In the coming decade, low- and middle-income countries will be the main sources of food demand for basic commodities. USDA predicts developing countries will account for 80% or more of the increase in global demand for meat, grains, oilseeds and cotton. These regions have young and growing populations and incomes that are on the rise.

International food commodity prices dipped in October, as falling dairy, meat and vegetable oils prices more than offset a surge in sugar prices, according to the United Nations.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Price Index, a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities, averaged 163,5 points in October, down 0,9% from September and 7,4% below its level a year earlier.

The FAO Dairy Price Index led the overall decline, slipping 4,8% from the previous month and 34% below the peak reached in February 2014. The weaker prices reflect increased export supplies across all major dairy products, especially from New Zealand.

The FAO Meat Price Index declined 2,0% from September, with ovine, pig, bovine and poultry meat all posting drops due mostly to abundant export supplies.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index fell by 1,5%, its ninth consecutive monthly drop, to reach its lowest level since April 2009. The latest slide was mostly driven by sluggish global import demand for palm oil and large inventories held by the commodity’s major exporting countries. International soya oil prices increased slightly. 

As project sponsors, borrowers, lenders and investors gathered at the Africa Investment Forum to make deals on investment opportunities, leaders of the continent’s  top agribusiness companies shared their thoughts on the future of the industry.

Poor diets are undermining the health of one in three of the world's people, an independent panel of food and agriculture experts has warned.

We are all familiar with erosion and the soil’s ability to wear away, but few people associate soil with growing upward.

Food cravings are strong enough to make you indulge in eating a little more than you should.

Modern farming has evolved by adopting technical advances such as machines for ploughing and harvesting, controlled irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides, crop breeding and genetics research. These have helped farmers to produce large crops of a good quality in a fairly predictable way.

Intensive farming (also intensive agriculture) is the practice where a lot of labor and capital is employed to maximize agricultural produce or yields.

The South African government and policy makers have long appreciated the importance of food security and the right to food is enshrined in South African constitution.

It’s well known that obesity is developing into a growing global health problem. In Africa alone, the number of overweight children under five has increased by nearly 50% since 2000. Obesity is a risk factor in diseases such as cancers, heart disease and diabetes.

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» The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) averaged 159.3 points in March 2022, up 17.9 points (12.6 percent) from February, making a giant leap to a new highest level since its inception in 1990. The latest increase reflects new all-time highs for vegetable oils, cereals and meat sub-indices, while those of sugar and dairy products also rose significantly.

According to the Statistics South Africa Living Conditions Survey 2014/2015, the least affluent 50% of South African households allocate approximately 35% of their food budget to starch-rich foods.