{"id":813,"date":"2024-07-24T09:22:37","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T09:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/?page_id=813"},"modified":"2024-07-24T09:22:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T09:22:37","slug":"minister-meyer-opens-9th-world-congress-on-conservation-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/?page_id=813","title":{"rendered":"MINISTER MEYER OPENS 9TH WORLD CONGRESS ON CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Yesterday, 22 July 2024, the Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Dr Ivan Meyer, officially opened the 9<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Cape Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Johann-Struass-Minister-Meyer-and-Chris-Burgess-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"815\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Johann-Struass-Minister-Meyer-and-Chris-Burgess-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/?attachment_id=815\" class=\"wp-image-815\"\/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Johann Struass, Minister Meyer and Chris Burgess<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Minister-Ivan-Meyer-addresses-CCA-delegates-917x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"816\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Minister-Ivan-Meyer-addresses-CCA-delegates.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/?attachment_id=816\" class=\"wp-image-816\"\/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Minister Ivan Meyer addresses CCA delegates<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Minister-Meyer-and-Dr-Mogale-Sebopetsa-HOD-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"817\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Minister-Meyer-and-Dr-Mogale-Sebopetsa-HOD-scaled.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/?attachment_id=817\" class=\"wp-image-817\"\/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Minister Meyer and Dr Mogale Sebopetsa (HOD)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Conservation agriculture is a farming system that promotes minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and plant species diversification (crop rotation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface, increasing water and nutrient use efficiency and improving and sustaining crop production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor Johann Strauss, the chairperson of the local organising committee&nbsp;and the senior scientist responsible for Sustainable Cropping Systems Research<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDOA) describes the Western Cape as the \u201cHeartland of South African Conservation Agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor Strauss added, \u201cThe Western Cape boasts the country&#8217;s highest adoption rate of conservation agriculture. Delegates will learn about the unique and international best practices in conservation farming and the uniquely South African conservation farming experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his opening address, Minister Meyer highlighted that conservation agriculture is a globally recognised management practice that effectively mitigates and supports adaptation to climate change. He further stated that conservation agriculture research in the Western Cape dates back to 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister Meyer said, \u201cBack then, the WCDOA started its long-term conservation agriculture trials, demonstrating the significant financial benefits of this practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cToday, these trials are part of the Global Long-Term Experimental Network, based at Rothamsted in the UK, a testament to our efforts&#8217; success and global recognition,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister Meyer also thanked farmers who have adopted conservation agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister Meyer praised these farmers: \u201cIn the development of conservation agriculture locally, we must acknowledge and remember the role of the former grain farmer and pioneer Jack Human, who hails from the Southern Cape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cToday, our department continues to play a pioneering role in promoting the adoption of conservation agriculture as a best practice and one of the priority projects in its SmartAgri Plan\u201d, added Minister Meyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Western Cape Government&#8217;s (WCG) proactive stance has encouraged more farmers to adopt conservation agriculture, setting a precedent for other provinces and countries. Cereal-producing areas of the Western Cape have reached a 51% adoption rate of the complete conservation agriculture package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Dr Ilse Trautmann, Deputy Director General of Agricultural Research and Regulatory Services at the department, the SmartAgri plan &#8211; the first provincial sector plan for agriculture in South Africa and the roadmap to climate change resilience in the Western Cape- is widely acknowledged and accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister Meyer stressed, \u201cThe adoption of conservation agriculture benefits agriculture and the environment. South Africa must build a resilient agricultural sector in the face of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yesterday, 22 July 2024, the Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Dr Ivan Meyer, officially opened the 9th\u00a0World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Cape Town. Conservation agriculture is a farming system that promotes minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and plant species diversification (crop rotation). It enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-813","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":818,"href":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/813\/revisions\/818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainability-handbook.alive2green.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}