Committed to contribute towards sustainable food production

Committed to contribute towards sustainable food produc tion

The increasing demand for safe and sustainably produced food makes it necessary for the agricultural sector to review and broaden its practices and business models.

“Climate change and the increasing population will test our agricultural systems in the future. This complex scenario requires sustainable measures that will be capable of improving crop yield and quality, but at the same time foster the resilience of the agricultural sector. We need to employ the tools, technologies and opportunities that can address these challenges in a sustainable manner,” says Dr Nicole Hart, Managing Director at Afrikelp.

According to Dr Hart, the use of natural plant biostimulants can play a significant role in improving plants’ resistance to abiotic environmental stresses. Drought, water quality and soil salinity are some of the crucial challenges that farmers need to address. Biostimulants can contribute to enhancing plant growth, improving resource use efficiency and increasing tolerance to unfavourable soil and environmental conditions.

Natural biostimulants are biological or biologically derived products that are used in crop production to supplement and enhance existing agricultural practices and crop inputs. These products can efficiently improve the performance of the plant's vital processes, contributing towards increased yields and improved product quality.

“At Afrikelp we position ourselves as a leading manufacturer of liquid seaweed biostimulants. Our liquid seaweed products, extracted from the unique South African kelp, Ecklonia maxima, contains various beneficial compounds that are advantageous for crop production. Our extensive quality control and standardisation processes means that every batch meets exceptional standards to ensure that we continue bringing the best the ocean has to offer to our customers.

“The use of biostimulants can assist growers to produce more with less and these products are therefore key inputs on farms. Because biostimulants have the ability to improve various traits, such as root development and the optimal uptake of nutrients, it also addresses commercial quality traits such as homogeneity of fruit size, fruit colour as well as resistance to handling and improvement of shelf life. In short, improved commercial fruit, vegetables and grains quality means less food loss and waste along the food value chain and that is what our ultimate goal is – improved food production.

“I passionately believe that inputs sustainably derived from nature itself, such as those provided by Afrikelp, will be crucial for future food and fibre production.”

According to Dr Hart, collaborative partnerships are fundamental to addressing global challenges.

“We understand the importance of having the right partners in business and in a farmer’s production journey. We see Afrikelp as a trusted global partner to the agricultural industry to provide targeted specialty solutions to improve food security. We value and nurture all of our partnerships to ensure that our farmers receive the best quality products to support their needs,” she says.

The Afrikelp team was part of the recent Biostimulants World Congress held in the USA where they had the opportunity to share and gather the latest scientific and technical knowledge on the use of biostimulants.

“Shared knowledge and experiences will enable us to better position our products and improve our service to our customers. Some of the learnings will be implemented in 2022 and we believe that our industry partners and customers will benefit from these.”

On the local front, the South African authorities have recognised the importance of biostimulants in the agricultural sector through the establishment of the Group III fertilizer registrations. The requirements of the Group III registrations are more stringent, costly and time-consuming than conventional synthetic fertilizers. As a result of these requirements, future products entering the South African market will be adequately backed by science.

Looking at 2022, Dr Hart is positive that Afrikelp will continue to make a major contribution as a highly focused agricultural company to food production, not only in South Afri ca, but across the globe.