Agricultural water use is recognized in the 1996 Second Edition of the South African Water Quality Guidelines, published by the then Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, as having three main components, namely Irrigation, Livestock Watering and Aquaculture. water pollution poses a big threat to the country’s water security and quality. Mining activities, factories and big businesses are some of the major polluters of rivers and dams. When it comes to agriculture and food security, the only way to know if the quality of the water is suitable for its intended purpose is to test the water by using analytical testing methods. In our program of 21 June, Lindi Grobler, Director of Agri Alchemi tells us more about water quality testing and how it is done.
Tertius Schoeman, Transformation Manager at Cotton SA is optimistic about the future expansion of cotton production into rural areas. Cotton production can play a crucial role in alleviating rural poverty, especially where other field crops fail due to heat and rainfall restrictions.
Jill Whyte Founder of Greens Farms Nut Company tells us more about this company and how they have grown from being one of South Africa’s first processing factories into one of the country’s leading macadamia businesses. They are part of several emerging farming projects as well as training projects and bursaries. Agricolleges International is one of their partners.
Dr Sandra Lampbrechts, Senior Researcher at the ARC in Stellenbosch has some information on the production of rooibos. Production starts with the planting of seeds in well-prepared seedbeds in the late summer months of February and March. Depending on the type of soil, there are two options available to our farmers, direct seed sowing or planting seedlings. Much research has been done on the cultivating of seedlings,
Tune in to your favorite community radio station or listen to the program on your cell phone or computer using the Landbou Radio SoundCloud link. Farm with joy.
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