Lucentlands Podcast | Harvesting Agriculture Knowledge

This podcast is proudly sponsored by Agrarius. Find out more: ⁠https://www.agrarius.co.za/?ref=recR9vP8u5CYfEOek&utm_source=lucentlands&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=LucentLandsPromo⁠
Visit our agricultural stock site: https://lucentlands.smugmug.com/
In this episode of the Lucentlands Podcast, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie sit down with Georgios Bitsakos, Head of Brand Marketing at Grapa, and Nomi Karniel Padan, Commercial Director at Grapa.
This wide-ranging conversation explores how one of the world’s most influential table grape breeding programmes is built — not around hype or short-term trends, but around grower success, resilient genetics, and long-term sustainability.
From the family origins of the breeding programme in Israel, to Grapa’s global footprint across more than 36 countries, Georgios and Nomi share rare insights into what it really takes to align genetics, growers, marketers, retailers, and consumers in a highly complex global fresh-produce system.
The discussion also dives into branding in fresh produce, the recent Grapa Global rebrand, South Africa’s strategic role in global grape supply, and why early, labour-efficient, long-shelf-life varieties are becoming essential in an increasingly volatile world.
Key topics covered:
•Why Grapa breeds varieties for growers first — not trends
•The role of genetics in true agricultural sustainability
•Branding fresh produce in retailer-dominated markets
•Matching the right growers and varieties to the right markets
•South Africa’s unique position in global table grape supply
•What’s coming next in Grapa’s breeding pipeline
Key takeaways:
•Financial sustainability starts with the right genetics
•Consistent quality is the foundation of strong fruit brands
•Early and resilient varieties reduce risk across the value chain
•Long-term breeding programmes require patience, trust, and partnership
More about Grapa: https://grapaes.com/
Connect with Nomi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nomi-karniel-padan-46281a155/
Connect with Georgios: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiosbitsakos/
Connect with us:
Website: https://lucentlands.co.za/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucentlandsmedia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucentlandsmedia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucentlandsmedia/
Support this podcast by buying us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/lucentlands?new=1

This podcast is proudly sponsored by Agrarius. Find out more: ⁠https://www.agrarius.co.za/?ref=recR9vP8u5CYfEOek&utm_source=lucentlands&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=LucentLandsPromo⁠
Visit our agricultural stock site: https://lucentlands.smugmug.com/
In this episode, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie are joined by Charles St Clair-Bolam, Broadcast Technology & Live Streaming Specialist, and Jonathan Genis, Broadcast Technician & Live Production Specialist.
Together, they revisit one of the most intense and unconventional chapters in recent agricultural history: conducting live, government-to-government inspections for China during COVID, often from the most remote packhouses and orchards in Southern Africa.
With borders closed, travel restricted and infrastructure stretched to its limits, this team had to engineer real-time video inspections under conditions that included load shedding, zero signal zones, failing generators, wildlife encounters, extreme weather, and high-stakes international scrutiny.
What unfolds is a raw, honest and often hilarious behind-the-scenes account of how technology, teamwork and sheer determination kept South Africa’s fruit export systems moving when failure was not an option.
Key Takeaways:
•What it really took to run live international inspections from remote farms
•How broadcast technology was adapted under extreme constraints
•Lessons learned from crisis-driven innovation in agriculture
•Why trust, teamwork and problem-solving mattered more than perfect infrastructure
•How these experiences reshaped the way agri-tech and inspections are approached today
Connect with us:
Website: https://lucentlands.co.za/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucentlandsmedia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucentlandsmedia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucentlandsmedia/
Support this podcast by buying us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/lucentlands?new=1

This podcast is proudly sponsored by Agrarius. Find out more: ⁠https://www.agrarius.co.za/?ref=recR9vP8u5CYfEOek&utm_source=lucentlands&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=LucentLandsPromo⁠
Visit our agricultural stock site: https://lucentlands.smugmug.com/
In this episode, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie sit down with Mishkaat “Mish” Anderson, General Manager of Culdevco, South Africa’s cultivar management company responsible for commercialising varieties bred by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC).
Celebrating 20 years in the industry, Culdevco has shaped the deciduous fruit landscape—bringing to market some of the country’s most successful stone fruit, pome fruit, table grape and raisin varieties. From global success stories like Ruby Sun, Ruby Star, African Delight, and Cheeky Pear, to the exciting new K-Blush early pear, Culdevco’s breeding and commercialisation pipeline is deeply rooted in local adaptation, long-term sustainability, and grower value.
Key Takeaways
•South Africa’s leading plum cultivars (Ruby Sun, Ruby Star, African Delight) are ARC-bred and Culdevco-commercialised
•The new K-Blush pear is showing exceptional promise as an ultra-early variety
•Low-chill apples are transforming fruit production in warm regions of Africa
•Raisin breeding is entering a new era with strong emerging selections
•Canning peaches, despite industry challenges, remain a key SA strength
•Locally adapted breeding is essential for long-term competitiveness
•Culdevco’s 20-year journey emphasises sustainability, clean plant material, and grower support
•Empowerment initiatives through Cultipower are strengthening industry transformation
Connect with us:
Website: https://lucentlands.co.za/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucentlandsmedia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucentlandsmedia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucentlandsmedia/
Support this podcast by buying us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/lucentlands?new=1

This podcast is proudly sponsored by Agrarius. Find out more: ⁠https://www.agrarius.co.za/?ref=recR9vP8u5CYfEOek&utm_source=lucentlands&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=LucentLandsPromo⁠
Visit our agricultural stock site: https://lucentlands.smugmug.com/
In this episode, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie sit down with David Farrell, Founder and CEO of Blue North Sustainability, to explore one of the most important conversations happening in global agriculture today: the shift toward sustainability, mindset change, carbon measurement, and the future of tools like Sherpa and Carbon Heroes.
David shares the remarkable journey that led from his early days as an extension officer in the subtrop industry, to building an export business, to becoming a pioneer in sustainability frameworks that now influence agriculture worldwide. His work helped lay the foundations for major industry initiatives like CSER and Confronting Climate Change, and today Blue North operates across South Africa, Europe, South America, and beyond.
This episode goes deep into what sustainability really means for farmers, exporters, buyers, and retail supply chains — beyond compliance, beyond auditing, and into the heart of business resilience and system thinking. David explains why mindsets must shift, how transparency creates opportunity, and why regenerative approaches are resonating with a new generation of agri-professionals.
We also unpack the origin and purpose of Carbon Heroes, the evolution of Blue North’s sustainability management platform Sherpa, the role of data and AI in future food systems, and what David would change globally if he had unlimited funding for planetary health.
Whether you're a grower, agribusiness leader, exporter, retailer, or simply someone who cares about the future of food — this is a powerful, perspective-shifting conversation.
Key Takeaways
•The real purpose of sustainability: understanding business within a social and environmental system.
•Why farmers initially resisted audits — and what helped shift mindsets.
•The origin stories behind CSER and Confronting Climate Change.
•How Carbon Heroes helps growers communicate positive sustainability actions credibly.
•What Sherpa does and why it’s becoming a global sustainability management tool.
•The challenges of carbon credits — and why Blue North takes a cautious stance.
•How AI will accelerate sustainability insights and decision-making.
•Why global agriculture needs a “paradigm shift” in worldview.
•What David would do with unlimited funding to improve planetary health.
More about Blue North: https://bluenorth.co.za/
Connect with us:
Website: https://lucentlands.co.za/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucentlandsmedia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucentlandsmedia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucentlandsmedia/
Support this podcast by buying us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/lucentlands?new=1

This podcast is proudly sponsored by Agrarius. Find out more: ⁠https://www.agrarius.co.za/?ref=recR9vP8u5CYfEOek&utm_source=lucentlands&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=LucentLandsPromo⁠
Visit our agricultural stock site: https://lucentlands.smugmug.com/
In this episode, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie sit down with Michael Esmeraldo, Managing Director of Netafim Southern & East Africa, for a fascinating deep dive into the past, present, and future of irrigation across Africa.
Michael shares his journey from agronomist to MD, explains Netafim’s global footprint and South African manufacturing capabilities, and unpacks the dramatic shifts happening in irrigation technology — from subsurface drip to cloud-based control systems, automation, and the growing role of AI.
The conversation also dives into water scarcity, crop innovation, blueberry and citrus expansions, irrigation challenges in maize and sugarcane, as well as Africa’s development opportunities in countries like Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, and beyond.
Michael also speaks passionately about South Africa’s resilience, the mindset shift after the Day Zero drought, and why he believes now is the most optimistic he’s felt about the country in a decade.
Key Takeaways
•South Africa is far ahead of the global average in drip irrigation adoption, but major opportunities still exist.
•Subsurface irrigation is revolutionising crops like sugarcane and may expand to more crops over time.
•New cultivars in blueberries and other fruit crops are reshaping global demand.
•Cloud-based irrigation control is now a reality for farmers, enabling automation, better reporting and fewer errors.
•AI-driven recommendations for irrigation and fertigation are close to becoming mainstream.
•Recycling of irrigation plastics is a major future shift — and a business opportunity.•Africa holds enormous agricultural potential, but development and education must accelerate.
•South African farmers remain among the most resilient and innovative in the world.
Connect with us:
Website: https://lucentlands.co.za/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucentlandsmedia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucentlandsmedia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucentlandsmedia/
Support this podcast by buying us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/lucentlands?new=1