SABI Magazine August September 2016 V 7 | Página 5

President’s Message

Growing in greenhouses
Tomatoes to citrus, herbs and more

O

nce again, Carol and the SABI team have produced a top class issue
brim full of interesting information and technical facts pertaining to the
irrigation industry.

Congratulations are in order,
as SABI magazine, with this
edition, celebrates 8 years of
great publishing.
One only has to take note,
when flying at low level over
the South African countryside,
how much ground is now under
plastic and shade cloth, in the
form of tunnels, multi-spans
and greenhouses.
Indeed, what started some 15
to 20 years ago in the East
London area, due to near perfect
climate conditions, has spread

to the rest of the countryside, as
the advantages of growing in
a controlled environment have
become obvious. The use of
heating and cooling systems in
greenhouses has opened the
door to production anywhere
in the country.
From initial tomato, pepper and
cucumber crops, the industry is
evolving to the point where crop
variations from herbs to citrus
are now being grown under
plastic. Exciting times indeed,
for the industry.

In this issue, Jerry Austin
shares the latest technology
in the planning and design of
hydroponic systems, and don’t
miss the Israel aeroponics article.
Our
roving
international
encyclopedia on legs, Felix
Reinders, shares the story of
his recent trip to the land of
the Pharaoh’s while attending
the
4th
African
Regional
Conference on Irrigation and
Drainage – “Agricultural Land
and Water Management for
Sustainability under Climate
Variability” in Aswan City, Egypt.

Tony Ewels– President

At
this
Egyptian
event,
Felix Reinders was a keynote
speaker, presenting a paper:
“Improving agricultural water
management in Africa”.
A multitude of other information
and facts and figures await
your perusal. Sit back, kick
off your shoes and absorb
another magnificent issue of our
favourite magazine.

SABI | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016

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