Consumers’ ideas about high-risk foods are not always reality- or evidence-based. By Engela Duvenage. The story of how Scottish physician James Lind used citrus fruit to successfully treat scurvy among sailors in 1747 is a classic example of the health…
The South African fruit industry needs a stronger voice to influence relevant, practical, and standardised sustainability requirements. By Engela Duvenage. More than 300 different sustainability standards, industry initiatives, frameworks, and guidelines set out by governments and retailers around the world…
Humankind is pushing earth systems and natural resources to their limits. Business strategies must meaningfully, positively, decisively, and transformatively deliver sustainability impacts. By Engela Duvenage. Business practices are costing the earth’s natural and socio-economic systems dearly, according to David Farrell,…
After nearly imploding in 2023, there are minor improvements in South Africa’s freight system, thanks to government intervention and private-sector support. By Engela Duvenage. The transport sector is crucial to a country of South Africa’s size, said macro-logistics researcher and…
Mealiness was probably a Forelle issue long before it was first planted in South Africa in the 1800s. How is modern science solving this old problem? By Engela Duvenage. Research on Forelle was already underway by the 1990s, with work…
The invasive polyphagous shot-hole borer threatens fruit trees. By Engela Duvenage. Polyphagous shot-hole borers began killing trees in gardens and forests nationwide in the past five years. Prof. Francois Roets of the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at Stellenbosch…
Climate change is driving biological invasions in temperate European zones. What is being done to protect agriculture? By Engela Duvenage. Warmer weather is increasingly allowing tropical pests and other species to persist throughout winter, and become problems, according to applied…
Dr Aruna Manrakhan of Citrus Research International reviews its use in South African citrus and deciduous fruit. By Engela Duvenage. “Prior to 1980, fruit industries relied on single-point disinfestation treatments to mitigate insect pest risks,” said Manrakhan. “The ban or…
South African growers need to practice effective pest and disease control if they want to continue exporting their fruit. By Engela Duvenage. Phytosanitary requirements, along with non-technical and preferential trade barriers, can make or break South African performance in the…
Predictive models can help growers to better align their spray programmes with infection risk — but how well do they work in practice? By Engela Duvenage. Predictive models are only as good as the data available for input. In addition,…