In the 05 August 2019 note we sketched out the importance of the recently signed African Continental Free Trade Agreement to South Africa’s agricultural sector .

The recent report by the presidential advisory panel on land reform and agriculture proposes the design of a number of policies and white papers to be drafted by the government and stakeholders.

White farmers who are productive on agricultural land should be compensated by the state for their assets at a discounted price and allowed to continue producing and not be removed.

Scientists have now quantified the global decline of big freshwater animals: From 1970 to 2012, global populations of freshwater megafauna declined by 88% - twice the loss of vertebrate populations on land or in the ocean. Large fish species are particularly affected.

South African agriculture, with certain exceptions, faces slow growth in coming years

With pressure building on politicians to make good on the largely unimplemented land reform process linked to the increasingly urgent need to address inequality and unemployment, the debate on expropriation without compensation has been foremost in the minds of many.