Abstract:
The Western Cape region of South Africa is a key producing area for South African agriculture,
with a strong dependence on austral winter rainfall. The past three years have, however, seen
extensive drought impacting this region, with significant impacts on agriculture. In this article,
we unpack how the drought unfolded, as well as possibilities in predicting winter rainfall. We
consider how drought impacted agriculture, looking in depth at two commodities key to the
winter rainfall region agricultural sector – namely, wheat and apples; concluding with a brief
discussion of implications for the future.
