Climate Change and Agriculture in South Africa: Challenges and Solutions
Climate change poses significant challenges to agriculture in South Africa, affecting crop growth, productivity, and quality across all commodities. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are disrupting traditional cultivation practices, threatening food security and livelihoods. Temperature fluctuations remain one of the most significant challenges, as many crops are highly sensitive to…
Ethical Employment Practices during Peak Season: Make SIZA a Lifestyle, Not Just a Compliance Initiative.
What is important when we talk about responsibilities toward seasonal and foreign labour in South African agriculture? For the majority of agricultural suppliers, the peak season typically occurs during harvests, when packhouses and processing facilities are operating at full capacity. For many South African farms and suppliers, seasonal workers are utilised during this time, and…
Worker Wellbeing and Social Responsibility During Festive Operations
The festive season marks one of the busiest periods in South African agriculture. For many suppliers, this time coincides with harvest peaks, tight packing schedules, logistical challenges, and export deadlines. While much of the country winds down for the holidays, agricultural sectors such as table grapes, stone fruit, and subtropical fruit ramp up for their…
Understanding Visibility Links on MySIZA
One of the key features of MySIZA is the visibility link system, which connects suppliers to buyers across the supply chain. These links enable buyers, exporters, and retailers to view the compliance status of their suppliers, ensuring transparency and trust throughout the agricultural sector. When a farm, packhouse, or other agricultural business grants visibility, their…
Which legal requirements form part of the SIZA Standards
The SIZA Standards are developed to encompass various South African laws, which cover topics like worker health and safety, environmental protection, and general labour and environmental management. Key legislation incorporated into the SIZA standards includes the National Environmental Management Act, the Labour Relations Act, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, and the Constitution of South…
Audit Planning – Scheduling in Advance to avoid Disappointment
Why it’s important to make your audit part of your annual planning SIZA audits are vital in ensuring credibility, transparency, and market acceptance across the agricultural value chain. Conducted only through independent, third-party audit firms, these audits assure buyers that compliance is measured fairly and consistently. To maintain quality and accessibility, SIZA works with a…
Animal Ecology – What Does This Mean for a SIZA Environmental Audit?
For a SIZA-recognised Environmental auditor, assessing animal ecology fundamentally differs from evaluating animal welfare. While welfare focuses on the health and well-being of individual animals, animal ecology examines the interaction between livestock populations—including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry—and their surrounding environment. It is about managing all animals as integrated components of the ecosystem to…
Demystifying Wastewater
Managing agricultural wastewater is critically important due to the high risks it poses to the environment and human health. South Africa’s National Water Act (NWA) of 1998 defines different types of wastewater and the limits thereof via the General Authorisations published under the NWA. The legislation recognises the following types of wastewater: Wastewater Water containing…
