There is currently much talk about the value of agricultural land and the fact that land prices seem to have decreased during 2017/2018.

It’s a warm afternoon in late spring and before us rows of strawberry plants rustle in the breeze as the scent of fragrant herbs wafts across the air. Nearby, a bee buzzes lazily past.

I can well see how farmers in five years’ time will insist on interaction between data providers, service providers and consultants visiting their farms,” says Coenraad Fraenkel, CEO of Agrimotion Consulting, soon to be based at the University of Stellenbosch’s AgroHub at Welgevallen experimental farm, where they are the only commercial consultancy present amid leading research institutes.

Family farmers provide a rich contribution to food security, yet public policies and investments are vital to support them.

Decades of industrial agriculture have caused environmental and social damage across the globe.

The translucent orange cubes jiggle temptingly under the grow lights, looking for all the world like exotic confectionery, somewhere between gummy bears and Turkish delight.

It’s an interesting tale, and it takes place in the hot, arid Sahara Desert in Africa.

In the green revolution that began in the 1960s, farmers were encouraged to use new high-yielding seeds, nurture them with chemical fertilizers, and protect them from powerful herbicides and pesticides. Agricultural output increased by as much as 100%, and that rescued hundreds of millions of people from starvation.