GSSA Congress 2007
16 – 20 JULY 2007
Eden Grove, Rhodes University, Grahamstown
The 42nd Annual Congress of the GSSA was held in association with the 4th Annual Thicket Forum Meeting at the Eden Grove complex at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. The main theme of the Congress was 21st Century Challenges: Range, Forage and Thicket.
Grahamstown is situated in an area of great biological diversity, where a range of biomes and land uses are found: from subtropical thicket to grasslands, savannas and the Karoo, and from dairy farming to communal rangelands and wildlife conservation. The Congress aimed to reflect the great diversity of rangeland types, uses and challenges found around Grahamstown.
Best Conservation Farmer in the Eastern Cape Province - Trenly and Wilmarie Spence of Kriegerskraal
The last ten years have seen a massive shift from livestock farming to wildlife conservation and ecotourism in the Eastern Cape. Amakhala and Shamwari are two neighbouring private game reserves between Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth.
Dairying is a major agricultural activity in the Eastern Cape and participants will be visiting three diverse dairy enterprises on a scenic tour not to be missed.
Leonie and Rodney Yendall have successfully converted former pineapple lands into lush pastures, where they now run their herd of indigenous Nguni cattle. Leonie presented a talk on the light footprint of the Nguni cow at last year’s Thicket Forum.
Wednesday 18th July 2007 to Thursday 19th July 2007 - Researchers at the Selmar Schonland Herbarium and Institute of Social and Economic Research, Rhodes University, have documented the use of indigenous plants in the Eastern Cape for many years.