflowers are edible and have a long flowering period that will cheer your garden up all summer. Scattered on a salad or over a vegetable dish like Shivi's creole squash they make everything seem very chic and summery. You can also crystallise flowers to use on top of cakes and puddings. They are really easy to sow from seed, don't require any special soil conditions and common enough to find in a garden centre.
Lavender is a herb often used to flavour puddings with its delicate yet recognisable floral notes. It looks as beautiful in your garden with purple flowers and green leaves as it tastes in your lavender shortbread and cakes like Paul Hollywood's lemon and lavender loaf.
Plant lavender outside from spring to early summer. Many supermarkets and shops sell lavender when it's in season, but you can also buy plants online or from garden centres. They are great placed in a border of a path, so when you brush past you smell the lavender [and the] bees like it too. Plant in full or partial sun and says they’re easy to care for, as they don’t need too much watering.
Swiss Chard ...
'Bright lights' chard has extremely vibrant stalks which look and taste great in dishes, such as pasta.
Chard is a leafy green vegetable that has beautiful stems, which are often white or red but different varieties show different colours: Magenta Sunset, Orange Fantasia, and for maximum colour, Bright Lights varieties produce stems in pink, orange, and a mix of gold, pink, red, white, and striped, respectively.
Chard can be used like spinach and it also tastes slightly similar. Make your meals vibrant by popping it into a chard pasta, Greek-style bean casserole and even with baked potatoes and beans.
Sow seeds directly into rich, fertile soil in a sunny spot from. Chard is a "cut and come again" plant, that will keep producing new leaves as you cut the big ones off to use. A spring sowing and another in the summer will provide you with chard for the whole growing season. They can also be grown in pots, but these should be at least 25cm deep.
Nasturtiums ...
Nasturtiums are more than just pretty flowers. You could create a complete salad out of the nasturtium plant using the young, green leaves, red and yellow petals and seed pods. Its name literally means “nose twister” because of the peppery kick the leaves have when eaten. Make a fantastic nasturtium pesto too. The petals are sweeter and less peppery than the leaves and sit beautifully on grain or green salads. When the flowers have finished the seed pods of the nasturtium can be pickled, and taste a little like capers.
Sow seeds in the ground or in a container, including a hanging basket from late spring to early summer. Plant in full sun or partial shade.
Globe artichoke ...
The artichoke 'Purple Globe' is an edible vegetable that grows beautifully tall.
Globe artichokes make a stunning architectural feature in your garden. They have an eventual height of around 1-1.5 meters, so are perfect for drawing your eye to the back of a border. Some varieties, such as Purple Globe also bring a splash of colour. If the globes are not harvested, they will flower with a bright-purple fluffy tuft.
You can grow these from seed but can also buy garden-ready plug plants from your local nursery. The artichoke plant is a perennial, meaning that it will come back every year to bring you a delicious crop.
Strawberries ...
You can’t talk about beautiful edible plants without involving strawberries. Not only are the leaves very pretty, but the small white flowers, or pink depending on the variety, are eye-catching with bright red strawberries are as beautiful as they are delicious.
You might have your own favourite way to eat strawberries, perhaps just with cream, but they are classically eaten with Eton mess, made into strawberry jam or treat yourself to a strawberry mojito. But if you only have space for a few plants, just eat them fresh off the plant, warmed by the sun.
Buy them as young plants. Mara des Bois is a small but flavourful variety that keeps producing fruit all summer. They’re great for growing in a pot or hanging basket as well as in the ground, but they love full sun to get the best crop. Strawberry plants will come back every year and will even spread through your borders by sending out ‘runners’ to make baby strawberry plants. Protect your precious fruit from slugs and monkeys, because everyone will want to eat them.
Tomatoes ...
The tomato plant flower is not edible, but is pretty and delicate.
You might often buy tomatoes from a shop, but they look amazing growing in your garden. They produce beautiful yellow flowers before ripening their fruit, although these are not edible themselves. There are a number of visually interesting tomato varieties you can pick. Pink Tiger has edible lemon shaped fruits with dark pink and orange striped skin. Other varieties are trailing, such as Tumbling Tom, which produces a cascade of red or yellow cherry tomatoes in a hanging basket.
