The future of agriculture in Africa

The emerging farmer is the future of agriculture in Africa. This is evident due to the fact that emerging and small-scale farmers represent the largest segment in the African agricultural industry. We recently attended the Agritech expo in Zambia, and it was evident to me that the young people have a passion for agriculture, and an entrepreneurial spirit that drives them.

Like any other business, they have to start with the capital and resources that they have available, but their aspirations are to employ more people, produce more agricultural products, and make more profit. The challenges that they face are access to resources such as business loans, and secondly the knowledge and expertise required to farm on a more commercial level.

Over the past two decades, commercial agriculture evolved to become more precise and more scientific than ever before. Anyone who wants to farm on a commercial scale needs to understand this and have the knowledge and support to be able to compete.

The good news is that there is an increasing awareness of the emerging farmer segment among the large agricultural corporations. Companies are reaching out in various ways.

Running a successful farm requires that many facets of the farm work together like a well-oiled machine, and when that happens it is one great pleasure. On most farms the farmer is the owner and key manager in the business; along with this, he fulfils the role of a scientist, human resources manager, legal expert, marketer, trainer, botanist and zoologist, veterinarian, researcher, and many more.

Over the past decade, the agricultural sector has changed a lot, and the complexity of farming business has increased tremendously. You cannot just claim all the different titles; you have to hold a candle to the best experts in each department.

The ProAgri team's aim and goal is to be the link between the farmer and the experts.

We hope that you find what you are looking for in our brand new ProAgri BNZ edition. Remember to visit our informative websites and YouTube channel for more.

Take care and stay warm this winter!

ProAgri-greetings!

Bianca Henning bianca@proagri.co.za

There’ is much more to Agrico than only irrigation systems. Agrico is proud to launch their brand-new High-Speed Disc, which works 8 metres wide! The HSD operates at up to 16 km per hour — almost twice the speed of a traditional disc harrow. Read more on page 3.

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Marketing

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Tiny Smith >

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Agrico High Speed Disc: Now 8 metres wide!

For over 85 years, Gallagher has been protecting farmers' assets

Choose Senter360 for local quality

Farming with nature: Drought mitigation

Pig breeds Part 1: Southern African pig breeds

Fruit production Part 5: The cape gooseberry is a golden crop

Apimondia: For the love of honeybees

Herb and spice production Part 4

Financial literacy in agriculture – Part 1

Manage your cattle’s grazing better for a higher production rate

Snail production – Part 1

Game ranching Part 2: Placement of watering points

Beekeeping part 10: Harvesting and marketing of honey

Automated irrigation empowers African farmers

From silkworms to silk garments Part 4.1: Silk reeling methods

Technews: The latest in agricultural technology from around the world

Creative Director

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Design

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Michelle Kruger Jamie-Lee Tromp

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Namibiese Reg. N-AR 2162 Reg. Nr. L10856, Wet Nr. 36 van 1947

Reg. Nr. L10856, Wet Nr. 36 van 1947 Reg. Nr. L10856, Wet Nr. 36 van 1947

Namibiese Reg. N-AR 2162 Reg. Nr. L10856, Wet Nr. 36 van 1947

by Bianca Henning