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SA Agriculture reverses course and dips by 2.1% in Q2 of 2024

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SA Agriculture reverses course and dips by 2.1% in Q2 of 2024

Following a surprisingly robust quarterly growth of 13.5% in Q1, agriculture reversed course as widely expected and fell by 2.1% q/q in Q2 of 2024 with a -0.1 percentage point contribution to overall GDP.

South Africa’s GDP was still pedestrian after clocking 0.4% in Q2 from a revised flat growth in Q1.

The downbeat activity in the agriculture sector was not a surprise as the severe midsummer drought forced a reduction in harvest estimates for summer crops with South Africa’s biggest staple, maize, cut by 20.5% y/y to 13.06 million tons and soybeans falling sharply by 35.8% y/y to 1.78 million tons, according to the National Crop Estimates Committee’s 7th estimate report.

The total summer grains and oilseed harvest estimate showed a whopping 22% y/y decline to 15.69 million tons.

The cumulative total maize delivered to the country’s silos for the 2024/25 season in Q2 showed an almost 6% drop in deliveries relative to the previous year.

For winter crops, the total area planted was down by 1.6% y/y at 807,250 hectares with the wheat area which accounts for almost 63% of the total declining by 5.9% y/y at 506,300 hectares. All these are an indication of reduced activity in the field crop industry.

The seasonal downturn in demand impacted negatively on the animal products industry, hence the poor showing in its contribution to agriculture GDP outcomes for Q2.

The Q2 preliminary data on livestock slaughtering (excluding the June 2024 figures for cattle and sheep) showed an almost 22% q/q drop in the slaughter rate at 2.7 million head, which is 20% below the same period last year.

Nonetheless, the medium-term seasonal outlook points to a potential rebound in agriculture fortunes for the year ahead.

While the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is currently still in a neutral state, forecasts still indicate that it is dissipating and likely to strongly transition to the La Nina weather pattern at the onset of the summer season.

The South African Weather Services’ forecasts further indicate above-normal rainfall for the central parts and the south-eastern coastal areas of the country during the spring and early summer seasons.

Further positive developments are that the fuel price outlook shows a decline after three consecutive months of cuts, the electricity supply remains stable, and potentially an interest rate cut in the next SARB’s MPC meeting.

All this augurs well for renewed confidence in the sector.

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Government Secures 310 Combine Harvesters for Winter Wheat Harvest in Zimbabwe

Biotalys named sustainable crop protection company of the year

Government Secures 310 Combine Harvesters for Winter Wheat Harvest in Zimbabwe

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Government Secures 310 Combine Harvesters for Winter Wheat Harvest in Zimbabwe

As the harvesting season for early-planted winter wheat approaches, the Zimbabwean government has taken decisive action to ensure an efficient and timely harvest by securing 310 combine harvesters.

This strategic move aims to support farmers across the nation, ensuring that the valuable cereal crop is reaped without delays.

In an interview with The Herald, Engineer Edwin Zimunga, Chief Director of Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation, Farm Infrastructure Development, and Soil Conservation, outlined the readiness of the government’s agricultural machinery deployment.

“We have 310 combine harvesters ready to be deployed across different clusters, tailored to meet the specific harvesting schedules of our farmers,” Zimunga stated.

The initiative involves collaboration with six government-linked entities, including the Agricultural Financing Company (AFC) Leasing, the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), and various branches of the Zimbabwean military and police, alongside private sector companies.

This public-private partnership is designed to enhance the efficiency of the harvesting process by combining resources and expertise.

Zimunga also detailed the pricing structure for the harvester services: “The dry rate is set at US$80 per hectare for government organizations and US$100 for private entities, with wet rates at US$110 and US$130 respectively.” This pricing aims to provide farmers with affordable and standardized harvesting services.

Despite the extensive preparations, Zimunga urged the remaining 4% of farmers not yet linked to a harvester to contact the national command center for assistance in coordinating the necessary equipment.

The government’s efforts are underpinned by the anticipation of a bumper harvest, with projections estimating 600,000 tonnes of wheat from 121,000 hectares planted. To facilitate this, the government has organized farmers into winter wheat clusters, optimizing the deployment of harvesters to match regional needs.

“The clustering model ensures that our machinery is used where it’s most needed, allowing us to process up to 3,900 hectares per day,” Zimunga explained. The fleet includes both high-capacity machines, capable of harvesting up to 40 hectares daily, and smaller models for more modest plots.

