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Food shortages, South Africa, Farming , loomJohannesburg - South Africa is facing the prospect of looming food shortages in the next 10 years as the country struggles to attract new talent to its ageing crop of commercial farmers, according to Deloitte. Data from farming organisation AgriSA shows that the average age of a South African farmer is 62, considerably higher than the EU median age of 55 and also older than the US (58) and Australia (53), a factor that is likely to put considerable pressure on the nation’s status as a net food producer. Compounding this is the fact that South Africa, which is already battling a chronic electricity shortage, is considered semi-arid in most parts with a 2009 World Bank study estimating that just 11.82 percent of its 1,221,037 square kilometres of land is arable. “The average age of a commercial farmer in this country is around 62 and we’re simply not attracting enough new farmers to the sector to fill the gap they are going to leave as they start to retire over the next decade,” says Omri van Zyl, a Senior Associate at Deloitte. “If you think the electricity shortage is an issue for the economy, just imagine what a food shortage would do. At least you can use a generator to produce electricity if there’s a blackout but you can’t do much if you don’t have any food.”

 

female farmers, Climate smart agriclture, Knowledge

“Before I didn’t say anything, during meetings,” says farmer Josephine Mutua, a soft-spoken but assured woman from Eastern Kenya. “Now that I have knowledge about different agricultural techniques I have the confidence to speak up and share the information in church or when I have visitors,” she explains. Josephine credits this change to her role in managing a climate-smart learning site as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) climate-smart village activities in Makueni, Kenya. Together with her neighbour Queen Teva, the duo is taking the lead to show how women can make their farms climate-smart. As they gain new skills and knowledge, there is no limit to what they can achieve.

The Business of Bee Keeping in BotswanaTo celebrate International Women’s Day we are profiling young entrepreneur Tshepiso Marumo, from Botswana, who has been keeping bees and producing honey based products since 2007. We find out about the challenges she has faced to get her business off the ground, and the tips she has for aspiring agriculture entrepreneurs.

This blog is part of an ongoing partnership with Farming First.

GFRAS logoThe ICT4RAS interest group of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) is conducting a global survey to understand the use of social media by the stakeholders of agricultural extension and advisory services.

Please give your views on social media in the following questionnaire titled “Social Media for agricultural extension and advisory services: A global survey” .

farmingfirst, agriculture, Louis malassis International prizeFarming First is pleased to act as media partner for the Louis Malassis International Scientific Prize and the inaugural Olam Prize for Innovation in Food Security. Our new blog series will showcase stories from scientists nominated for these prestigious prizes. The third blog in this series outlines the work of Dr. Fernando Rafael Funes Monzote, nominated for the Louis Malassis International Scientific Prize for Outstanding Career in Agriculture.

Adopting agro-ecological approaches for a food-secure Latin America