Sustainable farmers produce high yields of good and healthy crops at low input costs year after year. Their main focus is to increase the soil’s fertility on a continuous basis. Without a management plan to increase soil fertility you run the risk of depleting the soil of its life-giving organic matter. Eventually the soil will not be able to sustain your crop. Disease will run rampant and you will spend huge amounts of money on fertilizer and pesticides to try to farm on soils that have now become marginal. You may be applying N-P-K and trace elements, but you are still depleting your soil of vital organic matter.

You need to make a paradigm shift. Start feeding your soil instead of your plant. When you concentrate on feeding your plant, you neglect to look at the soil as a living system. Besides soil particles, minerals and roots, there are soil organisms which play a vital role in creating a healthy environment for your plants. Healthy soils contain many millions of beneficial soil organisms and healthy soils bring forth healthy plants. Once you understand this, you have taken the first step towards sustainability.

The Sustainable Fruit and Vine Study Group was formed in May 2004 to investigate and discuss sustainable production methods. It is the brainchild of Jako Pieterse, the ex-manager of a fruit farm near Hermanus in the Western Cape, now a consultant. The study group endeavors to collect and disseminate information on sustainable agricultural practices. This is done by learning from each other, getting knowledgeable people to address members and by hosting seminars. Meetings are held once a month from May to November, normally on the last Monday of the month at 14h00 at Elsenburg.

Members are mainly fruit, wine and table grape farmers, although many farmers from other production spheres have joined and are welcome to join. Most topics discussed will be useful to all farmers. Many researchers, technical advisors and suppliers of sustainable products are also members. Now you too can access the information discussed thus far, plus a lot more - absolutely FREE. Please bear in mind that this study group needs your active participation – please supply this site with information that can be beneficial to other members and let us know if you have benefited from the information supplied. You are welcome to tour this site, but in order to access any information, you need to register above. After you have done that, please register for the newsletter. This enables us to notify you of future meetings.