Collaboration is the backbone of bioeconomy. South African and Dutch universities, research institutes, and businesses joined forces to work together on projects ranging from sustainable cropping systems to student-designed farm business plans. These partnerships strengthen innovation while ensuring solutions are scalable and practical.
The South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has approved four NexSteppe sorghum hybrids for commercial sale in country. Approved hybrids include both Malibu sweet sorghum and Palo Alto biomass sorghum hybrids. NexSteppe is a US company dedicated to pioneering the next generation of scalable, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable feedstock solutions for the biofuels, biopower, biogas and biobased products industries.
The Minister of Science and Technology of South Africa, Derek Hanekom, launched the National Bioeconomy Strategy last Tuesday in Pretoria. The science-based Bioeconomy Strategy, approved by South African Cabinet in November last year, positions bio-innovation as essential to the achievement of government’s industrial and social development goals. The strategy calls for industry, science councils, government departments and academia to cooperate closely to ensure that biotechnology and bio-innovations are market relevant and find easier application in South Africa.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 