Agricultural Research Council of South Africa

Agricultural Knowledge Systems and Behavioural Determinants of Smallholder Farmers’ Adoption of Underutilised Crops in South Africa

Underutilised indigenous crops (UICs) are increasingly recognised for their potential to contribute to climate-resilient agriculture, dietary diversification, and household food security among smallholder farmers in South Africa. However, evidence regarding farmers’ knowledge, at...

Floods and Food Security in Rural South Africa: Lived Experiences of Households, Farmers, and Food Entrepreneurs in Hamakuya Village

Abstract Floods disrupt food and nutrition security by affecting food availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability. This study examined the effects of flooding on household food accessibility, availability, and stability, and identified coping and adaptation strategies...

Metabolic reprogramming in finger millet following ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis

Finger millet is a climate-resilient cereal crop with strong potential for improving food security in marginal environments; however, its improvement has been constrained by low natural genetic variability. This limitation has prompted the use of mutation breeding to expand genet...

Metabolomic Profiling of Agathosma betulina Leaves, Under Wild, Field, and Glasshouse Conditions Using UPLC-QTOF-MS and Multivariate Analysis

Agathosma betulina (P.J. Bergius) Pillans is an aromatic medicinal shrub endemic to South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region, widely used in traditional medicine to treat urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal disorders, colds, and wounds. Despite its commercial importance, limit...