Under the banner “Atlas for the Future of Agriculture,” AgriSA’s 2025 Annual Congress convened more than 800 farmers, agribusinesses, scientists and policymakers to confront the defining challenges shaping the future of South African agriculture, namely climate change, biosecurity, and misinformation.

Each of these themes reflects a growing truth: The future of agriculture will depend on trust, in science, in systems, and in one another.

Climate change: A call for adaptation and shared responsibility
Southern Africa is becoming systematically drier and drastically warmer. Multi-year droughts, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures threaten the viability of crops and livestock systems. Yet within these challenges lies opportunity.

From methane-powered tractors and climate-smart seeds to regenerative farming and carbon markets, farmers and agribusinesses showcased how innovation and collaboration are driving adaptation on the ground.

Several institutions demonstrated how sustainability data and verified practices are opening doors to transition finance, climate-smart certification, and global market access.
“Farmers are already adapting, investing in precision irrigation, soil health, and sustainable inputs,” said Jaco Minnaar, president of Agri SA. “But supporting policies and financing systems must evolve just as fast to further progress.”

Biosecurity: Protecting trust, markets, and livelihoods
Biosecurity has become both the Achilles’ heel and the growth driver of South African agriculture.

Speakers from across the value chain warned that the health of herds, orchards, and crops directly determines the resilience of rural economies and export credibility.

Outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, avian influenza, and African swine fever have highlighted the urgent need to rebuild South Africa’s national animal health capacity. At the same time, plant-based industries face tightening phytosanitary standards, delays in product registration under Act 36, and limited innovation pipelines to combat new pest and disease pressures.

“The health of our herds, fields, and orchards underpins not just productivity, it underpins our export reputation,” said Johann Kotzé, CEO of AgriSA. “South Africa’s food integrity depends on coordination, compliance, and collective vigilance.”

Misinformation: The new threat to agricultural progress
Alongside climate and biosecurity risks, the congress spotlighted a quieter but equally corrosive force namely misinformation.

Across social media, policy debates, and public discourse, false or oversimplified narratives about farming, technology, and sustainability are eroding trust in science and damaging the reputation of the sector.

From debates about genetically modified crops, emissions from livestock, and chemical inputs, to misconceptions about water use and subsidies, misinformation undermines evidence-based policymaking and polarises the very partnerships agriculture needs to thrive.

“South African farmers are increasingly judged not by facts, but by perceptions,” said Johann Kotzé, CEO of Agri SA. “We must replace perceptions with evidence, and opinion with data.
“Agriculture cannot afford a credibility crisis, not when global markets demand proof of sustainability and consumers demand transparency.”

A shared vision for agriculture’s future
AgriSA reaffirmed its commitment to building trust through truth, resilience through science, and growth through collaboration.

“Climate change, biosecurity, and misinformation are not isolated threats,” said Jaco Minnaar. “They are the lenses through which every decision in agriculture must now be made. Our task is to align our science, our finance, and our communication, so that South African agriculture can remain both food-secure and globally competitive.”

Enquiries
Johann Kotzé, AgriSA CEO
079 523 5767
jfk@agrisa.org.za