Fresh tomatoes are versatile and often cooked in sauces, but when picked from the garden, they're best eaten raw to get the most of the fresh, sweet flavour. Pair with mozarella and basil, feta and lentils or pop in Panzanella.
Tomatoes are happy planted in the ground or in a pot, outside or in GreenAgric Greenhouse Tunnels. They’ll need to be staked for support as they can grow too tall to hold themselves up. Buy young seedlings to put outside, after any risk of frost has passed. You can even plant the seeds from inside your store-bought salad, cherry or plum tomato, but it is best to sow these in early spring inside.
When not to eat your plants ...
If you are ever in doubt as to whether a plant or flower is edible, don’t eat it. Some flowers and plants are deadly. If you have pollen allergies, it might be best to avoid eating flowers altogether. If you’re eating what you plant in your garden, avoid using pesticides and don’t pick mouldy or discoloured flowers or produce.
Grow Your Own ...
Sustainable Organic Food Crops
in a GreenAgric Greenhouse ...
for Improved Health
for Food Security
Only GreenAgric Offers ...
* Free Delivery to most places on SA
* Free Assistance with your DIY Tunnel Installations ...
* Free Ongoing 'Best Help and Advice' for growing your own Food Crops ...
GreenAgric are the Very Best Value for Money Tunnels in Southern Africa ...
Contact GreenAgric on .
021 020 0505
Mondays to Fridays during business hours
or via WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal ...
on 072 387 2293
We are also available on Facebook and Messenger ...
http://web.facebook.com/GreenAgric
7 to 7 - 7 days a week ...
Email : Sales@GreenAgric.com
Web: https://GreenAgric.com
We look forward to hearing from you soon ...
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
or wish you had a veggie patch but don’t have the time ? ...
You can have the best of both worlds, by scattering edible plants among your borders or in pots on the patio ...
These are seven expert-recommended plants that are edible ...
Chives (and other herbs) ...
Chives are completely edible and have a beautiful purple flower
Chives have a gorgeous ball-shaped flower that’s bright purple. Both the leaves and flowers are edible and can be used in dishes such as eggs royale, hearty soups and frittata as well as flavouring creamy cheeses and butter.
In borders, if the chive flowers aren’t picked they will run to seed and you’ll have clumps of chives popping up everywhere ...
You can start them from seed, or find pots of chives in some supermarkets. Supermarket pots of rosemary and thyme will transplant into fresh compost well and carry on growing if you don't harvest too much until they are established. They like a dry sunny spot, nothing too soggy, but are fairly unfussy otherwise. There are different sorts of rosemary and more of thyme – from golden or woolly-leaved to trailing and creeping varieties with pink, white and purple flowers – if you want to seek them out from a garden centre. Just check that it's an edible variety.
These herbs are perennial and easy to grow, so a great starting point. Other unfussy herbs such as mint, lovage, sage, oregano and marjarom all have beautiful foliage and can be used in borders, too, even if they have less dramatic flowers.
Edible flowers ...
Edible viola scattered on this creole squash is super summery
Viola tricolor, sometimes called heartsease, pot marigolds (calendula) and cornflowers are edible and have a long flowering period that will cheer your garden up all summer. Scattered on a salad or over a vegetable dish like Shivi's creole squash they make everything seem very chic and summery. You can also crystallise flowers to use on top of cakes and puddings. They are really easy to sow from seed, don't require any special soil conditions and common enough to find in a garden centre.
Lavender is a herb often used to flavour puddings with its delicate yet recognisable floral notes. It looks as beautiful in your garden with purple flowers and green leaves as it tastes in your lavender shortbread and cakes like Paul Hollywood's lemon and lavender loaf.
Plant lavender outside from spring to early summer. Many supermarkets and shops sell lavender when it's in season, but you can also buy plants online or from garden centres. They are great placed in a border of a path, so when you brush past you smell the lavender [and the] bees like it too. Plant in full or partial sun and says they’re easy to care for, as they don’t need too much watering.
Swiss Chard ...
'Bright lights' chard has extremely vibrant stalks which look and taste great in dishes, such as pasta.
Chard is a leafy green vegetable that has beautiful stems, which are often white or red but different varieties show different colours: Magenta Sunset, Orange Fantasia, and for maximum colour, Bright Lights varieties produce stems in pink, orange, and a mix of gold, pink, red, white, and striped, respectively.
