Agriculture  2017 Market Intelligence Report

The 2017 Market Intelligence Report by GreenCape examines the transition to sustainable agriculture in South Africa, particularly the Western Cape. It identifies key drivers for green technology adoption, such as climate change, water scarcity, and rising energy costs. The report details specific opportunities in energy efficiency, solar PV, solar-powered irrigation, conservation agriculture, precision agriculture, and controlled environment agriculture, while outlining the regulatory landscape and available funding mechanisms to support these transitions.

• Climate change and water scarcity are primary drivers for the adoption of sustainable practices in South African agriculture. Models for the Western Cape predict a "slow onset drying trend, with declines and more variability in rainfall".
• Energy efficiency (EE) presents a strong business case for farmers and providers. Technical improvements to modern refrigeration systems can reduce energy consumption by 15% to 40%.
• Solar PV for packhouses is a significant opportunity, with a potential market in the Western Cape estimated at R1 billion (60 MWp). Installations on four fruit cold stores and packhouses in the region showed electricity cost reductions of 6% to 15%.
• The potential market for solar-powered irrigation systems (SPIS) in South Africa is estimated at R2.9 billion, assuming a 10% conversion rate among commercial and smallholder farms.
• Conservation agriculture (CA) is widely adopted in the Western Cape's grain production areas, growing from less than 5% in 2000 to about 60% in 2010. The South African market for no-till planting machinery is potentially worth R1.14 billion.
• Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) in the Western Cape is valued between R28 million (low-tech) and R600 million (high-tech), with a predicted annual growth rate of approximately 15%.
• General barriers to the uptake of green technologies include a lack of awareness, regulatory hurdles such as delays in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), a weak exchange rate making imports expensive, and insufficient R&D funding.
• Primary agriculture is largely exempt from the carbon tax during its first phase (2017 to 2020), though it will be indirectly affected by increased costs for electricity, petroleum, and fertilisers.

APA

GreenCape (2017). Agriculture  2017 Market Intelligence Report. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Agri-MIR-2017-electronic-FINAL-v1-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Agriculture  2017 Market Intelligence Report. 2017. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Agri-MIR-2017-electronic-FINAL-v1-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Agriculture  2017 Market Intelligence Report |date=2017 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Agri-MIR-2017-electronic-FINAL-v1-3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2017agriculture, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Agriculture  2017 Market Intelligence Report}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2017}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Agri-MIR-2017-electronic-FINAL-v1-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }