The conversation around load shedding is not getting any better in Mzansi. For years the country has struggled with the inconsistency of the Eskom crises and farmers are at their wit’s end trying to find alternative energy methods to produce quality goods amid the challenges.
In conversation with various farmers and experts, we will be sharing what the impact of load shedding is on dairy and poultry farming, including energy-driven solutions to survive.
There’s no doubt that blackouts are affecting farming operations in Mzansi. And currently, farmers are suffering the most because the reality is that no one wants to invest in South Africa right now, explains Dr Naudé Malan, senior lecturer in development studies at the University of Johannesburg.
What does energy security look like in South Africa?
Saving electricity
It is advised that farmers need to save as much energy as they can to survive. Especially with the existing infrastructure rather than having to replace it with a solar system that will cost more at this point, says Malan.
He explains that farmers will get much higher returns at this point by saving energy. “It’s really important to start with saving and looking at your whole energy and electricity use system,” he advises.
Things to look at for:
- lights that are on during the day
- televisions
- radios
- computers
Appliances that stay on all day consume 15% of energy, says Malan. After you have accomplished saving, design a sustainable plan for alternative energy such as solar systems.
Dairy industry struggles
Newcastle dairy farmer, Thabo Skhosana, says that dairy farming is a little more complex than most because the systems used are highly mechanised, comprising both irrigation dependency and energy intensity.
“Every dairy operation requires electricity at least twice a day,” Skhosana explains.
He makes an example of their daily routine which is divided into two sessions. The first session starts at 3:30 in the morning and the second session starts at 13:00.
“These are the times that coincide with the load shedding schedule, forcing us to make adjustments,” he explains.
During one of the sessions, it is important to process the milking of some cattle. After the milk is processed, it must be stored which always has to always remain cool. And with no electricity, the milk loses its value, resulting in capital and profit loss.
Skhosana says the following alternative energy methods used are:
- Generators (but it is still an expensive process), so it’s not sustainable.
- Get some diesel tanks on the farm during load shedding – it is more stable than petrol prices.
- Solar energy (for long-term sustainability)
Animal health implications
Davidzo Chizhengeni, animal scientist and founder of KvD Livestock, explains that the implication of load shedding on animal health is critical too.
It causes stress on animals when routines are suddenly thrown out the window, as in the case of cows.
“You can just imagine at 3am, the first lot of cows needing to be milked and all of a sudden, there’s no electricity,” he explains.
If cows are not milked, it causes pressure on the udder of the cows and farmers can lose money.
Farmers need to be aware of mastitis, which can increase the bacterial count affecting the quality of the milk, he warns.
Poultry farming
Due to load shedding, poultry farmer, Jo-andra Gregory is experiencing increased mortality, slow growth and increased labour costs.
“As a poultry farmer, I feel I am a bit demotivated walking into the coop to see that your animals are literally just dying because they could not get warm,” says Gregory.
But more than ever, Gregory is determined to find solutions instead of complaining about the reality of all farmers in Mzansi.
She provides the following solutions:
- Increased workmanship, though capital intensive, is best to have an eye on your coop.
- Generators are useful, but at times they can’t power the heating solutions so it’s not sustainable.
- Using wood to start fires to keep chickens warm can be an option as well.
Gregory explains that even though employing more workers or running generators isn’t sustainable, farmers need to survive.
Challenging the business modules
According to Dr Malan, the business modules upon which agriculture is built in South Africa, are in question. It’s important to reinvent those modules because load shedding is taking so much from the economy in various ways and farmers are feeling the brunt of it,
“It’s not only that there are resource scarcities, but also in the way the enterprise modules work. Because they are focused on one thing, for example, milk only focuses on milk,” says Malan.
He adds that different business modules will have to change the equation of how solvent farmers are. A sustainable circular business module will work, and this will take time to be able to grow successfully and independently.
“Redesign and catch all the leaks can give you a resilient system which is important in the time of sustainability and climate change, ‘’ advises Malan.
Malan’s solution to think sustainably:
- Divide your business into systems.
- Look at how energy relationships flow into your systems.
- Look at the water system.
- Look at the waste system.
- Look at the land system.
- Look at the marketing system.
- Also, look at the operational system of farming.
Malan emphasises that when farming operations are rethought and driven for sustainable redesign, the impact of costs and the way it is driven by costs, can change in a major way.
He notes that this will not be an overnight success, but it is worth looking at long-term as the Eskom issues in South Africa will take up to seven years to solve.
ALSO READ: ‘18.65% Eskom hike is daylight robbery’
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