Chard can be used like spinach and it also tastes slightly similar. Make your meals vibrant by popping it into a chard pasta, Greek-style bean casserole and even with baked potatoes and beans.
Sow seeds directly into rich, fertile soil in a sunny spot from. Chard is a "cut and come again" plant, that will keep producing new leaves as you cut the big ones off to use. A spring sowing and another in the summer will provide you with chard for the whole growing season. They can also be grown in pots, but these should be at least 25cm deep.
Nasturtiums ...
Nasturtiums are more than just pretty flowers. You could create a complete salad out of the nasturtium plant using the young, green leaves, red and yellow petals and seed pods. Its name literally means “nose twister” because of the peppery kick the leaves have when eaten. Make a fantastic nasturtium pesto too. The petals are sweeter and less peppery than the leaves and sit beautifully on grain or green salads. When the flowers have finished the seed pods of the nasturtium can be pickled, and taste a little like capers.
Sow seeds in the ground or in a container, including a hanging basket from late spring to early summer. Plant in full sun or partial shade.
Globe artichoke ...
The artichoke 'Purple Globe' is an edible vegetable that grows beautifully tall.
Globe artichokes make a stunning architectural feature in your garden. They have an eventual height of around 1-1.5 meters, so are perfect for drawing your eye to the back of a border. Some varieties, such as Purple Globe also bring a splash of colour. If the globes are not harvested, they will flower with a bright-purple fluffy tuft.
You can grow these from seed but can also buy garden-ready plug plants from your local nursery. The artichoke plant is a perennial, meaning that it will come back every year to bring you a delicious crop.
Strawberries ...
You can’t talk about beautiful edible plants without involving strawberries. Not only are the leaves very pretty, but the small white flowers, or pink depending on the variety, are eye-catching with bright red strawberries are as beautiful as they are delicious.
You might have your own favourite way to eat strawberries, perhaps just with cream, but they are classically eaten with Eton mess, made into strawberry jam or treat yourself to a strawberry mojito. But if you only have space for a few plants, just eat them fresh off the plant, warmed by the sun.
Buy them as young plants. Mara des Bois is a small but flavourful variety that keeps producing fruit all summer. They’re great for growing in a pot or hanging basket as well as in the ground, but they love full sun to get the best crop. Strawberry plants will come back every year and will even spread through your borders by sending out ‘runners’ to make baby strawberry plants. Protect your precious fruit from slugs and monkeys, because everyone will want to eat them.
Tomatoes ...
The tomato plant flower is not edible, but is pretty and delicate.
You might often buy tomatoes from a shop, but they look amazing growing in your garden. They produce beautiful yellow flowers before ripening their fruit, although these are not edible themselves. There are a number of visually interesting tomato varieties you can pick. Pink Tiger has edible lemon shaped fruits with dark pink and orange striped skin. Other varieties are trailing, such as Tumbling Tom, which produces a cascade of red or yellow cherry tomatoes in a hanging basket.
Fresh tomatoes are versatile and often cooked in sauces, but when picked from the garden, they're best eaten raw to get the most of the fresh, sweet flavour. Pair with mozarella and basil, feta and lentils or pop in Panzanella.
Tomatoes are happy planted in the ground or in a pot, outside or in GreenAgric Greenhouse Tunnels. They’ll need to be staked for support as they can grow too tall to hold themselves up. Buy young seedlings to put outside, after any risk of frost has passed. You can even plant the seeds from inside your store-bought salad, cherry or plum tomato, but it is best to sow these in early spring inside.
When not to eat your plants ...
If you are ever in doubt as to whether a plant or flower is edible, don’t eat it. Some flowers and plants are deadly. If you have pollen allergies, it might be best to avoid eating flowers altogether. If you’re eating what you plant in your garden, avoid using pesticides and don’t pick mouldy or discoloured flowers or produce.
Grow Your Own ...
Sustainable Organic Food Crops
in a GreenAgric Greenhouse ...
for Improved Health
for Food Security
Only GreenAgric Offers ...
* Free Delivery to most places on SA
* Free Assistance with your DIY Tunnel Installations ...
* Free Ongoing 'Best Help and Advice' for growing your own Food Crops ...
