Climate-proofing agricultural production

As climate change leads to decreased rainfall and more extreme weather events across South Africa, producers must rethink their farming practices to enhance climate resilience

- Glenneis Kriel.

A t the Hortgro Symposium held in Somerset West earlier this year, Johan Kotze, production head at Dutoit Agri's Eastern Cape business division, quoted a PwC report, according to which climate change was identified as a major world threat, especially to agriculture.

"PWC expects food production to decline by 16% globally and 28% in Africa over the next 50 years due to unpredictable weather. This, in turn, is expected to drive up the demand for energy by 50% and water by 40%, while adding pressure on green economies and food security," Kotze said.

CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE The crisis is sparking a greater awareness of climate-smart agricultural practices.

Kotze said the idea behind climatesmart agriculture was to enhance the climate resilience of farming systems, increase production and produce food with a higher nutritional value, all while using less synthetic fertilisers and pesticides and without adding strain on natural resources.

For him, climate-smart agriculture starts with good preparation for changing climatic conditions, especially when planning future orchards: "You need to start early, with a detailed and comprehensive plan, and make sure you think of everything." Kotze identified water availability and quality, the micro and macro climate, soil quality and health, and genetics as the key considerations when developing climate-smart orchards.

WATER REQUIREMENTS