Early season installation of N-Drip piping in a raisin grape vineyard in Kakamas, Northern Cape. Introduction Water sources are in distress globally due to climate change, population growth, pollution, and inefficient agricultural practices[i]. The Orange River is no different. Historically, the River has had an abundant supply of water, which has enabled the majority of

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) programme of the US Department of Agriculture has recently released the findings of their 2019-2020 National Cover Crop Survey. The survey includes perspectives from 1,172 farmers in the United States. Here are some interesting findings from the report: Area under cover crops According to the survey, the area

According to the European Food Safety Authority[1], there is no evidence that food is a source or a transmission route of the novel Coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. But consumers might start to worry about fruit like grapes or strawberries. Were they hand-picked or packed? Was the person who picked or packed them healthy? What sanitising

As the installation of flowmeters increases on farms and on irrigation schemes, the need and demand for verification and re-calibration services are also increasing. Inaccurate meters refute the purpose of water metering, and a grower can incur a steep fine from the local Water User Association if he withdraws more than his allocation as a

Ons het by Hanke du Toit, die hoofbestuurder van die Oranje-Riet Watergebruikersvereniging, navraag gedoen oor die herkalibrasiediens wat hulle aan lede verskaf. Hoekom het julle besluit om so ‘n diens te lewer? Dis baie goedkoper as om ‘n kontrakteur te kry. Die laaste kwotasie wat ons van ‘n verskaffer ontvang het, in 2017, was R1524

Baie hoë intensiewe besproeiingsboerdery vind plaas in Pongola, Noord-Natal, oor ‘n area van 17 000 ha. 97% van gewasproduksie bestaan uit suikerriet. Die Pongolagebied het geen noemenswaardige ondergrondse water nie en is totaal afhanklik van reënval en die Pongolariviersisteem. Die Impala Watergebruikersvereniging (Impala WGV) verskaf en beheer die grootmaat watervoorsienig uit die bron. Die belangrikste

In South Africa, 1,2 million hectares are under irrigation. With most of the Water Management Areas (WMAs) facing a deficit in water availability, how do we ensure that each crop gets a drop? The DWS requires all water users to measure, monitor and report their use. Why? Because we need to know how much we

The Karsten Group has several farms along the Orange river. Previously, we have focused on installing water meters at the pump stations of individual irrigation units on these farms. The water meters helped us to accurately monitor how much irrigation water goes to the different blocks. The meters also helped us to apply the

Water use efficiency The term ‘’water use efficiency’’ is widely used and propagated in irrigation agriculture literature. Unfortunately, the term 'water use efficiency' is used in different meanings in the literature and by stakeholder groups in agriculture, creating confusion in discussions. Batchelor et al. (2017) in an FAO publication recommends that the term be avoided,