GreenAgric are the Very Best Value for Money Tunnels in Southern Africa ...
Contact GreenAgric on .
021 020 0505
Mondays to Fridays during business hours
or via WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal ...
on 072 387 2293
We are also available on Facebook and Messenger ...
http://web.facebook.com/GreenAgric
7 to 7 - 7 days a week ...
Email : Sales@GreenAgric.com
Web: https://GreenAgric.com
We look forward to hearing from you soon ...
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
12 Jun 2021
Rooibos
Rooibos
Rooibos has just taken on a grander significance, joining the ranks of high-end products like Champagne.
The European Commission has included it in its Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications.
This means it can only be labelled Rooibos if produced in specific parts of the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces.
It is also the only African food to receive the status of protected designation of origin in the European Commission's register.
Grow Your Own ...
Sustainable Organic Food Crops
in a GreenAgric Greenhouse ...
for Improved Health
for Food Security
Only GreenAgric Offers ...
* Free Delivery to most places on SA
* Free Assistance with your DIY Tunnel Installations ...
* Free Ongoing 'Best Help and Advice' for growing your own Food Crops ...
GreenAgric are the Very Best Value for Money Tunnels in Southern Africa ...
Contact GreenAgric on .
021 020 0505
Mondays to Fridays during business hours
or via WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal ...
on 072 387 2293
We are also available on Facebook and Messenger ...
http://web.facebook.com/GreenAgric
7 to 7 - 7 days a week ...
Email : Sales@GreenAgric.com
Web: https://GreenAgric.com
We look forward to hearing from you soon ...
The European Commission has included it in its Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications.
This means it can only be labelled Rooibos if produced in specific parts of the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces.
It is also the only African food to receive the status of protected designation of origin in the European Commission's register.
Grow Your Own ...
Sustainable Organic Food Crops
in a GreenAgric Greenhouse ...
for Improved Health
for Food Security
Only GreenAgric Offers ...
* Free Delivery to most places on SA
* Free Assistance with your DIY Tunnel Installations ...
* Free Ongoing 'Best Help and Advice' for growing your own Food Crops ...
GreenAgric are the Very Best Value for Money Tunnels in Southern Africa ...
Contact GreenAgric on .
021 020 0505
Mondays to Fridays during business hours
or via WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal ...
on 072 387 2293
We are also available on Facebook and Messenger ...
http://web.facebook.com/GreenAgric
7 to 7 - 7 days a week ...
Email : Sales@GreenAgric.com
Web: https://GreenAgric.com
We look forward to hearing from you soon ...
9 Jun 2021
Erin of Cape Town
People who Grow Food
Meet Erin from Cape Town, South Africa
“I am 29 years old and I am fiercely passionate about many things ranging from teaching History for empathy to regenerating land. My husband and I live in Cape Town, South Africa.
My ultimate dream is to combine all of my passions and start up my own Non-Profit Organization which works with schools, especially those in lower-income communities, to create and sustain school food gardens.
When I was little, myself and my three brothers were each given a 1m x 1m patch in the garden to grow our favourite foods. This must have been when the spark was lit, but it wasn’t until I was 22 and living in my first flat that I became interested again and experimented with growing a few culinary herbs. A typical millennial, I watched YouTube videos while learning to grow food and stumbled across a video about Limestone Permaculture Farm, in Australia. Their abundance and natural systems had me intrigued and I eventually went on to complete my Permaculture Design Certificate 3 years later.
After experimenting with a few culinary herbs, I got hooked on the feeling of having GROWN something. Since, then however it has come to mean more to me. When I was 20 I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and depression. A few years later, when I started growing food, I noticed the positive affect that it had on my mental health. Now, after a particularly tough day I can be found in the garden with a head-torch, planting up a storm.
We don’t own our own property and therefore our growing space is limited to the home that we are renting. My garden is almost solely a container garden (containers that can be carried up three flights of stairs). In the past year, the owners of the house we rented gave us permission to use a 3m x 3m unused patch in the garden. The excitement was real!
I grow as many culinary herbs as possible, as well as cut-and-come-again veg (a great use of space when container gardening). That being said, I also grow veg that is time / space intensive but that I want to have experience in growing (the dream is to have our own space one day). This season’s example was cabbage which took up one of my biggest container for 7 months!
