Jaap Knot

There is growing evidence that soil degradation, among other factors, has led to both the decline and constraint of agriculture in southern Africa. Conservation and regenerative agriculture (CA/RA) have been proposed as a grain crop production system that could slow down, halt or even reverse some of these disturbing trends. But the question remain...

Required: An acknowledgment of the fact that: Farming methods, irrespective of the scale, that have a high environmental demand and are largely dependent on external inputs are leading to the depletion and degradation of natural resources; this is unsustainable and irresponsible, If the health of the natural resources, especially soil, is compromis...

The current development of a Conservation Agriculture (CA) policy for South Africa is a positive step for the country, as it moves to a sustainable agriculture regime. It should be recognized, however, that the conditions of a transition towards more sustainable agriculture and food system are a matter of intense debate and of utmost importance to...

http://www.sagreenfund.org.za/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Sustainable-Farming-in-SA-Lit-Review-Asset-Research.compressed.pdf

In South Africa arable land and permanent pastures account for 10–12% of land, while agriculture uses 63% of the country’s water resources. South Africa has a debilitating water deficit with no surplus water available for future development. It is therefore of utmost importance to identify and promote production systems with a high water-use effici...