Cash crop conference

Participants Canada Poland Germany Sweden USA Argentina Hungary Russia South Africa UK Brazil Denmark

Function of the network A network of farm level researchers interested in determining the competitiveness of their typical farms with respect to the rest of the network. Increase the understanding of agricultural production systems and their associated costs worldwide. Increase the interaction between farm level modellers within the network.

Results - Wheat

Other crops Coarse grains: –Barley and Maize. Room for expansion for SA. We only included barley as one of our commodities. Oilseeds: Canola was included for SA but there is room for expansion in commodities such as soybeans and sunflowers

What can one gain from this network? 1.Access to information that is true and reflective of a specific region. Good data when wondering about SA’s competitiveness. 2.Access to a network of people who are willing to help with data and who can provide accurate information about their countries. 3.Great opportunity to help make information in SA’s agricultural sector more accurate and to the point!

Future? Include more than just the Overberg farm in the network. Perhaps add a small scale black farmer as a case study and assess his competitiveness. Use information gained from the networks to co-ops and farmers better understand their situation and to better plan ahead.