Something that I learnt on my Permaculture Design Course was to not feed the plant, but the soil. My advice for good soil is to MULCH, MULCH, MULCH! With mulch and organic matter, the soil becomes alive with earthworms and all the goodness you could hope for in soil. In terms of pest management, I find that regular walks through the garden mean that you can pick up pests and diseases quickly and remove the infected leaves, before they get out of hand.
I get most of my seeds from an heirloom seed company called Living Seeds. However, I save whatever I can and have recently met with a kind local gardener on Instagram (@lifecanbeadreamsweetheart) who has shared many of her seeds with me.
The biggest obstacle we have in growing food is access to water.
One of the biggest rewards of my gardening journey has been the new appreciation it has given me for food. I could buy cabbage for R10 ($0,68) in the store, but it took me 7 months to grow. I think, without this knowledge of the time and resources put into our food, we can be wasteful and unappreciative of it.
I have been lucky enough to be able to use my platform as a teacher to raise awareness regarding various issues. In a weekly “enrichment lesson” I was able to introduce my students to permaculture, teach them to grow from seed and take them on tours of a permaculture food garden that I helped a colleague and her enviro-club set up. I have found, though, that just talking about your passion raises awareness. One of my favourite memories was when I walked up to my classroom and was met by the most wonderful scents of culinary herbs, left by one of my History students outside my classroom door.
Growing your own food is not reserved for people who own land. Grow whatever you can, wherever you can. Even if the only place you can in on your windowsill. The feeling of eating something you have grown doesn’t change, no matter the scale of the harvest. Also, remember that EVERYONE has green fingers and toes. The notion that only some people have a sense for it is utter nonsense. You just have to be willing to fail, learn from it and try again.”
Article Credit : Humans who grow food
Grow Your Own ...
Sustainable Organic Food Crops
in a GreenAgric Greenhouse ...
for Improved Health
for Food Security
Only GreenAgric Offers ...
* Free Delivery to most places on SA
* Free Assistance with your DIY Tunnel Installations ...
* Free Ongoing 'Best Help and Advice' for growing your own Food Crops ...
GreenAgric are the Very Best Value for Money Tunnels in Southern Africa ...
Contact GreenAgric on .
021 020 0505
Mondays to Fridays during business hours
or via WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal ...
on 072 387 2293
We are also available on Facebook and Messenger ...
http://web.facebook.com/GreenAgric
7 to 7 - 7 days a week ...
Email : Sales@GreenAgric.com
Web: https://GreenAgric.com
We look forward to hearing from you soon ...
7 Jun 2021
The Importance of Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable Agriculture
There are different definitions of Sustainable Agriculture but the common point that all definitions highlight is the importance of agricultural activity for getting food resources.
For an agricultural activity to be counted as Sustainable Agriculture, it should satisfy at least four pre-conditions :
* It should not upset the natural environment ...
* While at the same time it should be something that a farmer can afford to do ...
* It should meet society's needs ...
* It should be economically viable, socially responsible and ecologically sound ...
Though we began farming 10,000 years ago, and we produce enough to feed the world, yet there are people who cannot afford to buy food and go hungry. The rate of population is growing at an alarming rate and most of this growth is in the third world or developing countries where traditional methods of agriculture are used. In these countries, many people go hungry.
Among different human activities that contribute to environmental damage, agriculture contributes 13%.
Large Scale Commercial Agricultural practices such as burning of biomass and deforestation and removal of native vegetation, widespread clearing of land and losses of organic carbon in vegetation and soils result in atmospheric increases of CO2.
This article is part of a series to provide a better understanding of the Importance of Sustainable Organic Growing and Farming ...
Grow Your Own ...
Sustainable Organic Food Crops
in a GreenAgric Greenhouse ...
for Improved Health
for Food Security
Only GreenAgric Offers ...
* Free Delivery to most places on SA
* Free Assistance with your DIY Tunnel Installations ...
* Free Ongoing 'Best Help and Advice' for growing your own Food Crops ...
GreenAgric are the Very Best Value for Money Tunnels in Southern Africa ...
Contact GreenAgric on .
