Climate change, geopolitical tension, economic insecurity and changing market standards and demand can make one feel overwhelmed and uncertain about the future.

At times like this, says Bennie Diedericks, head of consultants at Resalt, farmers are advised against wasting energy on the things they can do nothing about, or chasing the “next best thing”, and instead to focus their energy on the things they have control over and equip themselves with knowledge.

 

“Take a lesson from the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. He once complained in a newspaper article that people always asked him about changes to expect instead of what would stay the same in the future. He considered variables that stayed the same more important as these were usually the things people had some control over,” Diedericks said at the SA Olive field day held recently near Wellington.

Farm management should be holistic, it should take the economy, society and ecology into account, he said.

To be sustainable a famer should maintain a balance between these three interactive components.

“The ecology is the biggest driver of a farmer’s success as it determines the size of the economy it can support. A farm is not a mine: if you only chase money without looking after the environment, the soil will become depleted and it will cost more and more to produce a viable harvest, until the sums no longer add up,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of people as they could make magic. “Looking after your workers, having a solid support network and surrounding yourself with positive people are vitally important.”

The soil

Diedericks identified the soil as one variable that farmers could do something about. Soil management had chemical, biological and physical components, he added.

Soil chemistry, and in effect “the feeding of the plant through fertilisation” had for many years dominated ideas about soil management, while the importance of soil biology – or a soil teeming with bacteria, fungi, earthworms and so forth – began to be emphasised over the past decade.

Diedericks, nevertheless, deemed the physical and chemical components of soil more important than soil biology: “You can use all kinds of fancy and complex products to boost soil biology, but your efforts will be in vain unless you have created a favourable habitat for the soil micro-organisms. As a matter of fact, soil biology will fix itself once soil nutrients are balanced and soil structure improved.”

This was because the physical structure of the soil, which refers to the spaces between soil aggregates, directly impacts the availability of oxygen and water to plant roots and soil organisms.

Soils can become compacted over time because of natural processes but can be accelerated by tillage, wheel traffic, irrigation, fertilisation and the movement of animals.

When this happens, root growth is impeded and air and water movement is inhibited, leading to water-logging and crops and soil organisms not having access to enough air.

A shallow root system and anaerobic soil conditions, in turn, cause stress to the ecosystem, rendering crops more vulnerable to pests and diseases.

“Fine-textured soil, such as clay, compacts more easily than sand, but care should be taken with all cultivation practices to minimise this risk. Working the soil when it is too wet must be avoided at all costs as it will cause severe compaction,” Diedericks said.

Calcium is crucial in maintaining soil structure and should be managed as part of the fertiliser programme.

Diedericks advised farmers to use agricultural lime (calcium carbonate) or gypsum (calcium sulphate) in their calcium management programme.

Lime is the option to use in acidic soils with low calcium levels, as it will help to raise the pH of these soils, whereas gypsum is used in saline soils where calcium then replaces the excess sodium and magnesium that is leached out of the profile.

The quantity of lime or gypsum to be applied should be calculated based on soil analysis.

Regenerative Agriculture

Having organic matter in the soil is of the utmost importance because it is the only living part of a soil.

Organic material is home to all types of micro-organisms and helps to improve soil structure, thereby improving air and water flow in the root zone.

Soil organic matter can retain up to 10 times its own weight of water, thus improving the water holding capacity of the soil, while also improving nutrient mineralisation and biological activities, according to Diedericks.

The organic content of the soil can be built using cover crops, mulches and compost.

Diedericks pointed out that the use of cover crop mixes was more beneficial than using monocrops, as different species amplified the benefits of each of the other species.

Besides adding organic content to the soil, specific cover crops may supply the soil with certain nutrients, help to loosen the soil through their roots, and improve soil health.

Diedericks said regenerative agriculture had become the latest buzz in agriculture.

 

This conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems is built on six principles: the understanding that your farm is a constantly changing living organism; the minimum disturbance of the soil through no tillage to minimum tillage; avoiding bare soil surfaces as far as possible; the importance of keeping live roots in the soil; the importance of having crop diversity; and having an animal factor on the farm.

Many South African farmers had, for many years, been practising most of the fundamentals associated with regenerative agriculture, especially the use of cover crops, and could be considered world leaders in this regard, he said.

The incorporation of animals in our farming systems was actually the only regenerative principle that had not been adopted by our farmers.

“Prof Barbara von Wechmar, an expert on composting, used to say that our health and farming problems started when animals disappeared from farms. Today, we know she was right. We cannot have a healthy ecosystem without any animals.”

It does not matter to Diedericks which animals are incorporated in the farming system: farmers could start small with chickens or ducks. The ideal, however, was to get ruminants on the farm, such as sheep, cattle, or goats.

He added that each species brought their own unique challenges: “The animals should be carefully managed to prevent damage to crops and compaction. They cannot be left to roam freely, but their movement should be controlled to mimic that of wild herd animals in nature. They should also be kept away from young orchards or vineyards – as they will eat these to the ground.”

The number of animals kept will depend on the availability of feed during different seasons. Diedericks advised farmers in drier areas to add another dripper line in the work row to enable them to irrigate cover crops and ensure the availability of food for the livestock, even during dry spells. Water should always be available.

Adding a dripper line in the middle of orchards or vineyards, if you have sufficient water, may add another 5% to 7% to establishment costs but would reward you with numerous other benefits, such as reduced fertiliser and pesticide costs, while potentially also creating new income streams through the marketing of these animals.

“Regenerative farming is currently attracting attention and possible marketing opportunities it offers must not be overlooked. Marketing is all about selling your good story, and this really is a good story.” He added that the re-use of old dripper lines was an effective, cheap option.

Water and people

Irrigation is one of the biggest tools for altering climatic conditions: it is allowing farmers to successfully farm crops in areas where it would have been impossible without a reliable water supply.

Diedericks warned it was only a matter of time before a water footprint on products became compulsory, as was currently being implemented with carbon footprints.

This would not only apply to cellars or olive processors, but down to the primary production level.

Farmers should for this reason, and because water was a scarce resource, use their water as efficiently as possible.

“Know the water-holding capacity of your soil and adapt your irrigation schedule according to soil moisture levels and the water requirements of plants during different growth and development stages. There is no sense in applying 10ℓ of water to a tank that can only hold 5ℓ,” he said.

 

On the olive tree side, farmers might be pushing for higher yields, but basic growth cycles and the trees’ nutritional requirements will stay the same.

“Farmers might have to adapt their fertiliser and pruning programmes to accommodate higher-bearing trees and higher yields, but the basics will stay the same. The trick here is to use available technologies, for instance precision and data technologies, to refine and improve efficiencies in these management processes.”

Another major variable affecting farming success was people: “You might have an agricultural diploma or degree, but these qualifications will be of little help in terms of your people management skills. The key is to remember that basic human needs will stay the same. People want enough food and water, they want to feel safe, and be recognised and appreciated for the work they do,” he said.

“Working on your relationships with your workers and equipping them with the skills and knowledge required to be successful is a solid investment.”