Agriculture remains a cornerstone of South Africa’s economy, food security, and rural livelihoods, sustaining millions of people across the value chain. In 2025, the sector once again proved its strategic importance as farmers navigated climate shocks, global trade disruptions, and mounting local pressures.
Beyond producing food, agriculture continued to drive employment, exports, and economic stability, particularly in vulnerable rural communities. The year’s developments highlighted both the sector’s challenges and its capacity for resilience and innovation.
Against this backdrop, these five major Food For Mzansi (FFM) news stories capture the defining moments that shaped South African agriculture in 2025.
Farmers cash in as goat meat gets gourmet makeover
In this story, we examine how goat meat is gaining popularity in South Africa, shedding its traditional stigma as chefs and consumers appreciate its flavour, nutrition, and market potential.
This gourmet shift is helping farmers tap growing local and export demand, turning goats into profitable agricultural assets and opening new income streams for producers nationwide.
Cattle and cover crops power vineyard regenerative study
The ReGenWine project at Hartenberg Estate is exploring regenerative agriculture in vineyards by using cattle, cover crops and compost to improve soil health, cut chemical use and boost resilience against climate change.
Led by Stellenbosch University and South Africa Wine, the study aims to gather scientific data on soil, vine growth, costs and sustainability, helping shape a future-ready wine industry.
MSc graduate turns mushroom waste into poultry gold
A North-West University MSc graduate discovered that adding just 2 % oyster mushroom by-product to poultry feed can improve egg, meat and bone quality while helping reduce harmful aflatoxins. This sustainable innovation turns agricultural waste into valuable feed, lowering costs and boosting productivity for rural poultry farmers.
It highlights practical, eco-friendly solutions that support food security and circular agriculture in South Africa.
Mushrooms save cranes and livelihoods in rural Uganda
In Uganda’s Rukiga district, oyster mushroom farming is transforming rural livelihoods and protecting wetlands by offering fast, profitable income without destroying crucial crane habitat.
Farmers once mocked for growing mushrooms now earn significantly more than from traditional crops, bolster food security, and help conserve the endangered Grey Crowned Crane’s ecosystem, turning a simple crop into both economic and environmental gain.
Act 36 ‘collapse’? Not so fast, says Steenhuisen as he hits back at ‘hyperbole’
Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has responded firmly to claims that South Africa’s Act 36 regulatory system for pesticides, fertilisers, farm feeds and stock remedies is collapsing, calling such assertions exaggerated and misleading.
He said the system remains under pressure but is being modernised through a major digital overhaul, including a new online portal to streamline applications and reduce delays, with further digital expansion planned for 2026. The department insists improvements are underway and that talk of collapse is hyperbolic.
READ NEXT: Steenhuisen applauds farmers, workers as heartbeat of the nation
