CULTIVATING THE FUTURE

Every seed planted carries more than the promise of food or fibre, it carries the promise of nourishment and community. Agriculture is not only about food on our plates, but also about the quiet daily work that sustains life itself. Too often, this work goes unnoticed, yet it shapes our health, our economy and our shared future in profound ways.

Across our country, extraordinary stories are unfolding. In Skeerpoort, young learners are steering tractors with tablets, piloting drones across elds and discovering how technology can make farms more efficient and sustainable. In the Western Cape’s vineyards, emerging farmers are rewriting history, cultivating wine that tells a story of resilience and renewal. These are not just distant headlines; they are explicit reminders that agriculture is alive with innovation and possibility, right here at home.

Beneath it all lies the soil, which, when cared for, produces food that nourishes our families, but when neglected, its decline ripples through entire communities. South African farmers are champions of incorporating the latest innovations to ensure our soil’s health, showing that caring for the earth is inseparable from caring for people.

While global trade winds shift and politics become complex, our farmers continue to rise each morning, adapt and persevere. They are proving that sustainability is not merely a slogan, but a way of living – balancing livelihoods, fairness and stewardship of the land, all while managing increasing challenges that threaten our food security.

As you turn the pages of this issue, may you see not just facts and figures, but the human heartbeat of agriculture. Let us remember that every loaf of bread, every glass of wine, every meal with family is a gift from those who prepare the soil, plant, harvest or tend to their livestock or poultry.

Elriza Theron

Sales Project Manager: Jacqueline Bezuidenhout

Cell: +27(0) 78 172 7776

Email: jacquelineb@picasso.co.za