Additionally, the government has deployed 108 dryers across the country with a total drying capacity of 96 tonnes per day, ensuring that the harvest is protected from potential early rains.

This comprehensive approach to winter wheat harvesting not only underscores the government’s commitment to agricultural productivity but also sets a precedent for future seasons, aiming to reduce post-harvest losses and increase agricultural output.

Source: Herald.

Top 7 largest combine harvesters in the world

CLAAS and AgXeed are exploring areas of application for autonomy in forage harvesting

Biotalys named sustainable crop protection company of the year

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Biotalys named sustainable crop protection company of the year

An Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for crop protection, has announced that it was named “Sustainable Crop Protection Company of the Year” by AgTech Breakthrough.

AgTech Breakthrough is a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global agricultural and food technology markets.

Biotalys was recognized by AgTech Breakthrough for its development of biocontrols to fight off crop pests and diseases by biodegradable proteins that offer the needed efficacy for growers.

In field trials, the company’s first biofungicide EVOCA™ effectively inhibited the growth of Botrytis fruit rot and powdery mildew as part of a spray rotation program – performing as a true replacer for existing chemical-based crop protection products to combat fungal diseases in grapevines.

The product candidate also shows promising results in other high-value fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries and cucumbers.

Biotalys is developing a series of protein-based biocontrols based on its AGROBODY™ technology platform. At the end of 2023, the company shifted to its next-generation AGROBODY technology, aimed at further increasing potency and efficacy of its bioactive agents.

By applying a discovery method based on defined molecular targets, Biotalys’ scientists are focusing on developing products with multiple modes of action.

“It is our ambition to develop crop protection products with similar or better performance than synthetic solutions but with a much softer environmental footprint. We are therefore thrilled to be honored by AgTech Breakthrough for our commitment to making crop protection more sustainable with our protein-based solutions,” said Kevin Helash, CEO, Biotalys.

“As our products are developed to only tackle the target pest or disease, they are safe for beneficial insects such as bees or other species.

In addition, they are biodegradable by nature and leave no chemical residue on the crop – a clear benefit for growers who want to make their production more sustainable leading to higher value food crops.

Our team continues to earn recognition as we move full speed toward bringing our novel solutions to market.”

The full list of winners of the 2024 AgTech Breakthrough Awards can be found here.

* EVOCA™: Pending Registration. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the United States, the European Union, or elsewhere and is not being offered for sale.

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Floating solar plant in Mpumalanga farm heralds an innovative energy era in SA’s agricultural sector

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Floating solar plant in Mpumalanga farm heralds an innovative energy era in SA’s agricultural sector

Although loadshedding and significant power outages have not been a feature of South African life for a while, rapidly increasing electricity tariffs that far outstrip inflation and worries about future energy security are still causing sleepless nights for farmers.

However, for a family-owned farm, about three kilometres from Malelane, the future is clearer, thanks to their decision to keep production on track and reduce escalating energy costs, a move that has resulted in a sizable solar-powered solution.

What makes the solar plant at Radley Landgoed unique is that 80% of the solar panels – a massive 3 350 square metres – are located on the surface of one of the estate’s largest irrigation dams.

This makes the project Mpumalanga province’s most significant agricultural power project and the only ‘water-borne’ plant in the region and possibly in South Africa.

Recently switched on, power reaches vital parts of the farming operation through a seven-kilometre network of custom-built pylons.

“The project, financed in partnership with Standard Bank’s Business and Commercial Banking (BCB) division, which was completed in a year, can produce up to 1.8GWh of power and can take the estate, including the farm homesteads, support buildings and staff quarters, entirely off-grid when necessary,” says Yaseen Guman, Standard Bank’s Head of Business Banking Client Coverage, Mpumalanga.

“Conservative estimates show that the project costs will be amortised in about 10 years, and the installation will have a lifespan of about 30 years. Savings began accruing the day the plant went operational, and will increase over time as energy costs increase annually.

Perhaps more important to our clients is the fact that production losses and the costs of fuelling generators, which increased operating costs by a substantial amount each year, are now a thing of the past.”

Mr Renald Radley, who, with his brothers Wilscott and Henno, is managing the farm, which has been in the family for about 80 years, says that loadshedding was the primary reason they decided to go solar with the estate’s 1 900 hectares of land.

