For small-holder farmers aspiring to progress to a commercial level, it is crucial to implement an efficient system that they understand, for them to manage their farms as a business.

General farm business management and governance refers to a collection of management processes that are required for planning and implementing the core business area of a farm. These processes may be linked together to form a single system, using mutual objectives. They are the function of (and expressed as) the formal structure, policies, procedures, processes, and resources that are needed to implement the farm's general management system. This ultimately influences and affects the farm's ability to meet its goals.

Broad farm business management and governance systems of successful farms mostly share the following characteristics:

• Integration with other value chain role players, based on rational decision making;
• Flexible enough to adapt to specific conditions and changing circumstances at the farm level;
• Decentralized and tailored for specific local requirements, commodities, and markets;
• Strict monitoring and control measures that serve as early warning systems for potential problems (prevention and mitigation).

Against the above, this month we discuss Agri-Business for small-holder farmers in South Africa.

Members of the rural community are the heart of agriculture. When they work together and are organised into a strong, united agricultural front, they can promote positive, sustainable change in social and economic relationships, which ultimately supports the goals of growth and development in South Africa's rural economy.

"Social facilitation" refers to the range of activities undertaken to organise a community of individuals or loosely grouped small-holder farmers into a larger coherent group or cooperative to take advantage of efficiencies advantages of economies of scale. It also entails to the range of activities undertaken to obtain good relationships with the local community and interest groups, towards securing community buy-in, cooperation, participation, and to help solve existing social challenges.

Positive social facilitation with the local community and interest groups is essential for the success of any small-holder support intervention, especially if farming units are cooperatives or schemes that rely on the local community members to work closely together.

Against the above, this month we discuss the importance of community building for small-holder farmers and its impact on rural economic development in South Africa.

Although it is accepted that South Africa has fulfilled the First Millennium Development Goal of combatting hunger at a national level, it has unfortunately not translated into food security for low-income rural and urban households. In general, food insecurity is naturally multifaceted and multidimensional - emphasising the important role played by subsistence farming towards supporting the livelihood of food-insecure households. Self-sufficiency farmers focus on growing enough food to feed themselves and their families, thus helping to mitigate the effects of high food price inflation and making their subsistence production even more relevant to these households.

While farmers at all scales of production face the same common threats to their productivity and livelihood, challenges for subsistence farmers go beyond harsh weather, pests and diseases. Input prices across the whole spectrum are mostly simply just out of their reach, while they continuously also have to deal with challenges in the form of poor infrastructure and other support systems.

General hikes in food prices and other commodities have further contributed in pushing many households towards a state of food insecurity, with profound social, economic and political implications.

In this perspective, we need to do all in our power to facilitate and encourage significant increases in subsistence farming productivity to help ensure long-term food security. This month we discuss the importance of subsistence farming for food security in South Africa.

Increasing trade in agriculture is an important role of governments and economies, as it is a way of ensuring food security while ensuring that farmers remain competitive and productive. Different regions and continents have different trade agreements and rules for the importing and exporting of food, with resulting influences on agricultural production - the supply and demand of food - and food prices.

The dominant narrative presented by advocates of trade liberalisation is that the removal of trade barriers enhances food security. They argue that open trade policies will increase the availability of food and make it more affordable. Of course, when a country becomes a nett importer of food, problems arise. There is a real risk that weaker economies become victim to "dumping" of surplus produce by larger producers/economies - as perceived in chicken products imported into South Africa during 2016. The result of mostly subsidised farmers overproducing in those countries.

Large broiler producers complained that they were negatively affected, and for small-scale and emerging farmers it had, in some reported cases, disastrous effects as they just could not compete with the imported goods sold at lower prices. These are the reasons why the relationship between trade and food security has been a topic of the long-standing debate on agricultural trade.

South Africa is a signatory to a number of international trade agreements under the World Trade Organization and other international standard setting bodies. As it stands, South Africa's trade and market policies have significantly benefited large-scale commercial farmers, while rendering small-scale farmers more vulnerable, and stifling the development and entrance of emerging farmers.

In an era of increasing and diverse dietary requirements, small-scale and emerging farmers are critical contributors to the stability of food security as they provide a diversity of management practices and resources that cater for smaller niche markets. It is therefore important to look at the effects of trade agreements and these producers. This month we unpack the link between trade agreements, food security and the measures taken to support it.

From us @ManstratAIS, we wish you a productive agricultural season.

The predominant narrative for women in agriculture, especially from rural African communities, is one of perpetual struggle and significant gender disparities in the way that critical resources that are essential for success in agriculture are distributed. For instance, access to land still presents a challenge for this demographic, yet they make significant contributions through their roles as farmers, labourers and entrepreneurs. Although this significance is difficult to quantify with any accuracy, it is often claimed in literature that women produce 60 to 80 percent of food in most developing countries and half of the world's food supply (Momsen, 1991; Mehra and Rojas, 2008).

