The South African Cheese Festival, presented in April this year for the 17th time, was honoured on World Tourism Day as the Festival of the Year. World Tourism Day is commemorated annually on 27 September and, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), creates awareness of tourism's real and potential contribution to sustainable development. 

Good winter rains to date have largely broken the severe drought in the Western Cape. This positive outlook, linked to new plantings and new cultivars, brings the South African table grape industry back onto its positive growth curve. 

The Western Cape has the most lucrative agricultural economy in South Africa, but has not been able to transform in order to allow equitable black participation.

Grain producers in the Swartland, Overberg and Southern Cape suffered considerable damage due to unnatural weather conditions that brought stormy winds to the areas. While already harvesting winter crops, producers’ expectations for an above average harvest yielded disappointment.

The Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape is at the forefront of using technology to enhance sustainable farming, and as part of its initiative to embrace the fourth industrial revolution, has introduced Sentinel-2 earth observation technology.

Western Cape farmers have built Africa’s first commercial floating solar park – it now let’s them tackle load shedding and drought. They say it’s a better investment than a new orchard.   

outh Africa’s wine industry is centered around Cape Town. But pioneers far to the northeast are forging a new frontier in unlikely surroundings as changing weather patterns test long-held conventions.

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s Alternative Crops Fund has supported the research needs of the alternative crop industry to the tune of R9,2 million during the past five years. This support has led to a number of significantly positive outcomes.

One cold morning, Stefan Smit, a white farmer in South Africa’s stunning wine region, woke up to find his vineyard under siege.

The countryside of the Western Cape will be awakened again by end of this month when farmers start to prepare the soils for winter crops plantings as the 2019/20 production season approaches.

It can be difficult to cut through the noise and understand what Brexit really means for South Africa. The implications, depending on the outcome, will be far-reaching, but it is clear, the export of goods will be one of the areas most tangibly affected.

The SA Cheese Festival, which celebrates its 18th anniversary from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 April 2019, is once again highlighting alternative products that will accompany cheese for exceptional taste experiences. One of the ever-innovative highlights of the festival is the Cape Made: Taste the Alternatives initiative.

South African citrus growers in the Western and Northern parts of the Cape region are gearing up for the start of their 2019 export season to the US.

The rainy season in South Africa’s winter rainfall region is starting later in the year than it used to, according to a study conducted at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

The 18th South African Cheese Festival from 26 to 28 April 2019 was a huge success according to the organisers, exhibitors and visitors. Everyone agrees: This was the best festival ever. It is not every day that the Dairy Product of the Year and the Gin of the Year visit together at one festival!

The Western Cape is the leading producer of South Africa’s winter crops, which are wheat, barley and canola. It is also in this province where plantings typically begin at the end of April, while in other provinces it’s around midyear.

South African deciduous fruit (apples, pears and table grapes) production and exports continues to grow mainly due to new orchards coming into full production, and some wine grape areas being diverted to table grapes. This has cushioned the impact of the recent drought conditions.

South Africa's wine industry is facing a challenging future and it is desperately searching for a hero – an icon wine.

The first major volumes of South African citrus are due to arrive on the US East Coast in the first week of July.

These past few days I spent a bit of time discussing maize production conditions in the Southern and Eastern African regions, but there are other important developments that are worth keeping an eye on here in South Africa.