South African Farming
Gene Editing Key to Grain Farmers’ Competitiveness as Prices Decline
South African grain farmers face shrinking profit margins over the next decade as global grain prices drop and input costs rise. Experts at the launch of the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy’s Baseline 2025 warn that adopting favourable regulations for new breeding technologies (NBTs), including gene-edited (GEd) crops, is vital to sustain productivity. Unlike GMOs, GEd crops contain no foreign DNA and can accelerate seed innovation. With other nations like Brazil advancing rapidly, South Africa risks falling further behind unless policies are harmonised to encourage investment, innovation, and competitiveness in global markets.
Read full story: Farmer’s Weekly
Date Published: August 14, 2025
Raven Leads Precision Farming Revolution with Cutting-Edge Connectivity and Control
Raven Industries, now part of CNH Industrial, is driving advancements in precision farming through integrated machine control, connectivity, and data-driven decision-making. Its cloud-based Slingshot® platform syncs machinery for real-time collaboration, while technologies like the Rate Control Module and HawkEye®2 Nozzle Control System ensure pinpoint application of seeds, fertilisers, and chemicals. Vision tools such as Carbon Bee and Augmenta® enable plant- and field-level agronomic insights, allowing ultra-targeted treatments. Combined with advanced GPS guidance, fleet management, and remote diagnostics, Raven’s innovations help farmers boost efficiency, cut costs, and reduce environmental impact.
Read full story: Farmer’s Weekly
Date Published: August 15, 2025
African Farming
Kenyan Farmers Turn to Bees and Sesame to Deter Crop-Raiding Elephants
Farmers in Kenya’s Taita hills are using innovative methods to protect crops from elephants that damage fields and sometimes harm people. Supported by conservation group Save The Elephants, 50 farmers have installed beehives strung on wires that shake when touched, releasing bees that deter elephants. Others, like 70-year-old Gertrude Jackim, have switched to sesame, whose scent repels the animals. These approaches reduce human-elephant conflict, improve safety, and provide extra income through honey sales. Conservationists hope such measures foster coexistence, lessening the need for lethal retaliation in a region bordering unfenced national parks.
Read full story: Morning Ag Clips
Date Published: August 14, 2025
Global Farming
Agritechnica 2025 Puts Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Health in the Spotlight
Agritechnica 2025 will showcase regenerative agriculture as a central theme, focusing on soil health, climate resilience, and practical farming solutions. Organised by the DLG, the event will feature international expert panels, case studies, and tools to help farmers adopt practices such as reduced tillage, cover cropping, and diverse rotations. These methods aim to boost carbon storage, improve water retention, and maintain yields amid climate change and EU sustainability regulations. The “Soil Health” spotlight and “Smart Efficiency” stage in Hall 24 will run from 9–15 November in Hannover, with the key regenerative agriculture panel scheduled for 11 November.
Read full story: The News Market
Date Published: August 14, 2025
Carbon Farming Could Turn India’s Fields into Powerful Climate Allies
India’s agricultural sector, responsible for one-seventh of its greenhouse gas emissions, could become a major carbon sink through carbon farming — practices such as low- or no-till cultivation, crop rotation, biochar use, and manure application. These regenerative methods can boost soil carbon stocks, cut emissions from fertilisers, rice cultivation, and crop burning, and improve yields and water retention. Community-led models in Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh show promise, but adoption is hindered by low awareness, high labour demands, and weak institutional support. Expanding carbon markets, secure land rights, and blended financing could help scale these climate-smart approaches.
Read full story: Nature
Date Published: August 14, 2025
Argentina Set to Boost Corn Planting by Up to 20% Amid Favourable Conditions
Farmers in Argentina’s central crop region plan to increase corn planting by 15–20% in the 2025/26 season, according to the Rosario grains exchange. The expansion, starting in September, is encouraged by strong soil moisture levels and reduced profitability for soybeans, which compete for planting area. Last season saw 8.3 million hectares sown, producing 48.5 million tonnes of corn. However, the exchange warned of potential threats from leafhoppers, which caused severe damage in 2023/24. For wheat, planting is complete with adequate moisture reserves, and the harvest forecast remains at 20 million tonnes for November.
Read full story: Successful Farming https://www.agriculture.com/partners-argentina-exchange-sees-corn-planting-up-as-much-as-20-in-coming-campaign-11790741
Date Published: August 14, 2025
Indonesia and Japan Train Palestinian Delegation in Avocado Cultivation
Indonesia and Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), have launched a two-week avocado cultivation training programme for Palestine to boost production and marketing skills. Running from 11–25 August in multiple Indonesian cities, the course involves 15 Palestinian government representatives and covers both theory and field practice. Avocados are seen as a high-value crop with potential to strengthen Palestine’s economy. The initiative, part of the South-South Triangular Cooperation framework and CEAPAD’s capacity-building efforts, underscores Indonesia and Japan’s ongoing commitment to Palestinian agricultural development since 2007.
Read full story: Fresh Plaza
Date Published: August 14, 2025