021 020 0505
Mondays to Fridays during business hours
or via WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal ...
on 072 387 2293
We are also available on Facebook and Messenger ...
http://web.facebook.com/GreenAgric
7 to 7 - 7 days a week ...
Email : Sales@GreenAgric.com
Web: https://GreenAgric.com
We look forward to hearing from you soon ...
7 Jun 2021
Why do people poison themselves ? ...
5 Jun 2021
Earthworms
Getting to know Earthworms
More than 2 000 species of earthworm have been identified worldwide and there are 300 known species in South Africa.
Red wrigglers at work in a compost heap. They come into their own when the heap has cooled off, and make a considerable difference to the quality of the compost.
The presence of earthworms is a good indication of soil health. South Africa is home to the African giant earthworm (Microchaetus rappi), the largest species in the world. Found in the Eastern Cape, it averages about 1,4m in length, although a gigantic specimen of 6,7m was discovered in 1967.
The castings formed by this species are so large that they look like old grave mounds; I have seen them myself when travelling in the region. A researcher compared samples of M. rappi castings with soil samples from the surrounding area and unsurprisingly found much higher levels of carbon and nitrogen in the mounds.
Types of earthworm ...
There are three groups of earthworms, namely epigeic, endogeic and anecic.
Epigeic ...
Epigeic earthworms do not live in the soil but in surface organic matter. They are useful for converting waste organic matter into vermicompost.
In South Africa, the prominent species is the red wriggler (Eisenia andrei). This species is very valuable and many farmers, both in South Africa and abroad, use the worms to convert cattle manure and other organic waste into vermicasts, a type of compost. This is sold to farms and garden centres, and is ideal for growers producing organic produce.
It is also excellent for fertilising golf greens. Chemical fertilisers result in much leaching of nutrients due to the sandy upper layer and the practice of close-cropped mowing, which creates a shallow root system.
Vermicasts provide nutrients that keep the grass well fertilised for a long time with minimal leaching.
Red wrigglers are often also used by households to ‘digest’ kitchen waste into nutritious vermicompost for the vegetable patch and house plants.
Many kits in various forms are available for this purpose.
Endogeic ...
These earthworms inhabit the top 30cm of soil. They make lateral tunnels and consume soil with organic content, which is enriched after passing through the worms.
Anecic ...
Anecic earthworms make vertical tunnels deep into the soil and come out at night to feed on decaying organic matter. When I lift up my cover crop mulch, I often see them zipping into their tunnels. They perform a wonderful service by taking surface organic content down to deeper layers, operating, in effect, as nature’s ploughs.
Their tunnels also enable water to penetrate easily into the soil and provide the right amount of aeration.
All three groups of worms are found in the soil of my lands, as it is rich and organic.
The red wrigglers are in the minority and are not usually found in the lands, but thanks to my mulch, I’m able to support some. In contrast, they always multiply in my compost heaps after the temperature drops.
Earthworms do not thrive in cultivated soil and their numbers are far higher under no-till conditions. They are one of the reasons that no-till farming produces healthier crops and ensures greater drought resistance.
Keeping soil moist also helps maintain earthworm populations.
Article Credits : Bill Kerr & Farmers Weekly
Bill Kerr is a vegetable specialist and a grower of a range of vegetables.
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3 Jun 2021
GreenAgric Consultancy
Farm Succession Planning
Family Farm Succession Planning ...
The Time to Talk is Now ...
In this first article in a new series on how to run a family farm successfully, Trevor Dickinson, CEO of specialist consultancy Family Legacies, writes that the key to a profitable, long-lasting business is to start a family conversation about succession planning. And this needs to happen sooner rather than later.
An important aspect of succession planning in family businesses is the setting of goals, and this includes setting a target date for retirement, when the next generation will take over the enterprise. Once this date is in place, a timeline can be established.
Succession planning is crucial to the long-term success of a farming business, and should therefore be a major component of the operation’s strategic plans. Yet all too often it is not.
One reason for this is that it can be overwhelming to get started, so many farmers end up failing to clearly identify a successor or create a properly thought-out handover to the next generation.
Logical steps ...
Think of succession planning like producing a crop: it does not happen overnight and requires many small steps from seed to sale. Here’s a plan of action to get you going.
Schedule a family meeting ...
