Professor Sheryl Hendriks: Making a difference in people’s lives through food security research

Posted on August 30, 2019

In this edition of our #WomenofUP series we speak to Professor Sheryl Hendriks, the University’s first female Head of Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development.

Empowering four young women this women’s month

Posted on August 08, 2019

The University of Pretoria’s Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development was recently represented by four brilliant female students at the 9th annual PMA Fresh Connections: Southern African conference and trade show in Cape Town. The conference and trade show ran...

Breastfeeding is a father's responsibility

Posted on August 02, 2019

Walking into a local clinic in Malawi, you will be faced with images calling for men to take a more active role in children and mother’s health. Some of the messages boldly challenge what we consider to be normal, explicitly stating that “Exclusive breastfeeding is a husband’s...

USTAWI: Combatting hidden hunger in Africa

Posted on July 29, 2019

We often mistakenly assume that malnutrition is visible and manifests in physical appearance. However, there is a form of malnutrition that is not visible and occurs when a person is not getting enough vitamins and minerals from their food. For example, iron deficiency anaemia can be caused by...

The Chameleon: Improving water use, food supply and incomes

Posted on July 02, 2019

Globally 1.1 billion people lack access to water and 2.7 billion experience water scarcity for at least one month of the year. Agriculture takes up 60% of freshwater usage. A typical farmer spends a significant amount of time and money irrigating their plots. They often do not realise that they...

Blue sky ideas from partnerships – UP hosts the University of Illinois Global Partnership Programme 2019

Posted on June 26, 2019

When scientists with a passion for making a difference and a commitment to partnership engage, the outcome is awesome! This was the case at Future Africa during the first week of June when Dean Kim Kidwell led a delegation of 11 University of Illinois researchers from the University of Pretoria...

World Food Safety Day: UP researcher calls for high-tech food safety tracking

Posted on June 07, 2019

It takes just three or four days for a lamb chop to travel from a farm in the Northern Cape, via an abattoir, a wholesaler or meat packer, to a local butcher or retailer, and ultimately on to a plate in a city.

How combining and fermenting grains can help nutrition in Africa

Posted on May 27, 2019

With the emergence of climate change, alternative solutions are needed to improve the availability of food. This is particularly true in Africa where most countries rely on rain to water their plants. Consequently, food becomes scarce during periods of drought.