South African Tree Crops

Under a Macadamias South Africa NPC (SAMAC) initiative, researchers at the AARSC have completed the national map of all commercial macadamia orchards across South Africa. To maintain accuracy, annual revision of the map is now being undertaken (to update currency), and include new plantings.​

Based on the success of the SAMAC map, AARSC are now working with the South African Pecan Nut Producers Assocation NPC (SAPPA) to map the location and extent of all commercial pecan orchards in South Africa.​

The mapping delivers an accurate understanding of the extent (distribution and area) of macadamia plantings. No grower or commercial information are collected or included. This foundational information is essential to inform traceability and forward selling, support biosecurity preparedness and for post-natural disaster response and recovery. Knowing where crops are located is vital for timely response to biosecurity incursions, to establish exclusion zones and coordinating on-ground surveillance, as well as quantifying the area of crops impacted following a natural disaster.​

Stakeholders and growers are encouraged to contribute by viewing the mapping and adding their feedback using the Industry Engagement Web App (IEWA). This engagement is extremely valuable and is essential for mapping new plantings (which are not visible in satellite imagery due to the currency (date) of image acquisition).