Dr Arden Andersen, schooled as both an agronomist and a medical doctor, is one of the world's top consultants on advanced soil and crop management. Good nutrition comes back to agriculture and the way our foods are grown. Real medicine must start with the patient's diet and ultimately the nutrition on the farm.

Elaine Ingham, well known leader in sustainable agriculture, said the answer of healthy crop production lies in the fact that both biology and chemistry need to be balanced properly.

A no-till system in agriculture embraces the principles of sustainability in farming. It means that soil will be used as a biological system to produce healthy crops. Healthy crops contain high density nutrients which are essential for human and livestock systems. Healthy crops reduce spraying of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. The final agricultural product of this approach conforms to the needs of modern users.

In the Southern Cape, farmers include legume pastures in their rotation of wheat, canola, oats and barley. These pastures contribute to higher organic matter which is the energy source for the micro-fauna in the soil. Complementary to the pastures, good tillage practices like no-tilling complies with the healthy nutrition of people.

I am personally convinced that grain products of the Southern Cape which are cultivated on high organic soils and biological farming practices can not be judged on traditional parameters but it must be judged on nutrient value.