Home Podcasts Lucentlands Podcast | Harvesting Agriculture Knowledge
Lucentlands Podcast | Harvesting Agriculture Knowledge

Lucentlands Podcast | Harvesting Agriculture Knowledge

Lucentlands 172 Episodes Nov 2, 2026

Lucentlands Podcast is a show about agriculture, covering news, trends and insights from the farming industry in South Africa and beyond. It is hosted by Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie, two media production professionals with a background in telling agricultural stories. Episodes explore the people, practices and developments shaping modern farming. The podcast is aimed at anyone who wants to understand where agriculture is heading.

Episodes

Farming with Nature: Soil Health, IPM & Sustainability | Ep. 167
Farming with Nature: Soil Health, IPM & Sustainability | Ep. 167 Nov 2, 2026 00:39:45 What does sustainable farming actually look like on a commercial fruit farm?In Episode 167 of the Lucentlands Podcast, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak with Steven Versfeld, farmer and recipient of the Hortgro Footprint Award, about an approach to farming that has developed over three decades.Steven is a fourth-generation farmer who returned to the family farm in 1996 after studying me
How FPEF Is Building the Next Generation of Fresh Produce Leaders | Ep. 166
How FPEF Is Building the Next Generation of Fresh Produce Leaders | Ep. 166 Oct 26, 2026 00:41:34 How do you transform an industry in a way that creates lasting change?In Episode 166 of the Lucentlands Podcast, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak with Johannes Brand, Transformation Manager at the Fresh Produce Exporters Forum (FPEF) and Agribusiness Consultant, about developing people, creating career pathways and building capacity across South Africa’s fresh-produce export sector.Joh
How South Africa Moves Fresh Produce to the World | Ep. 165
How South Africa Moves Fresh Produce to the World | Ep. 165 Oct 19, 2026 00:59:58 What happens to fresh produce after it leaves the packhouse — and what does it take to get that fruit to markets around the world in the right condition?In Episode 165 of the Lucentlands Podcast, Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak with Andy Connell, fresh produce logistics specialist and consultant, whose career in the sector stretches back to the early days of South Africa’s deregulated fruit
From Post-Harvest Science to Risk Management | Ep. 164
From Post-Harvest Science to Risk Management | Ep. 164 Oct 12, 2026 01:09:28 What does it take to protect fruit quality from the orchard all the way to the market — and how has agricultural research had to evolve to meet the changing needs of growers, exporters and the wider fresh produce industry?In Episode 164 of the Lucentlands Podcast, Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak to Dr Martin Taylor, Research Fellow at ExperiCo, and Dr Ian Crouch, Managing Director of Experi
Why Compliance Has Become Essential for South African Farmers | Ep. 163
Why Compliance Has Become Essential for South African Farmers | Ep. 163 Oct 6, 2026 01:00:53 Compliance has become an unavoidable part of modern agriculture – particularly for South African producers supplying demanding international markets. But can compliance offer growers more than simply another audit to complete?In Episode 163 of the Lucentlands Podcast, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak with Nic Dicey, HORTGRO Chairman and deciduous fruit producer, about the development o
HORTGRO’s Next Chapter: Anton Rabe Hands Over to Jacques du Preez | Ep. 162
HORTGRO’s Next Chapter: Anton Rabe Hands Over to Jacques du Preez | Ep. 162 Oct 1, 2026 01:05:18 Episode 162 of the Lucentlands Podcast brings together Anton Rabe, outgoing CEO of HORTGRO, and Jacques du Preez, incoming CEO, for a conversation about HORTGRO’s leadership transition and the changing realities facing South Africa’s deciduous fruit industry.Hosted by Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie, the conversation looks back at Anton’s decades in the industry and the changes that followed dere
Building the Next Generation of South African Citrus | Ep. 161
Building the Next Generation of South African Citrus | Ep. 161 Sep 22, 2026 00:32:05 More than 400 young people have been supported through the Citrus Academy Bursary Fund over the past 20 years – but Jacomien de Klerk says the real objective has never simply been to help students obtain qualifications.It is about building careers and developing people who can make a long-term contribution to South Africa’s citrus industry.Recorded at the 2026 CRI Citrus Research Symposium, Jacomi
What SA Citrus Must Get Right | Ep. 160
What SA Citrus Must Get Right | Ep. 160 Sep 22, 2026 00:27:14 Recorded at the 2026 CRI Citrus Research Symposium, Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak with Hoppie Nel, Fruit Industry Consultant, about a career spanning decades in the South African citrus industry and the lessons that experience has brought.From his early career in soil science to managing major citrus developments and becoming closely involved in organised citrus industry structures, Hoppi
How South Africa’s Citrus Industry Supports Communities | Ep. 159
How South Africa’s Citrus Industry Supports Communities | Ep. 159 Sep 22, 2026 00:19:36 Recorded at the 2026 CRI Citrus Research Symposium, Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak with Sive Silo, Programme and Project Manager at Citrus Academy and Orange Heart Coordinator for the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA).Orange Heart is the CGA’s community-development initiative, providing a structured way for the citrus industry to support communities in and around South
Can Biological Products Transform Agriculture? | Ep. 158
Can Biological Products Transform Agriculture? | Ep. 158 Sep 22, 2026 00:33:52 At the 2026 CRI Citrus Research Symposium, Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie spoke with Debbie Matteucci, CEO of the South African Bioproducts Organization (SABO), about the growing role of biological products in agriculture and the challenges involved in moving towards more sustainable farming systems.SABO has grown significantly over the past two years, and Debbie explains how the organisation ha
Ports and Fresh Produce Logistics | Ep. 157
Ports and Fresh Produce Logistics | Ep. 157 Sep 14, 2026 01:05:56 South Africa produces world-class fresh fruit, but getting that fruit to international markets requires a complex logistics network operating under immense pressure.In Episode 157 of the Lucentlands Podcast, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak with Delena Engelbrecht, CEO at GoReefers, about the evolution of South Africa’s fresh-produce logistics sector and the challenges facing exporters
Can Farmers Use Fewer Chemicals Without Risking Their Crops? | Ep. 156
Can Farmers Use Fewer Chemicals Without Risking Their Crops? | Ep. 156 Sep 7, 2026 00:44:06 Can farmers reduce their reliance on conventional chemicals without placing their crops at risk?Jean Kuiper, Director at RealIPM, joins Lucentlands Podcast hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie to explain how integrated pest management combines biological crop-protection products, carefully selected chemicals, beneficial organisms and effective monitoring.Jean shares how problems with chemical re

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