Climate change, geopolitical tension, economic insecurity and changing market standards and demand can make one feel overwhelmed and uncertain about the future. At times like this, says Bennie Diedericks, head of consultants at Resalt, farmers are advised against wasting energy on the things they can do nothing about, or chasing the “next best thing”, and instead to focus their energy on the things they have control over and equip themselves with knowledge.
“Take a lesson from the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. He once complained in a newspaper article that people always asked him about changes to expect instead of what would stay the same in the future. He considered variables that stayed the same more important as these were usually the things people had some control over,” Diedericks said at the SA Olive field day held recently near Wellington.
Farm management should be holistic, it should take the economy, society and ecology into account, he said. To be