Farming operations, including 157 hectares of citrus orchards, 536 hectares of high sucrose-producing sugar cane, 34 hectares of mango orchards, and a Nguni cattle stud of 105 breeding cows, have been secured.

“Loadshedding was a significant obstacle that created uncertainty and disrupted our daily farming activities. Traditional power sources and outages impacted our ability to irrigate crops, power essential equipment and maintain productivity.”

“Going solar with the support of Standard Bank has meant that this uncertainty and the losses that occurred when infrastructure had to be repaired and power was lost for days at a time and resetting, and potential damage to automated systems have also faded into the background.”

The location of solar panels on the irrigation dam offers several advantages – no potentially productive land has had to be set aside for the solar array, and clean energy is generated while irrigation capacity is maintained at optimum levels.

Other benefits include easy maintenance and the fact that the dam water provides cooling for the panels, and that workers conducting panel cleaning and repair operations have easy access through a series of walkways between rows of panels.

“Arranging the finance for a ‘water-borne’ solar plant was a first for Standard Bank’s BCB division and reflected our commitment to providing finance for sustainable solutions that encourage the acquisition of renewable-energy projects.

The Radley Landgoed project joined our recent involvement in a farm-based private hydro-electric plant in the Eastern Cape in the ‘firsts’ column of BCB’s growing book on the development of renewable-energy projects,” says Guman.

Besides the direct advantages that the solar power installation brings to the farm, additional marketing benefits can accrue. Much of the produce grown on the farm is packed at the nearby Malelane Citrus Cooperative, where it is packed for export.

“Because much of Radley Landgoed’s output could benefit from the carbon credits offered by the EU for produce grown with green energy, better prices and increased sales volumes could be achieved. This is good news for a community that relies on agriculture for much of its income and employment,” says Guman.

In conclusion he says, “The Radley Landgoed project, like many others undertaken in the agricultural sector, reflects our approach of investing in partnerships that are key to growth, are financially inclusive, support supply chain efficiency and minimise food wastage by addressing deficiencies in the energy grid.”

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Top 7 largest combine harvesters in the world

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Top 7 largest combine harvesters in the world

Combine harvesters or simply combines are essential machinery for modern agriculture, designed to efficiently harvest large quantities of crops.

These machines integrate several operations into one process: reaping, threshing, and winnowing.

Here are some of the largest combine harvesters in the world you should know:

New Holland CR11 

New Holland CR11 is the largest combine ever made and it has been redeveloped to provide higher productivity, with minimal grain loss, improved residue management, and more automation. These features aim to reduce the total cost of grain harvesting.

Thanks to its 775hp C16 engine, 2x24inch rotors, a graintank of 20.000 liters and a 210l/second unload rate, the CR11 significantly increases productivity to levels that have not been achieved before.

CR11  also mounts the new Intelliview 12 display and IntelliSteer™ guidance system, together with other essential precision farming functions, like Telematics and Remote screen viewing.

Furthermore, NutriSense™ comes with a NIR sensor that monitors crop quality via the use of near infra-red light to analyse nutrients like protein, starch and oil contents, plus moisture levels, and can create maps of these for further agronomic analysis.

Gleaner S98

The Gleaner S98 is a powerful machine featuring a 13.5-liter engine and a 12,000-liter grain tank. It’s designed to offer a balance of power and efficiency, catering to the needs of extensive harvesting operations.

The Gleaner S9 Series features live yield mapping, providing improved access to farm data to make more informed business decisions, resulting in enhanced productivity and profitability. Gleaner offers two choices of yield monitoring hardware from the factory; AGCO’s FieldStar™ Live or AgLeader®.

Gleaner’s unique Natural Flow™ process has been enhanced with a number of changes to optimize performance and improve feeding capacity in difficult crop conditions such as heavy canola swaths and green stem soybeans, where uneven feeding can occur.

The feederhouse floor has been lowered by half an inch and the feederhouse runners and torque tube were raised an inch, resulting in better control of the crop and even feeding.

The machine has also been optimised to handle various types of fields making it  a darling to many farmers.

John Deere X9 1100

This machine provides ultra efficient crop feeding with up to 25% less grain loss, while the hinged frame allows for unmatched ground following. The X9 also has high-capacity feeding, which amounts to a 1,720 mm wide feeder house for high throughput, resulting in 23% wider and 45% more volume than a narrow body.