The importance of women in agriculture is further supported by leaders such as Ms Bandama, who in discussing the Crucial Role of African Women in Agriculture/Agribusiness at the 4th Annual Women in Agric/Agribiz Summit 2016 in Johannesburg, stated that efforts to reduce gender disparities would allow women in the agricultural sector to contribute more efficiently to food production. However, studies by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (Farming First) show that female farmers control less land globally. In addition, according to Sizani Ngubane –founder of the Rural Women's Movement (RWM) - "...only one out of about 300 traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal allocated land to women in October 2014". It is therefore important to improve transformation and remove infrastructure constraints in this sector in order to encourage more rural women to help in achieving economies of scale for food security.

With initiatives such as RWM, which advocate women's land rights and use of natural resources, more women are finally able to participate in agricultural activities, while building confidence, leadership and security. This month we discuss the importance of assisting women in agriculture.

From us @ManstratAIS, we wish you a productive agricultural season.

Evidence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is all around us - from intelligent robots and self-driving cars to genetic editing. Building on the Third Industrial Revolution that uses electronics and information technology to automate production, the fourth revolution brings with it a range of new technologies that combine the physical, digital and biological spheres.

These new technologies are predicted to have a significant impact on all disciplines, economies and industries. However, for most Africans (estimated at 80%), employed in Agriculture, it holds much uncertainty as cereal, and fibre crop production will most certainly be taken over by robots.

In South Africa, the current economic phase represents the ending of the Third Industrial Revolution - a significant portion of our labour force is already unemployed. The fourth revolution is predicted to add to this pool at a much faster rate, adding to more poverty, and reduced competitiveness in general, as a country. South Africa - and many other African countries - must adapt to the realities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution - or die, let alone, taking its rightful place in the world, in future.

Everything is not doom and gloom, though. There are various examples to illustrate how innovations have transformed agriculture on the African continent. Suggesting that the continent can be a beneficiary, rather than a victim of this revolution. For example, there is the possibility to work with nanotechnology. Technology for the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale such as Nano-porous zeolites used for slow-release fertigation for plants, nutrients and drugs for livestock. All showing, that technology and innovation have much to offer to in the production of food, and general agricultural development. This month, we discuss the impact of the fourth industrial revolution in South African agriculture.

From us at Manstrat, we wish you a productive agricultural season.

Farmers are increasingly under pressure to feed the growing world population, which is generally predicted to rise from 7.3 billion today to 9.7 billion in 2050. Therefore, if farmers are to continue to feed the world, they need to produce more, at a higher quality, and in a sustainable manner. This is the basic principle of precision agriculture which is currently promoted by the exponential incorporation of robots with the approaching 4th industrial revolution. In this revolution, the mechanical, digital, biological and human world are expected to see a collaboration that will give rise to ground-breaking changes that will change humankind and the world as we know it.

Already, robots have been manufactured to do everything from re-planting young seedlings to watering, trimming and harvesting crops. They bring with them incredible precision, productivity, and flexibility. Additionally, some robots are built to work hand-in-hand with human workers to further increase flexibility and efficiency. Take for example the reported success of the world's first "robot farm" in Japan. Labour shortages driven by the country's rapidly ageing population resulted in the deployment of robots to grow lettuce.

There are however many challenges that lie ahead with the development of technology in agriculture in South Africa. This includes the decreasing availability of the technical skills required to drive the vision forward with the youth turning away from farming. For this month, we highlight the importance of youth in agriculture.

From us at Manstrat, we wish you a productive agricultural season.

Agricultural biodiversity, also known as Agrobiodiversity, is a vital subset of Biodiversity. It is the result of centuries of careful selection and inventive developments of farmers which boost the productivity of ecosystems. Each species, no matter how small, has a significant role to play. For example, a broader variety of plant species equates to a greater variety of crops. In addition, ecosystems with a full scope of genetic variety for animals, plants and micro-organisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture - including crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries - can better withstand and recover from various natural disasters. Therefore, declining Agrobiodiversity is a concern for many reasons.

In South Africa, communities that have maintained Agrobiodiversity are increasingly coming under pressure from stress factors such as drought, disease outbreaks, crop failure and poor storage conditions. As a result, the quantity of animals, plants and micro-organisms available to farmers for production becomes negatively affected. This month, we focus on the importance of conserving Agrobiodiversity on South African farms and the strategies to do so. From us at Manstrat, we wish you a productive agricultural season.

