Danene van der Westhuyzen, president of the Namibia Professional Hunters’ Association (NAPHA), was recently elected to serve on the international organisation Dallas Safari Club’s (DSC) newly formed Conservation Advisory Board (CAB).

Red meat producers in Namibia are finding themselves in the midst of a perfect storm, due to relentless drought in that country and the outbreak of foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease in South Africa.

It is expected that the loss of the Lesotho wool and mohair clip, due to new legislation in that country, would have a negative impact on the bottom line of wool traders in South Africa.

The ruling party in Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF, has admitted that its “fast track” land redistribution programme, launched in 2000, was riddled with corruption and conflict over farm ownership.

Next year, Zimbabwe will pay US$53 million (R742 million) in compensation to white farmers whose farms were confiscated over the past 18 years and reallocated to black Zimbabweans.

Nearly 200 veterinary epidemiologists in Africa are scheduled to undergo training intended to help them better combat animal diseases at grassroots level.

Agriculture in Namibia presents great opportunities for economic growth, employment creation, food security and poverty eradication.

Following a failed court bid to force the government of Lesotho to withdraw the recently gazetted Agricultural Marketing (Wool and Mohair Licensing) Regulations of 2018, wool and mohair producers in that country are appealing to industry stakeholders in neighbouring countries for assistance.

The Harare Agricultural Show, Zimbabwe’s biggest farming exhibition, started on 27 August 2018, with 575 local and foreign exhibitors participating. The event will run until 1 September.

Zimbabwe Agricultural Society chief executive officer, Anxious Masuka, said the show had attracted 14% more exhibitors than last year. “We are happy with the turnout of exhibitors and the quality of exhibits,” he said.

“We are optimistic that up to 180 000 people will pass through the gates over five days as we want this to be a people’s show. We hope that Harare Agricultural Show 2018 will be successful and beneficial to the broad range of participants who are here in terms of business, linkages and so on.”

This year’s edition, which was opened by newly inaugurated President Emmerson Mnangagwa, is running under the theme “Field to Industry. Produce. Connect. Develop.”

Its highlights include a discussion on the need for Zimbabweans to buy locally made products, a mining and agriculture interface and an agribusiness forum.

Commercial exhibition space taken up this year is 85 730m², up from 79 730m² in 2017, representing a 7,5% increase.

The show has suffered declining exhibitor interest since 2000 due to the economic collapse triggered by the government’s compulsory acquisition of farmland from whites.

Although statistics from the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society show an increase in the number of commercial exhibitors and space occupied, it remains subdued when compared to the pre-2000 era when an average of 1 000 exhibitors used to take part.

However, Masuka said there was a general positive sentiment in the markets and among people because of the pro-business policies that Mnangagwa’s government has come up with since he assumed office for the first time last November.

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At least 10 000 pangolins are trafficked out of Africa every year, according to Catherine Ritchie, marketing and communications manager of the newly launched NGO, Pangolin.Africa.

“So few people even know what a pangolin is, let alone that it is [severely] threatened [as a result of] wildlife trafficking,” she said.

Ritchie explained there were eight pangolin species, with four found in Asia and four in Africa. Pangolin meat was a popular cultural delicacy in Asia and the animal’s body parts, especially the scales, were also a sought-after ingredient for traditional medicines, she said.

“The Asian species have been decimated by the high demand for pangolins in Asian markets, specifically Vietnam and China,” she added.

According to Ritchie, poachers were now shifting their focus to pangolins in Africa.

The global wildlife trade monitoring organisation, Traffic, said in a recent report that up to one million pangolins had been poached in the wild over past decade, making it the most trafficked mammal in the world by a “considerable margin”.

According to the report, 120t of pangolins and their body parts were smuggled internationally between 2010 and 2015.

“Due to the obvious nature of illegal trade, the actual figure could be much higher.”

The Pangolin.Africa team had meanwhile also created Pangolert, a dedicated Whatsapp line meant to serve as a “citizen science” initiative.

Rithchie said scientific data on pangolins, including population and habitats was very limited.

The organisation was hoping to enable members of the public to add to research being undertaken by organisations such as Traffic, the African Pangolin Working Group, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust, among others.

With Pangolert, members of the public could send information on location sightings and photos, as well as information about pangolins in distress, captivity, or in the process of being trafficked, she said.

Ritchie said the encryption technology provided by Whatsapp helped ensure the security of informants because it could not be traced. Information was also only handled by specific personnel to ensure it did not end up with poachers or syndicates.

Participate in the project on 072 726 4654, or visit pangolin.africa.

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