A new 1,720 mm wide Dual Separator is featured on the X9 with a dedicated feeding, threshing and separating area, complementing even-feeding and excellent rock rejection. The 4m² effective threshing area also results in higher threshing performance.

The X9 has a residue system of up to 15.24m spread, low energy knife design, auto swap for optimum wind compensation and remote knife bank adjustment. Overall it has a 20kW power savings on the residue management system. Farmer tests done on high-yielding maize in South Africa indicated only a 0.3% grain loss.

X9  1100 at a glance

  • 690 Max engine horsepower
  • 5.3 bu/s (186.7 liters/s) peak unload rate
  • 460-bushel (16,210-liter) power folding grain tank
  • Integrated G5Plus CommandCenter™ Display and StarFire™ Receiver with available SF-RTK

Deutz-Fahr C9200

he Deutz-Fahr C9200 is a high-performance combine harvester designed to meet the demands of large-scale farming operations. Known for its power, efficiency, and advanced technology, the C9200 is built to handle extensive harvesting tasks with precision and reliability. Here’s a detailed description of the Deutz-Fahr C9200:

Key Features and Specifications:

1. Engine and Power:

  • Engine: The C9200 is equipped with a robust 13.5-liter, 6-cylinder Deutz engine.
  • Power Output: It delivers up to 650 horsepower (varies depending on the specific model and configuration), providing ample power to handle large fields and tough harvesting conditions.

2. Harvesting Capacity:

  • Grain Tank: The combine features a large 14,500-liter (approximately 3,800-gallon) grain tank, allowing for extended harvesting operations without frequent unloading.
  • Header Options: The C9200 can be equipped with various header sizes and types, including wide headers for high-capacity harvesting of different crops like wheat, corn, and soybeans.

Claas Lexion 8900

The combine harvester has a transport width of 3.5 meters and is equipped with 5 walkers. It features a grain tank with a capacity of 15,000 liters and a cutting platform with a width of 13.8 meters. The rotor diameter measures 445 mm.

The Lexion 8900 released in 2019 has a 581-kilowatt (779 hp) MAN D42 engine that matches the Fendt Ideal 10,000-kilogram (22,000 lb) class 10 combine released in 2020.

 

Fendt IDEAL 10

The Fendt IDEAL was developed in the global AGCO Centres of Excellent in harvesting technology. Countless farmers and contractors from around the world were asked what combine requirements would make their IDEAL harvest. It’s the culmination of this customer input, the combined experience of Fendt developers and the chance to test the Fendt IDEAL all year round in different regions under the harshest operating conditions, that make the Fendt IDEAL the most modern and innovative combine on the market.

Model Overview

IDEAL 7 355 kW 476 hp
IDEAL 8 404 kW 541 hp
IDEAL 9 485 kW 650 hp
IDEAL 10 581 kW 779 hp

 

Case IH AF11

With a 775-hp engine, the AF11 is the most powerful combine offered by Case IH. A 567-bushel grain tank and 396-gallon fuel tank let you cover more acres in less time.

Designed, engineered and built by farmers, this combine is packed with the latest in automation, connectivity and harvesting technology, backed by decades of Axial-Flow reliability.

The newest evolution of Case IH’s Axial-Flow combines, the AF11 brings high-efficiency farming to the next level. This Class 10+ combine features dual-rotor technology, innovative AFS Harvest Command™ automation and Case IH’s highest-ever total combine capacity, allowing you to harvest more acres with less grain loss than ever before.

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CLAAS and AgXeed are exploring areas of application for autonomy in forage harvesting

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CLAAS and AgXeed are exploring areas of application for autonomy in forage harvesting

Forage harvesting is one of the most labour-intensive phases on many farms, especially the high-yielding early cuts.

Before and during mowing, fields must be searched or scanned for wildlife – with operations such as mowing, tedding, swathing and clearance often going on at the same time. In future, autonomous tractors or AgBots will be able to lighten the workload for many farmers and contractors.

Tall-growing crops present a particular challenge, as does the continuous monitoring and assessment of work quality. Together with partners such as AgXeed and thermal DRONES, CLAAS is researching and testing different areas of application as the basis for further progress in development and standardisation.

A question of interface: highly automated and autonomous mowing with wildlife rescue by drone

Drones with thermal-imaging cameras are now a widespread, safe and effective means of detecting breeding nests and wildlife, especially roe deer fawns, just before mowing grassland or whole-crop silage.

