Water Scarcity Drives New Practices in Cape Winelands

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Water Scarcity Drives New Practices in Cape Winelands

The Western Cape Agricultural Department has decided to fund the development of an open web portal, called FruitLook.

fruitlook.pngThis application grants farmer’s access to satellite-based information catered to their location, crop, water usage, and a multitude of other factors. The software also provides detailed weekly updates on actual evapotranspiration, biomass production and leaf nitrogen content. 

In the last two decades, South Africa has lost close to 30% of its farmlands due to water scarcity. Recently, the Western Cape has seen the worst drought to hit the region in the last century.

purple-grapes-553463_960_720.jpgStress areas such as water, soil and disease, can then be investigated further to determine what solutions farmers can implement to mitigate production loss.

Mobile technology is aiding in far more than physical data. Farmers in rural areas on the continent are increasingly using mobile solutions to source buyers, other traders that allow for better leveraging, and the best prices possible for their produce, using platforms such as  Agrista , of which Absa is a partner.

Simple changes in practices can result in better efficiencies, reduced impact on the environment, and farmland less prone to climatic changes, all of which have a positive influence on production yields. There is much room for development to harness the potential of agriculture in young people’s lives, by improving financial literacy, building technology and innovation skills and creating a new breed of policymakers in order to see the implementation of better policies.

The South African wine industry and agricultural sector as a whole, has shifted towards a more intensified production system. This shift from the traditional sense of farming has included increased irrigation, fuel, mechanization, use of genetically modified seed and fertilizer inputs. In coping with increasing populations, and our fragile ecosystem experiencing more frequent droughts, modern technologies will continue to impact on farming methods we have traditionally come to know. 

Written by Wessel Lemmer, Senior Agricultural Economist | Absa 
Read full article: CNBC Africa

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