Your fruits and vegetables are getting more expensive. One of the main reasons? Our overheating planet threatens the farms that grow our food. But farmers in South Africa might have answers for America's future, according to Good Fruit Growers.
What's happening?
South African fruit farmers face severe water shortages that limit their growth. They're adapting with innovative tools like protective nets, smart irrigation, and mulch to grow more food with less water.
"Water is the most scarce resource. There is a lot of land still available to plant, but there is not the water," said Louis Reynolds, a crop consultant who guided the International Fruit Tree Association in a tour through South Africa's Ceres region in December.
Why is farm adaptation important?
The challenges hitting South African farms today could soon affect American farms, too. When farms struggle to grow food in harsh conditions, everyone pays more at the grocery store.
"We're like an open-air laboratory for people who want to see how climate changes affect fruit production," said Wiehann Steyn of Hortgro, South Africa's fruit growers' association.
What's being done about it?
South African farmers are pioneering smart solutions that American farmers can learn from.
Justin Mudge survived a brutal 2018 drought by building water storage on his farm. "In 2018 (the Theewaterskloof Dam) was a sand basin as far as the eye could see, down to 11% of its capacity ... so we went into proper survival mode," he told Good Fruit Growers.
Other farmers use shade nets that cut water use by 15% while protecting fruit from sun damage. They're switching to smaller trees that need less water but produce the same amount of fruit.
The techniques work. Using these methods, one farm grew 20 metric tons of nectarines per hectare in just its second year.
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Not buying food I don't need 🧐 "With smaller trees, we can produce the same fruit but use a lot less water than the big trees," said orchard manager Emile Pretorius, per Good Fruit Growers.
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The solutions are spreading globally. Three top fruit scientists recently visited to study these techniques. As Willie Kotze, a technical manager, noted: "With climate change, a lot of countries are tapping into the expertise we have built up."
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