The search is generally conducted using a live image and paused when a heat source is picked up to enable helpers to remove the animal to a safe place or mark its location or that of a nest.

CLAAS, thermal DRONES and AgXeed have already pooled their expertise and developed a joint drone interface for autonomous mowing.

Heat source data obtained during the drone flight are initially stored, then processed with AI software and transferred with the associated GPS position data to the process planning tool.

This incorporates the data into route planning, enabling the autonomous mower to maintain a defined (and adjustable) safety buffer around the site of the fawn or nest.

This detour is particularly useful in fields where protected birds are breeding, as these nests cannot be removed. Farmers and contractors can track the machine’s progress live on their smartphone, tablet or PC via the AgXeed platform.

In this way, the use of autonomous mower combinations can meet demands for wildlife-friendly and sustainable grassland management as well as high area output. Furthermore, farmers can document measures taken before mowing to comply with obligations to provide supporting documentation.

In future, it will be possible to use the technology not only in autonomous field robots, but also in autonomous, driverless tractors and highly automated driven tractors and harvesting machines equipped with a steering system which follow pre-planned routes.

The application is set to become a valuable customer solution within the next few years. Safeguards ensure that POI data on the location of wildlife and breeding nests are recorded only within known, previously established field boundaries.

Field boundaries can easily be transferred from the respective farm’s farm management system.

However, if this data is not available, the drone pilot can mark the field boundaries themselves on the screen.

 

Next step: monitoring and controlling large working widths

During the 2024 press week, CLAAS and AgXeed demonstrated an AgBot 2.055 W4 with a VOLTO 1300 T high-performance tedder as another possible application. “Thanks to task and track planning, it is relatively simple to prepare for use with the tedder and because the crop has been mown, visibility is very good”, explains Philipp Kamps, Product Manager AgXeed.

“A system solution which deploys sensors to detect obstacles to make working widths in excess of 3m safe is currently in development. This will be compatible with mounted and trailed implements.”

Magnus Rupp, Project Manager CLAAS Saulgau, adds: “Customer demands for uncompromising work quality means that parameters such as ground speed, rotor speed and spread monitoring must also be automated. To achieve this, we are continuing to invest in development work and conducting field trials under very tough harvesting conditions.”

Other automated field and functional processes in the harvest chain to reduce the driver’s workload are also underway, with some ‘smart mowing’ solutions are already on the market.

 

Smart Mowing: automation for multiple applications

Mowing with a triple mower combination is one example application. The intelligent control concept enables the front mower controls to be integrated into the ISOBUS of the rear butterfly combination, or the whole mower combination to be operated via the tractor’s headland management system – whichever the operator prefers.

Furthermore, the DISCO BUSINESS models offer unique comfort features such as automatic BELT BOOST acceleration to clear the belt units at the headland, automatic belt speed reduction for one-sided lifting and automatic lifting of the mower units when shifting to reverse.

The optional CLAAS automatic slope control regulates the belt speed and ground pressure when working on slopes to ensure optimum swath formation and sward protection while minimising drift.

In addition to track planning and automatic steering using the GPS PILOT CEMIS 1200 from CLAAS, another example for mowing is the Section Control function available for all LINER BUSINESS four-rotor swathers. This ‘digital revolution’ is an unprecedented leap forward in terms of operator comfort.

For a daily output of 100 ha with an average field length of 250 m, the operator would have previously had to master up to 600 headland positions involving lifting, lowering or individual rotor lifting that required a great deal of concentration. This work is now done electronically, which significantly reduces the operator’s workload.

Standardisation is teamwork

CLAAS is working with associations as well as partners on the further development of interfaces to increase the automation of tractor, Agbot, implement and drone combinations. Their findings form the basis for the next step towards fully automated driverless machine combinations.

The 3A – ADVANCED AUTOMATION & AUTONOMY consortium has already taken the lead on this subject with the AEF (Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation) and plans to push ahead and bring other agricultural machinery manufacturers on board.

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Monarch Tractor announces $133M series C funding

Monarch Tractor announces $133M series C funding

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Monarch Tractor announces $133M series C funding

Monarch Tractor creator of the MK-V, the world’s first fully electric, driver-optional smart tractor and Wingspan Ag Intelligence (WingspanAI) farm management platform, has today announced a history-making $133 million Series C, making it the largest funding raising round in agricultural robotics history.

