The agricultural sector is buzzing across the continent this week with a variety of webinars scheduled that unpack everything from food system resilience in Africa to the agricultural value chain. Farmers can also learn more about remote sensing technology or sign up online to bid at a livestock auction. You can email info@foodformzansi.co.za to have your event added to our weekly calendar.
Happy Monday, Mzansi! Spring has sprung, but only just. So, if you don’t enjoy being out in the elements, there’s no reason not to remain in your favourite cosy chair while you participate in this week’s agricultural events.
As always, we start the week off with Food for Mzansi’s own #FarmSpaces event on Twitter. If research is more your thing, register for the Global Conference on Agriculture and Horticulture 2021. On Thursday, farmers in the Western Cape can learn how to use FruitLook, an online tool for remote sensing and precision agriculture.
Check out the calendar on Food for Mzansi’s homepage as well as this weekly article, published every Monday, to get the lowdown on informative, useful and even lucrative opportunities in the agriculture sector. Email info@foodformzansi.co.za to add your event to the calendar.
Monday, 6 September
Join us for this week’s Food For Mzansi #FarmSpaces, with Gugulethu Mahlangu
Are you an aspirant farmer looking for more information on how to get into the agricultural sector? Do you have a smartphone and a Twitter account? Join us then, every Monday at 18:00 for Food For Mzansi #FarmSpaces, held in partnership with one of agriculture’s favourite daughters, Gugulethu Mahlangu.
This week’s edition is all about how to thrive as a township farmer. Follow us at @FoodforMzansi to participate!
Tuesday, 7 September
Register for the Global Conference on Agriculture and Horticulture
Early bird registration for the Global Conference on Agriculture and Horticulture, also called Agri 2021, is open. The conference is taking place online between 30 September and 2 October, and participants have until 15 September to register.
The conference will feature presentations on a variety of topics, including agricultural biotechnology, agronomy and crop sciences and digital agriculture. The purpose of the conference is to allow academics, and other stakeholders in the agriculture and horticulture fields, to improve their knowledge and share their experiences around productivity in these industries.
For more information on how to register, click here.
Unpack inclusive agricultural transformation in Africa
Hosted by a variety of organisations, including the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD), the Alliance for African Partnership and the World Bank, the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2021 summit aims to explore food system sustainability and how this differs across the continent. Experts will discuss strategies that increase the resilience of food systems in Africa, with both agricultural productivity and economic transformation in mind.
For more information, click here.
Wednesday, 8 September
The Impact of Covid-19 on food systems
Hosted by FSNet-Africa, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security and the University of Pretoria, this webinar seeks to explore how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected food security in South Africa, Ghana and Tanzania. The discussion centres around the impact of the pandemic on farmers, the agricultural market, street traders and others.
Register for the webinar here.
ALSO READ: Covid-19: African farmers lost 80% of revenue in 2020
Thursday, 9 September
Connecting the agri food value chain
Taking place over two days, Market Access Africa (MAA) is being held at the Durban International Convention Centre in KwaZulu-Natal. The event is hosted by the African Agri Council NPC and is available to stream online as well.
The purpose of MAA is to connect sellers and buyers across the agricultural value chain, thus improving access to regional and international markets. Topics include the latest agricultural technologies, handling and storage and trade finance solutions.
For more information on this event, click here.
FruitLook training sessions
Agritech company FruitLook is hosting a training session on how to use their data and website to assess land and water productivity in the Western Cape. FruitLook’s technology uses remote sensing and is crafted for precision agriculture. The training will take place in four bilingual sessions, with the first session held in Afrikaans.
To register, click here.
Friday, 10 September
Northern Cape Bonsmara Group production sale in Kimberly
The Northern Cape Bonsmara Group is holding its 19th production auction in Kimberley, with nearly 200 animals on offer. Bidders can attend the auction in person, as well as online using SwiftVee.
For more information, contact Jannie van der Westhuizen on 083 969 4236 or Johann van der Nest on 082 574 4220.
View the catalogue here.