Succession planning requires input from the entire family, including current farm partners, as well as your children and their spouses. The process should get under way with a series of conversations, and during these you should talk about your target retirement date (even if it is a decade or more down the road), as well as your goals for the future of the farm. Understanding how each stakeholder feels about passing the farm on to the next generation is an essential first step in succession planning.
Assemble your team ...
It is always best to use experts to facilitate the process. They will also offer advice on the legal and tax implications of various decisions. One of the many advantages of having such a team is that you will gain access to the different options available and the best ideas. Make sure to choose advisers you like and respect, and who work well together, and prepare to have them involved throughout the process.
Establish goals for succession ...
Set a target date for retirement and the steps that need to take place between now and then. These might include the phased transfer of labour, management and assets; training/mentoring the next generation; a financial plan (to fund retirement); and plans for contingencies that might arise between the establishment and execution of the succession plan.
If you want your farm to continue operating after you retire, it is important to consider your ultimate goals for the operation. To begin with, though, you will need to make sure that such a transition is possible and has a good chance of success.
Ask the stakeholders (current partners, farming and non-farming heirs) about their goals for succession. If there are significant discrepancies, take time to work them out. Disagreements can cause considerable stress, conflict and sometimes long-lasting rancour in a farming family.
Make a list of assets ...
As part of the transfer of ownership from one generation to the next, it is important to know which assets need to be accounted for as part of the purchase/sale, or included in the trust or gift.
In addition to listing assets, include a note on whether you own 100% of these assets, or whether any partners or shareholders own a portion of them. This information should be shared with the advisory team, who will use it to create a plan for transferring assets to the next generation.
Your list should also include non-farm assets, including retirement accounts, rental/vacation properties, and insurance and investment vehicles not tied to the farm. Most farms are asset-rich and cash-poor, and you therefore need to know what you own, both on and off the farm, in order to plan for the future.
Make a list of debts ...
Debt is an important element of succession planning. If assets are still being financed, you will need to put a plan in place to pay them off or establish financing agreements for the next generation to take over the debt.
There is another good reason for assessing the overall financial health of the farm. In a debt position or depressed market, the farm may be a liability to the next generation, rather than an opportunity. If the debts are worth more than the assets, you will have to ask whether the farm is worth passing on.
Gather existing documents ...
To obtain a complete picture of the farming operation, your advisers will want to know which documents exist as a starting point for succession planning. Assemble the documents of any shareholder agreements, life insurance policies, wills or trusts, powers of attorney and healthcare directives for the team to review and update if needed.
If you have a previous and/or outdated succession plan, include it as well; this may need to be reviewed. Your updated plan will also need to be reviewed regularly to reflect your current goals or regulations.
Agree on a timeline ...
Transfer of ownership and assets from one generation to the next doesn’t happen overnight. As part of the planning process, agree on a tentative timeline for succession. It can take as long as a year to get a succession plan in place and up to a decade to fully execute the plan! So it makes sense to start early.
Establish a realistic timeline, and plan to do a little at a time in conjunction with your advisers, who will help make recommendations for the optimal transfer of assets and operations. Rushing to complete a succession plan can lead to financial loss, or worse, family conflict and crisis.
Take action ...
Once all the pieces are in place, work with the team of experts to begin implementing your succession plan. This can be one of the most difficult steps to take; people get stuck at the implementation phase. To prevent the succession plan from continually being placed on the back burner, allow the most passionate member of the family to take the lead and drive the process.
Article Credits : Trevor Dickinson & Farmers Weekly
Grow Your Own ...
Sustainable Organic Food Crops
in a GreenAgric Greenhouse ...
for Improved Health
for Food Security
Only GreenAgric Offers ...
* Free Delivery to most places on SA
* Free Assistance with your DIY Tunnel Installations ...
* Free Ongoing 'Best Help and Advice' for growing your own Food Crops ...
GreenAgric are the Very Best Value for Money Tunnels in Southern Africa ...
Contact GreenAgric on .
021 020 0505
Mondays to Fridays during business hours
or via WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal ...
on 072 387 2293
We are also available on Facebook and Messenger ...
http://web.facebook.com/GreenAgric
7 to 7 - 7 days a week ...
Email : Sales@GreenAgric.com
Web: https://GreenAgric.com
We look forward to hearing from you soon ...
