Instead of further depleting overharvested indigenous plants for medicinal purposes, it might be possible to use the bacteria inside their roots. This would preserve at-risk plants while still allowing access to the medicinal properties associated with them.
Torrential rains have left parts of the North West Province struggling with school closures, damaged infrastructure and impassable roads. Learners in several areas were unable to attend school due to flooded classrooms and collapsed buildings, while scholar transport was affected by washed-out roads.
North-West University (NWU) Head of the African Centre for Disaster Studies, Professor Dewald Van Niekerk, says the rainfall is linked to weather systems that developed over the past month.
By Gofaone Motsamai
In the dry, sandy soils of southern Africa, a rugged survivor stands tall: Vachellia erioloba, more commonly known as the camel thorn. Once classified under the genus Acacia as Acacia erioloba, this hardy tree is also called the giraffe thorn, mokala tree, or kameeldoring in Afrikaans.
There is much for Lihle Sindaku, a North-West University (NWU) MSc Agriculture student, to crow about after her selection to an international poultry programme that bridges academic study and industry insights.
Understanding the complexities of poultry production requires both research and industry exposure, which the 2025 World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA) Youth Programme provides. Taking place in Pretoria from 2 to 7 March 2025, the programme runs alongside the 41st Scientific Symposium of the South African Branch of WPSA.
By Gofaone Motsamai and Oscar Mosiane
For students and staff who are passionate about farming and agriculture, the ideal place to learn, do research and reap fresh produce is the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Molelwane Agriculture Farm.
By Tiyiselani Precious Miyambu
Researchers from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Unit of Environmental Sciences and Management conducted a study on the presence of a widely used herbicide – glyphosate – and its byproduct, AMPA, in South Africa’s water, soil and sediment.
Glyphosate, a key ingredient in many weed-control products, is essential in modern agriculture, particularly in the production of crops like maize and soybeans.
The North-West University (NWU), in partnership with the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, held an extensive three-day workshop on beef beneficiation and goat aggregation from 22 to 24 January at the Mahikeng Campus’ Molelwane Farm.
The workshop aimed to equip agricultural stakeholders in the province with the essential tools and knowledge to conceptualise and establish an Agri Hub that will serve the community effectively.
Three North-West University (NWU) academics from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will highlight the value of indigenous knowledge systems to the cannabis and hemp industries at the Canada-Botswana City Partnerships Conference.
By Mokgothu Phenyo and Tiyiselani Precious Miyambu
The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (FNAS) at the North-West University (NWU) held an awards ceremony on 21 January to honour the 2024 Grade 12 top achievers of the Dean’s Project School Intervention Programme and their tutors.
The time for inquiries and investigations is over and action is needed. This is according to Dr Lindikaya Myeki, a senior lecturer in Agricultural Economics and Extension at the North-West University (NWU).
This is in response to the recent release of the Competition Commission of South Africa’s (CCSA’s) Fresh Produce Market Inquiry report and the broader challenges facing South Africa’s fresh produce market.