South African News
G20 Leaders Prioritise Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security
The 2025 G20 Leaders’ Declaration places agriculture and food security at the centre of global policy, acknowledging rising hunger levels and the urgent need for resilient food systems. Commitments include improved soil and water management, climate adaptation, biodiversity protection and strengthened support for smallholders, women and youth. A major achievement for South Africa is the adoption of the Ubuntu Approaches on Food Security and Nutrition, aimed at reducing price volatility and enhancing market transparency. The declaration also boosts backing for African agricultural development, climate-resilient infrastructure, early-warning systems and technology-driven farming innovations, signalling increased investment opportunities for African producers.
Read full story: Farmer’s Weekly
Date Published: November 23, 2025
Ramaphosa Activates Modernised Plant Laws to Strengthen South African Agriculture
President Cyril Ramaphosa has set 1 December 2025 as the commencement date for the 2018 Plant Improvement Act, replacing the outdated 1976 legislation. The updated law establishes national standards for plant varieties, regulates businesses trading in plants and propagating material, and introduces a national variety-listing system with strengthened import and export controls. It also supports quality assurance across the seed and plant sector, aiding sustainable crop production and improving food security. Importantly, the Act embeds the 2022 inclusion of hemp as a protectable variety, signalling government intent to expand the industrial hemp sector and support smallholder farmers’ transition into commercial agriculture.
Read full story: Business Tech
Date Published: November 24, 2025
African News
New Short-Duration Sorghum Variety Boosts Yields and Nutrition in Northern Nigeria
ICRISAT has introduced SAMSORG 52, a fast-maturing sorghum variety designed to improve food security, nutrition and farm resilience in northern Nigeria. Released in 2023, the compact, drought-tolerant crop reaches maturity in just 85–90 days and yields up to 3.7 t/ha, outperforming many traditional varieties. Its short height enhances safety in regions affected by insecurity, while tolerance to Striga and sorghum long smut supports reliable production. As a biofortified crop rich in iron and zinc, it helps reduce micronutrient deficiencies, especially among women and children. The variety’s suitability for mechanisation and intercropping is already driving higher incomes and adoption across major sorghum-growing states.
Read full story: Farmer’s View Africa
Date Published: November 24, 2025
Global News
Farmers in Eastern Nepal Struggle for Compensation Amid Rising Wildlife Attacks
Farmers across Koshi Province in eastern Nepal continue to face severe losses from increasing wildlife incursions - particularly elephants, bears, wild boars, monkeys and leopards - yet obtaining compensation remains slow, complex and often unrewarding. Despite submitting extensive documentation, many farmers receive minimal relief or none at all, with cases frequently delayed due to bureaucratic procedures, insufficient budgets and strict guidelines. Some victims abandon claims entirely after years without response. While Nepal’s updated 2023 relief guidelines have increased compensation amounts for deaths, injuries and property damage, the persistent administrative backlog and lack of dedicated district funding leave many rural families bearing the full cost of human–wildlife conflict.
Read full story: The Star
Date Published: November 24, 2025
Avian Influenza Outbreaks Surge Across Europe as Confinement Orders Return
Avian influenza is rapidly intensifying across Europe, with multiple countries reporting sharp rises in outbreaks and reintroducing confinement orders at poultry farms. The Netherlands has confirmed eight cases in a month, but Germany faces the most severe escalation, recording 66 outbreaks this autumn—almost doubling in late October alone. Ireland, Belgium, the UK and France have also imposed restrictions following detections at commercial farms and significant wild bird deaths. The seasonal migration of wild birds is contributing to the spread, and Germany has cautioned that biosecurity measures may no longer be sufficient to contain the virus, prompting renewed continent-wide concern.
Read full story: Poultry World
Date Published: November 24, 2025
EU Urges Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to Accelerate Cocoa Sector Reforms
The EU and France’s development agency are pushing Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to adopt faster and more robust cocoa sector reforms following new research from the Cocoa4Future project. Findings presented in Accra highlight urgent challenges including ageing orchards, declining yields and the spread of cocoa swollen shoot virus, alongside mounting European market demands on deforestation control, traceability and labour standards. Researchers and donors stressed that agroforestry, improved extension services, better access to seedlings, and stronger disease management are essential for safeguarding farmer livelihoods and maintaining competitiveness. With Europe tightening sustainability rules, West African producers risk losing market access without decisive action.
Read full story: News Ghana
Date Published: November 24, 2025
Starbucks India Launches Farmer Support Partnership to Empower 10,000 Coffee Growers
Starbucks has launched a Farmer Support Partnership (FSP) in India aiming to empower 10,000 farmers by 2030 through technical support, agronomy training and climate-resilient farming practices. Developed with Tata Starbucks, the initiative will establish model farms in Karnataka to test new varietals, trial agroforestry approaches and share global best practice tailored to Indian conditions. The programme aligns with Starbucks’ wider goals of boosting productivity, farm profitability and resilience, and will work alongside Farmer Support Centres across the Asia–Pacific region. Tata Starbucks will also donate one million high-yield Arabica seedlings, strengthening India’s coffee value chain as the company opens its 500th store.
Read full story: Global Coffee Report
Date Published: November 24, 2025