Monarch has quickly become a powerhouse within the agricultural space as an off-road electric vehicles (EV) and autonomous vehicles (AV) category leader.

To date, the company has raised over $220 million to enable clean, efficient, and economically viable solutions as well as expanded into various agricultural markets such as vineyards, dairy, berries, orchards, and land management across 12 states and three countries.

Furthermore, in just the last two years alone they have been recognized as an influential force in farming at national and international levels via accolades, including Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startups, CNBC Disruptor 50, TIME Best Inventions, and Fast Company World’s Most Innovative Companies.

The Series C funds will support the further development of Monarch’s cutting-edge AI product offering, expansion of their operational footprint domestically and globally, while enabling the company’s path to profitability.

Funding was co-led by global impact investor Astanor and HH-CTBC Partnership, L.P., with additional support from prominent investors, including At One Ventures, PMV and The Welvaartsfonds.

Monarch’s mission with farmer success at the center

Founded on the belief that food security only exists with planet sustainability and farmer profitability, Monarch has been at the forefront of the critical transition to renewably powered and more profitable farming ecosystems, which ultimately empowers farmers worldwide.

In the United States, farm profitability has steadily declined over the past decade, with the sharpest decline in industry history occurring in 2023. Given the nascent nature of technology in agriculture, the sector is ripe with untapped growth potential across automation, digital technologies and AI efficiencies, with Monarch at the forefront of this disruption and technological advancement.

“Driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and electrification, agriculture has arrived as the next frontier for the energy transition and sustainability movement,” said Praveen Penmetsa, CEO and co-founder of Monarch Tractor.

“Agriculture is our planet’s most important and overlooked sector, and those in the industry have faced significant challenges, including farm profitability, labor shortages, worker safety, government headwinds, data availability, and scrutiny for sustainability demands.

Monarch’s application of AI and introduction of a smart, electric platform will deliver robust social, economic, and environmental returns to farmers.”

AI continues to revolutionize farming machinery

Tractors have been the center of all farm operations for several decades. Yet, they’ve been underutilized as a hub for robotics innovation and farmer payback.

In December 2022, Monarch released the world’s first fully electric, driver-optional, smart tractor, the MK-V, to combat profit challenges, address sustainability demands, and revive agriculture innovation.

Since then, the deployment of more than 400 MK-V’s have helped; resulting in more than 850 tonnes of harmful CO2 emissions offset across 42,000 hours of tractor operations.

Monarch’s WingspanAI app is equipping farmers with unprecedented access to on-farm data, integrating a farm management system, vehicle position tracking, crop image collection, and automated operations planning into one platform.

The continual development of product solutions, including the introduction of new AI capabilities, will be the driving force in closing the industry’s profit gap.

This funding round will support the expansion of Monarch’s digital solutions and AI applications, including the development of Autodrive, Monarch’s autonomous operations feature, for new global markets and crop sectors.

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Major deal signed to bolster Tanzania’s Mkulazi agriculture investment city

Major deal signed to bolster Tanzania’s Mkulazi agriculture investment city

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Major deal signed to bolster Tanzania’s Mkulazi agriculture investment city

LongPin, Eagle Hill and Food Platform from India have signed an agreement with  Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) for the development of Mkulazi Investment city in Tanzania.

The three companies will be leased a total 30,000 hectares of Mkulazi farms in Morogoro Region, for the production of sugar, soybeans and yellow corn with an investment pegged at 1.2trn.

Each company will get 10,000 hectares and the production will be mainly for export.

The move is estimated to provide 9,000 direct jobs and up to 11,000 indirect job opportunities.

Mkulazi Agriculture Investment City is a project comprising 61,000 hectares envisaged for development as an agricultural hub by TIC.

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Kenyan wins top African award for early crop disease detection innovation

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Kenyan wins top African award for early crop disease detection innovation

Esther Kimani has been named winner of Africa’s biggest engineering prize, the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, at a live final event in Nairobi, Kenya on 13 June 2024.

Her early crop pest and disease detection device was selected as the winning innovation for its ability to swiftly detect and identify agricultural pests and diseases, reducing crop losses for smallholder farmers by up to 30% while increasing yields by as much as 40%.

Five million smallholder farmers in Kenya lose on average 33% of their crops to pests and diseases.

