In 2015 the Undercover Farming Expo and Conference will again be held in March but by popular demand, on the 17, 18, and 19th of the month.
Undercover Farming Expo (Pty) Ltd organises the event at Saint George Hotel and Conference Centre close to Irene, Pretoria since 2012 annually during March and at Allée Bleue Wine Estate, Groot Drakenstein, Stellenbosch during October every year. More areas are on the drawing board to bring these events within range of undercover producers with the same services.
During the first day of the Conference both local and international speakers will deliver presentations, on the second day presentations will be delivered on current subjects, be discussed in breakaway groups and thereafter have the presenter of the subject sharing the thoughts which derived from the group discussions. On the third day international Embassy’s will deliver presentations on greenhouse farming and how their farmers found solutions. These solutions could be applicable to South African farmers. This will be a most interesting day to attend.
Suzanne Oosthuizen, Managing Director of Undercover Farming Expo (Pty) Ltd is at the head of operations and according to her, after every event so far, a high percentage of delegates and exhibitors vouched to book for the next event. Bookings for exhibition space and delegate seats are already open, space is limited. Book now!
Undercover Farming
The term ‘UNDERCOVER FARMING’ stems from the publication that was started more than eleven years ago. Before that producing vegetables, fruit, flowers and seedlings under plastic covering or shade net, was merely known as ‘greenhouse farming’.
Undercover farming started a good fifty years ago in South Africa when a few individuals started doing trials in glass houses which in more than one province did not prove successful because of hail storms or severe wind. Then plastic was imported and fitted over frames in such a way that fairly light hail or wind could be withstood. Over years farmers in the abovementioned produce visited Europe and Israel where greenhouse farming was practiced for many years before other countries. With the expertise gained, these farmers returned and readily applied the updated techniques that now is mind blowing and big numbers in produce tonnage and rand value. Exports against a poor rand have undercover farming producers make good money.
Undercover farming is growing in Southern Africa: six years ago it was estimated to be around 1 000 plastic covered greenhouses. Since the first Undercover Farming Expo and Conference in 2012, the wide publicity around this sector and the visitors to the event as well as the following events in Gauteng and the Western Cape, new investors saw the possibilities for undercover agriculture and current producers expand.
Hydroponics is an age old system modernised by a few European countries to be sold to the drier Southern Hemisphere as a means to grow fresh produce and flowers throughout the year where there are large areas under greenhouses and shade net farms. Hydroponics farming’s main advantages are to grow more food by using less water as it is rotated in the system by use of pumps, filtration systems and producing three to five time more fresh foods per square metre than on open land.
Undercover Farming started as an industry magazine, and gave life to Conferences and Expo’s to bring farmers, new investors, service providers from foreign countries and locals together under one roof where the latest technology is exhibited and professionals in the trade deliver presentations on technical and management subjects during a conference. Since the first Expo and Conference, the term ‘undercover farming, became a household name and visitors were inspired to invest in this kind of farming.
For more information
Undercover Farming Expo
Suzanne Oosthuizen
Cell: 082 832 1604
Marion Oosthuizen
Cell: 071 6399 300