Above normal rainfall was received in many areas of the country during the first half of winter, resulting in delayed harvesting of summer crops. Currently the condition of winter crops is reasonable to good. The veld and livestock are in good condition except in areas affected by veldfires in all provinces except the Western Cape. Watersources, i.e. level of dams are above 80% in all provinces.
The September Southern Africa Food Security Outlook released by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET)states that food security conditions are projected to remain stable across the region through December 2011. Staple food supplies remain satisfactory following three consecutive years of average to above‐average crop harvests regionally. Most rural households are expected to continue to have access to food from own stocks until the onset of the lean season (October/November). Market‐dependent households (including urban populations) are also expected to continue accessing adequate supplies of food from local markets as price trends remain largely stable. In addition, income‐earning opportunities will continue to be normal over this period, given prospects for good rains during the upcoming season and the good harvest attained last year that will enable better-off households to hire agricultural labour in preparation for the next cropping season.
The seasonal forecast released by the South African Weather Service dated 20 September 2011, indicates that neither above nor below normal rainfall is favoured over the entire country during the first half of summer. In such instances climatology is considered, i.e. farmers are advised to plan their activities in accordance with weather conditions usually expected during that particular period/season in their areas. Maximum temperatures are expected to begin cooling towards mid-summer.
As climatology conditions are expected, farmers are advised to continually conserve water in accordance with the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 1983 (Act No. 43 of 1983). Also, soil moisture conservation strategies should be considered. Measures should remain in place for veldfires in summer rainfall areas where the fuel load is still high and may exacerbate the spread of fires. These preventative measures must adhere to the National Veld and Forest Fire Act, 1998 (Act No. 101 of 1998).
The Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002) requires provinces, individuals and farmers to assess and prevent or reduce the risk of disasters using early warning information. Farming communities are encouraged to be on the lookout for daily extreme weather warnings and act accordingly. The complete advisory can be accessed through provincial department of agriculture offices as well as the DAFF and AGIS websites, i.e. www.daff.gov.za and www.agis.agric.za respectively.
For more information contact:
Mr Steve Galane
Tel: +27 12 319 7960
Fax: +27 12 319 6943
Cell: +27 83 635 7346
E-mail: SteveGAL@daff.gov.za
