Has the world become a more challenging terrain? Incidentally, we explore the difference between a complicated and a complex world on page 20. However, there’s no link between the two articles.
In an attempt to better navigate the modern world, I’d like to weigh up our knowledge against our belief system, and consider the wisdom that may reside in prioritising the latter (without disregarding the former).
What we know evolves with time. According to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) we now have only eight planets, as Pluto has been reclassified as a dwarf planet. And who would have thought 200 million years ago that Pangea would divide into the seven continents, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans that we know today?
My point is that what is accepted as factual today may very well change tomorrow. However, our belief system is a different story. It has the potential to ground us and to effect lasting, positive change. Therefore, I’d venture to say that the remarkable strides that the fruit industry has made in the trade arena could partly be attributed to a sound, underlying belief system. And could it be that women’s deepened beliefs around their own abilities, the value of what they contribute, and what they truly deserve have helped drive progress in terms of gender equity – in the fruit industry and worldwide?
Ek is bevoorreg om verskeie baanbrekersvroue in die vrugtebedryf te kon ontmoet. Duidelik weet hulle nie net wat hul vaardighede is nie, hulle glo inderdáád ook in die waarde daarvan. En dis beslis merkbaar in hul optrede. Selfs meer bemoedigend, is die feit dat die vrugtebedryf ryp is vir hierdie ingesteldheid, en die resultate wys. Hierdie uitgawe bevat heelwat voorbeelde van vroue van verskillende rasse, agtergrond en statuur wat tans ’n onuitwisbare merk in dié dinamiese bedryf maak.
Lees gerus ook, onder andere, oor versteekte geleenthede in kultivars, kernvrugvolumes die afgelope seisoen, vorming van die toekoms van tafeldruiwe, satsuma-keuses, appelherplantsiekte, en wenke oor die verbouing van Sugrathirtyfi ve-tafeldruiwe.
If you’ve missed it, the Jun/Jul ’23 edition (which is freely accessible online) marks the 21st anniversary of the SA Fruit Journal. And we continue to echo the sentiment with selected articles the rest of this year.
To the women reading this, please don’t underestimate the power of your belief system – overall, but particularly your beliefs around your place in this industry, and in this world. With a collaborative approach, imagine the collective impact we could all relish. Happy Women’s Month.