Kimani’s innovation not only provides real-time alerts within five seconds of an infestation, offering tailored intervention suggestions, but also alerts government agricultural officers to the presence of diseases or pests, contributing to broader agricultural management efforts.

The solar-powered tool uses computer vision algorithms and advanced machine learning to detect and identify crop pests, pathogens or diseases, as well as the nature of the infection or infestation.

“My parents would lose up to 40% of their crops each farming season, which affected our standard of living. We are empowering smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, to increase their income

-Esther Kimani-

The device then notifies the farmer via SMS. This affordable alternative to traditional detection methods leases for just $3 per month, significantly cheaper than hiring drones or agricultural inspectors.

The annual Africa Prize was founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014 to support innovators developing sustainable and scalable engineering solutions to local challenges in Africa.

This year has seen the Africa Prize alumni community grow to almost 150 entrepreneurs from 23 countries, who together have generated more than 28,000 jobs and benefitted more than 10 million people on the continent through their innovative products and services.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Prize, the Royal Academy of Engineering hosted the Africa Prize Alumni Reunion, bringing together 100 innovators from the past decade for a three-day programme ahead of the final ceremony.

This momentous occasion showcased the strength of the community united by the Prize.

Esther said: “My parents would lose up to 40% of their crops each farming season, which affected our standard of living. We are empowering smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, to increase their income. We aim to scale to one million farmers in the next five years.”

Africa Prize Chair of Judges Malcolm Brinded CBE FREng said: “These awards form part of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s investment of over £1 million to African innovators through grants, prizes and accelerator programmes during the tenth anniversary year of the Africa Prize.”

Esther received £50,000 to further develop the device. This is the largest amount awarded to a winner, in honour of the 10th Anniversary of the Prize.

The four finalists delivered their final business pitch to the Academy judges and an in-person audience of approximately 700.

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Case IH presents Its new Line of tractors during Brazil’s Agrishow

Case IH presents Its new Line of tractors during Brazil’s Agrishow

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Case IH presents Its new Line of tractors during Brazil’s Agrishow

Case IH, a brand of CNH, attended the 29th Agrishow in Brazil showcasing more than 20 machines.The main highlight, which draws attention for its size and robustness, is the Quadtrac AFS Connect 715.

The largest and most powerful tractor ever produced by the brand was presented at Agritechnica 2023, in Germany, and arrived in Brazil for the first time for the main agricultural technology fair in Latin America.

The machine features an FPT Cursor 16 engine, with 715 hp, which can reach up to 778 hp.

Recognized worldwide, the Quadtrac AFS Connect 715 has already earned Case IH AE50 awards for outstanding agricultural innovation, in addition to Good Design 2023, which highlights global industrial innovations and cutting-edge graphic designers.

Another machine that has guaranteed awards around the world is Case IH’s first 100% electric tractor concept, which was also presented at Agrishow 2024.

Also recognized by the Good Design 2023 award, the Electric Farmall also secured the Farm Machine 2024, one of the most coveted in the agricultural engineering industry, in the Utility Tractor category.

With a completely new design, it represents the first concept of a utility tractor powered entirely by a battery pack and without an internal combustion diesel engine, environmentally friendly and with zero pollutant emissions.

It is quiet and ideal for working in controlled environments such as greenhouses, sheds and with livestock. It has power, performance and technology.

Already available to rural producers, the new tractor of the Farmall family, the Farmall Max 140, has a 141 hp engine, the largest in the line.

With a 16×16 semi-powershift transmission, it has new styling and factory connectivity, sending real-time data to AFS Connect.

It has a high-capacity hydraulic system, with a 113L/min flow pump and three-point electronic lift, ensuring robustness, versatility and performance.

With the largest booth at the fair, Case IH presented even more news for rural producers. With more than 20 machines on display, with options from planting to harvesting, the brand also unveiled exclusive launches aimed at the agriculture of the future.

These included, the ethanol-powered engine. The Cursor 13 engine is a prototype for the new fuel.

The project is 100% Brazilian and developed in partnership with FPT Industrial. It is currently in the development phase and will be tested on Case IH sugarcane harvesters in the next harvest.

“The ethanol engine is a renewable fuel alternative, with a focus on reducing CO2 emissions, high performance and low operating costs.

We see it as promising, especially for our customers in the sugar and alcohol sector who, in addition to contributing to the environment, will also have fuel and freight savings”, said Christian Gonzalez, Case IH’s vice president for Latin America.

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