As with any other enterprise, risk is an integral part of farming. Some risks can result in severe losses and even financial ruin. Many risks are unique to agriculture - weather is a prime example. But food producers also face the financial risks common to all businesses, aggravating the overall risk farmers must face. All this makes It imperative for producers to be exposed to risk management practices and to apply risk management skills to anticipate the risks inherent to agricultural production, and to act timeously to reduce the consequences thereof.

Some of the most common risks that farmers need to address include production, marketing, asset, financial, legal, and human resources risks:

1 Production Risk

Farming is affected by various climatic related events like extreme or unwanted weather conditions - too little, or too much rain, temperatures that are too high or too low- and hail, insects, diseases, etc.

2 Marketing Risk

We associate marketing risks with unexpected or radical changes in input and output prices, market upsets like consumer tastes and preferences, etc.

3 Legal Risk

Legal risks result from policy and regulatory changes by local and foreign regulators. This may also include protectionist actions like current efforts by Spanish orange producers to block South African competitors from operating in the EU.

4 Human Resource Risks

Disruptive changes may result from events like health and injuries to workers or the farmer, as well as industrial action and strikes.

5 Asset risk

This risk involves damage to equipment, buildings, and livestock due to theft, fire, water and other damage etc.

6 Financial Risk

Financial risks start with how capital is raised and financed, to unexpected increases in interest rates, cash flow problems caused by expensive borrowing and financial practices, as well as unforeseen cost outputs.

While most commercial farmers are likely to have some form of "risk management" plans in place, small-scale farmers often just don't have the knowledge and finances to address risk issues in the same way as the commercial concerns.

To help manage risk, its best to start by identifying the most significant risks faced by farmers. The next step would be to understand the potential impact and likelihood of undesired outcomes, and lastly to identify all the possible steps required to mitigate or lessen the impact.

Look out for more articles this month as we discuss the management of risk in the agricultural sector.

From us at Manstrat, we wish you a productive agricultural season.

Although South Africa has one of the cleanest water systems in the world, we belong to that group of countries regarded as "water scarce" with a growing water crisis. Our country ranks as one of the 30 driest countries in the world with an average annual rainfall of less than 500 mm - compared to the global average - of approximately 850 mm. Despite this hampering situation, between 37% and 42% of our potable water is unaccounted for.

Various reasons contribute to this growing water crisis in South Africa. They include the lack of sanitation and access to water in rural communities, climate change, wastage and infrequent rain distribution. In addition, the impact of water scarcity on agriculture in the country includes:

• Stress on the grain stocks, especially yellow and white maize and wheat;
• Crop failure and livestock losses in four declared provinces;
• The loss of income and the inability to service loans where the farming enterprises suffered losses due to drought;
• The threat to household food security on farms and in remote rural communities.

As a result, water restrictions had to be implemented in various parts of the country. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries also introduced the following measures to mitigate the impact of the water crisis to all small-holder farmers:

• The provision of livestock feed and alternative grazing on available state farms and R226 million was reprioritised and allocated;
• The drilling and equipping of additional boreholes for livestock water in the affected areas;
• Facilitating and supporting credit challenges due to crop failure with IDC, Land Bank and other development financial institutions;
• Monitoring food prices through the Food Price Monitoring Committee under the National Agricultural Council to inform appropriate measures to maintain food security;
• Strengthening climate change adaptation programmes developed for the sector; and
• Coordinating interdepartmental food and nutrition security interventions to mitigate the effects of drought on farm workers and rural communities.

However, these strategies cannot be effective and sustainable without the partnership of all stakeholders including communities to use water sparingly. This month we highlight the importance of conserving water in South Africa's agricultural sector. The aim is to promote the sustainable use of water concerning practices and technologies that integrate the management of land, biodiversity, and other environmental resources to meet our social, economic and environmental needs.

From us at Manstrat, we wish you a productive agricultural season.

References:

• Blignaut, J. N. & Van Heerden, J., 2009. The impact of water scarcity on economic development initiatives. Water SA, Volume 35, p. 4.
• Government of South Africa, 2015. Government on water scarcity and drought. [Online] Available at: http://www.gov.za/speeches/gov... [Accessed 24 January 2017].

According to the United Nations Population Division projections, the world's stands at more than 7 billion people today and is expected to rise to eight billion by 2030, and over nine billion by 2050. This means that the world will need to build the equivalent of a city of one million people in developing countries, every five days. There is widespread consensus that, going forward, decisions made over the next decade will have important direct and indirect effects on the food production system. For instance, farmers will have to produce more food per unit of land, water, and agrochemicals. However, to do so, they will have to employ innovative strategies to exploit natural resources while facing challenges such as climate change; changes in the size and nature of per capita demand; future governance of the global food system at both national and international levels; and changes in values and ethical stances of consumers.

To capacitate agricultural role players to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead for African food production, this month, we outline the drivers of change that will affect African food production.

From us @ManstratAIS, we wish you a productive agricultural season.