Yet another busy day unfolds in the agricultural sector as there are two major agri centred virtual events taking place as we speak.
Our calendar is quite packed this week as the annual Grain SA Nampo Harvest Day event unfolds through the digital sphere for the second of four consecutive days.
Agriculture is the hand that keeps on giving, as the department of agriculture and land reform in the North West will be handing out meat packages in Potchefstroom to impoverished communities.
The tenth annual African Green Revolution event kicks off at 10:00. It is being held virtually and hosted by the Rwandan government and the AGRF partners group.
The Institute of Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) unpacks the land question in Mzansi.
Wine connoisseur Tim Atkin also delivers the widely popular SA Special Wine report at 10:00.
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Agri under the spotlight
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It is day two of the 54th Grain SA Nampo Harvest Day event and today promises to keep up the momentum following a successful first day. Read more for a blow by blow of the insightful day here.
We wait with bated breath as Grain SA CEO Jannie de Villiers delivers his second consecutive wisdom of the day through live chat at 10:00.
Dr Ferdi Meyer of the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) delivers industry projections at 10:00. Grain SA’s Luan van der Walt gives us a market overview of crop estimates at 11:30.
Don’t miss out, register here.
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Agriculture, the gift that keeps on giving
The North West department of agriculture and rural development will today donate 31 culled cattle to the provincial department of social development as part of its relief programme.
The cattle will be slaughtered and the meat distributed to feed communities in Potchefstroom severely affected by the extended covid-19 lockdown regulations.
Working with the provincial department of social development, deserving households will be identified and the meat will be distributed to them, especially child-headed homes.
“The gesture of donating the meat is to contribute towards fighting food and nutrition insecurity and restoring the dignity of the most vulnerable people in the province,” the department said in a media release.
The handing over ceremony will be held at the Potchefstroom College of Agriculture this morning.
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Africa puts the lens on markets and trade
It is day three of Africa’s largest agriculture and food systems event hosted by the African Green Revolution Forum.
In light of the pandemic the annual summit of the African Green Revolution is being held virtually and hosted by Rwandan government and the AGRF partners group.
The event comes at an unprecedented time when African cities face a looming hunger crisis following the implementation of lockdowns throughout the continent.
The week-long proceedings aim to rethink African food systems to deliver a resilient, better nourished and prosperous, sustainable future.
Today we look forward to the Markets and Trade Symposium which will be focused around topics aimed at harmonizing market and trade policies and sourcing in Africa – participants will look into fostering the development of the creation of rural urban supply chains.
The theme of the day is “Markets and Trade: Building interconnected African markets that create opportunities, right from rural small holders to urban supermarkets”. Digital sessions commence at 10:00.
Haven’t registered yet? It is never too late, join here.
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Upgrading land tenure rights
The protection of informal land rights remains a key challenge in the South African political landscape.
Policies continue to violate instead of secure land rights in the rural and urban context, says Institute of Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS).
In 1991 the upgrading of land tenure rights Act (ULTRA) was passed to allow for the upgrading of land rights and ownership through registration in the deeds registry. This however has since been declared unconstitutional based on gender discrimination and gross patriarchy.
Join PLAAS at 13:00 as intellects engage in dialogue themed: “Securing land tenure rights: dissecting and upgrading the Land Rights Amendment Bill.”
Join the conversation here.
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Wine lovers, you are in for a treat
Wine lovers and experts have been quite the chirpy bunch on Twitter this week.
The wine Twittersphere has started to resemble a bit of pre-Oscars nomination buzz with every fine wine collector committing their two cents to predict which South African wines have scored top marks in a highly anticipated announcement by wine connoisseur and journalist Tim Atkin.
Atkin delivers his South Africa 2020 Special Report at 10:00 and it will be live streamed on Instagram.
The wine expert will announce two wines – one white and one red – that achieved 100-point scores in his highly anticipated report. Atkin will also reveal his overall wines, winemaker, grower, co-operative and legend of the year and discuss the state of the South African wine industry.
Among other things he will also discuss the outstanding quality of the 2017 vintage, the fact that Semillon and Syrah are still underrated, and that South African wines remain some of great bargains of the fine wine world.
- Do you have an upcoming event that should be on Food For Mzansi’s watchlist? Drop us an email to diary@foodformzansi.co.za and we’ll do our best to include it in this weekday feature.
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