FEATURE | Dry Farming
Is Dry Farming the
FUTURE?
David Biggs raises an admiring glass to the country’s dry farmers
O
ne of the basic requirements of farming—any branch of farming—is to find the best conditions in which to practise your branch of agriculture. Each patch of our planet’s surface has its unique properties in terms of soil type, climate, rainfall, altitude and latitude. The arid Karoo with its low rainfall is ideal for sheep and goat farming because the natural vegetation is mostly tough scrub suitable for sustaining small stock. A “Mediterranean” climate is good for citrus farming. Grass covered, rolling prairie country is best suited for cattle ranching. The Western Cape, with its winter rainfall for growth and its warm ripening summers, has proved ideal for grape growing, and hence for wine production. In today’s world, we hear increasing reports of climate change, global warming and the need for natural and “organic” farming methods. In the past, little thought has been given to the amount of water required to produce the wines we love. There’s always been enough. Times are changing. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the Western Cape’s population has grown rapidly in recent years and this has created a huge new demand for domestic water. Add to this the problem of global warming, which is reducing the supply of naturally available water. There could be a crisis looming. In wine-producing areas around the world, the idea of “dry farming” is looking increasingly attractive. This consists, basically, of cutting down on artificial irrigation (drip and spray) and encouraging your vines to send their roots deep into the earth in search of natural moisture. In many Old World wine countries like Italy, Greece and France dry farming has always
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SOUTH AFRICAN CONNOISSEUR
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2021/03/01 09:50
