Lending and financial institutions have looked for a variety of ways to expand their portfolios into agriculture, but because of the risks associated with lending to farmers who lack traditional forms of collateral, they face price and yield risks, causing these inroads to be limited....

The South African beef industry, like many other South African supply chains, is challenged by the increased complexity and demand brought about by globalization, increased volumes and competition, shortage of skilled staff and pressures to meet changing customer needs. The power has shifted...

This piece, which is in three parts, will revisit the importation of fairness into the employment contract (outside and independent of the fairness-based provisions of our labour legislation) by a line of Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgments during the 2000s. This process culminated in the...

This piece, which is in three parts, will revisit the importation of fairness into the employment contract (outside and independent of the fairness-based provisions of our labour legislation) by a line of Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgments during the 2000s. This process culminated in the...

Agri-food markets are restructuring, characterised by an increased consolidation and concentration of the industry, as supermarkets continue to expand at an exponential rate throughout the region. Unlike the global phenomenon where the formal markets are replacing informal markets, this is not...

Although several previous studies have ascertained that smallholder farmers prefer informal markets, a few vertically integrated retail chains increasingly dominate South Africa’s agro-food supply chain. The onset of this trend has led to the demise of a large number of general dealers in...

Urbanisation and a growing middle class with changing consumption patterns provide an ideal setting for supermarkets to prosper. With South Africa's urban population approaching 60 per cent, supermarket retail chains are now important players in the agro-food sector. Over the last two decades...

This paper seeks to describe and discuss the impact that climate changes, and other challenges in terms of sustainability, have had on Africa and particularly on South Africa. It seeks to discuss the extent to which these changes directly and indirectly impact agriculture and the measures that...

Although South Africans are not predominantly wine drinkers, the industry is looking for ways to develop the local market to balance exports. The black middle class, increasingly referred to as the Black Diamonds are the most powerful marketing trend in the last 10 years as they have emerged as...