Letters from Down Under (Part 1) — SA, Australia can reap rich harvest through shared farming knowledge

6 September 2025, Sydney, Australia

Biosecurity must be a national focus

When we are affected by animal diseases in South Africa, we tend to make this a challenge that only farmers and those linked to the industry must confront

But this ought to be a national issue, with everybody in society aware of it, and the role they play in spreading or helping to control diseases. It is, after all, people who, typically unknowingly, contribute to the spread of some diseases.

I am raising this because it was the first thing that struck me when I landed at Sydney International Airport this afternoon. Biosecurity was a significant issue that was announced and closely monitored. But importantly, people seemed generally aware of the biosecurity matters.

We play our part in this process through border management in South Africa. But a broader public awareness beyond the ports of entry may be valuable, especially as we continue to have so many disease occurrences. We could build on the message that South Africa’s Department of Agriculture is starting to elevate awareness. Of course, the intervention will need to go further than that so farmers can feel the impact, and things are improving.

Currently, the South African livestock industry is facing economic strain due to foot and mouth disease.

Beyond the awareness and information, we will still need to ensure we boost our vaccine manufacturing capacity. Livestock accounts for half of our farming economy. This is enough reason for us to be as vigilant as Australians on biosecurity matters.

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7 September 2025, Sydney, Australia

A pleasant walk, possibilities of tourism and the role of effective municipalities

We are yet to engage with the agricultural community in Australia, and will see the livestock, horticulture and grain producers tomorrow. We spent the morning today exploring Sydney and enjoyed a 14km walk (yes, I am showing off my step count). The architecture of the city bears many similarities to that of several South African cities, Cape Town in particular. The friendliness of the people and the excellent maintenance of the area are qualities one wishes for our cities.

And yes, the resources matter, and that is one of the things that weighs on South African cities and towns, in addition to some inept management of our municipalities.

However, the atmosphere of this place gives us a sense of what we can achieve over time if we focus on revitalising our cities, emphasising cleanliness, infrastructure maintenance and security, among other things. 

The properly run municipalities are generally not just a luxury, but are core to supporting the businesses that operate in them and the households.

In the agricultural regions, proper service delivery, combined with road maintenance and security, among other things, significantly reduces transaction costs and supports both agribusinesses and medium-scale farming businesses.

Agritourism (and general tourism) also benefits in such environments. I often invite people to visit small towns in my beautiful province of the Eastern Cape, as their visits and spending would go a long way in supporting our community. But the reality is that we have municipalities that haven’t been efficient in service delivery, road maintenance and security in some instances. This contradicts the goal of boosting tourism in the province.

Of course, I am not suggesting our small towns can replicate major cities like Sydney; rather, the basic maintenance of municipalities can have a significant impact. This is clear from many of our small towns in the Western Cape, such as Paarl.

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8 September 2025 Sydney, Australia

Collaboration between South Africa and Australia’s agriculture is key

It is late afternoon on a Monday (8 September) in Sydney, and I am ending another beautifully sunny day, which has also been quite productive. We had the opportunity to engage with the meat and livestock industry, grain growers and academic researchers, and concluded the day by meeting with Horticulture Innovation Australia.

What is clear from all our interactions is that there is room for collaboration between South Africa and Australia’s agricultural sectors. From all our interactions today, it was clear that most stakeholders are aware of South Africa’s farming advancements and its contribution to the global food, fibre and beverages trade.

The same is true in South Africa; we look at Australia with a great appreciation of their contribution to global meat and livestock, wine, wheat, horticulture and other products.

Oftentimes, it may be easy to view each other as competitors, particularly since we produce in the same season, and can look at roughly the same export markets for some products.

Still, I would argue that there is much room for collaboration and complementarity. If one considers the wheat industry, for example, South Africa is working on boosting its production, but in the foreseeable future it is likely to remain a net importer. Our imports are generally about 1.8 million tonnes a year. Australia is one of the key high-quality wheat producers that could continue to supply the South African market.

Similarly, with rice, we don’t produce any, and Australia could, over time, join the likes of India and Thailand in providing the million tonnes of annual rice imports in South Africa.

Importantly, this does not need to be one-way and should not primarily focus on trade. The most promising area for collaboration between the two countries could be in research-related matters. Listening to the various industries today and academic colleagues speak about their current focus on research and innovation, it is clear that we can lean on some of their work, particularly because of the similarities in our environments. The work Australia is doing on plant health and seed breeding in various commodities is particularly key to our agricultural efforts in South Africa.

In the livestock industry, Australia has advanced in biosecurity and surveillance, another area of potential collaboration. Admittedly, the fact that the country is an island provides it with a buffer from various diseases in a way that South Africa is unable to be shielded. Still, the rigorous biosecurity practices are something we can learn from and implement in our work at home.

On the academic level, there are already various collaborations between some Australian universities and South African ones on agricultural matters, particularly poultry and nutrition research. This knowledge sharing and partnership are key to strengthening our farming sectors and enhancing the relationship between the two countries.

There is also a lot more we could learn about the agricultural research funding approach in Australia. Both the government and industry contribute financial resources to research, and industry has a notable say in what areas should be prioritised for the good of the sector’s progress. This is one area we are yet to improve in South Africa.

Of course, we have a structurally different agricultural sector, partly because of our various histories. In South Africa, consideration must be given to the inclusion and support of small-scale farmers.

Some in Australia or South Africa may have viewed the other country as competition, but there is room for more collaboration rather than competing. The continuation of visits by industry stakeholders between the two countries and the exchange programmes of researchers and academics is an avenue for deepening the relationships and agricultural progress.

We can learn from Australia’s biosecurity and they too have a lot to learn from our thriving farming sector. DM

Read Letters from Down Under part two here.