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Opus Cactus
Prof Maryna Boshoff from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, Lerato Mamabolo (UFS graduate, now employed at OPUS Cactus), and Sotirios Pilafidis, Head of Research and Development at OPUS Cactus, at the XI International Congress on Cacti as Food, Fodder and Other Uses, hosted by the FAO-ICARDA CactusNet in Tenerife, Canary Islands.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has formalised a collaboration with OPUS Cactus, a pioneering biotech company focused on sustainable cactus-based farming and biorefineries in semi-arid regions. This partnership builds on OPUS Cactus’ expansion at the historic Waterkloof Research Station near Bloemfontein and combines the UFS’ academic expertise with industry innovation to promote climate-smart agriculture and economic development.

OPUS Cactus, led by Joeri van den Bovenkamp-Hofman, CEO, and Sotirios Pilafidis, Head of Research and Development (R&D), specialises in transforming marginal, non-arable land into productive, resource-efficient ecosystems by cultivating the drought-tolerant Opuntia cactus. This versatile biomass supports renewable bioenergy, animal feed, food production, fermentation feedstock, and sustainable biomaterials, while contributing to carbon capture and climate mitigation efforts.

“Our mission is to unlock the full potential of Opuntia biomass for sustainable bioenergy, food, and biomaterials, advancing regenerative agriculture and climate action,” says Van den Bovenkamp-Hofman. OPUS Cactus operates dual hubs: its headquarters and R&D lab in Groningen, the Netherlands, and the flagship 1 000-hectare Waterkloof Research Centre in the Free State. The Waterkloof facility serves as a commercial farm, research platform, and demonstration site for regenerative farming techniques.

The UFS collaboration involves multiple departments, including Sustainable Food Systems and Development, Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences, and Microbiology and Biochemistry. Profs Maryna Boshoff and Carlien Pohl-Albertyn, alongside Dr Gesine Coetzer, provide academic leadership in the partnership.

Prof Boshoff explains, “This industry-academia collaboration aims to develop innovative projects utilising cactus-based products. It builds on decades of cactus research at the UFS, enabling the translation of scientific knowledge into real-world impact through scale-up and commercialisation.”

 

Bridging academic research and commercial innovation to promote climate-smart agriculture

At the core of the partnership is the Waterkloof Research Centre, home to 42 spineless Burbank cactus pear cultivars. The facility acts as a ‘living laboratory’, integrating empirical research with commercial-scale farming. “Waterkloof now offers students and researchers access to operational infrastructure that cannot be replicated in conventional academic settings,” says Prof Boshoff.

Continuing projects at Waterkloof include biogas production through an anaerobic digester, regenerative agriculture practices such as cover cropping and reduced tillage, advanced plant biotechnology to breed superior cultivars, fermentation research for alternative proteins, and the development of novel fermented foods and sustainable biomaterials.

The collaboration also plays a critical role in conserving Opuntia genetic diversity and evaluating cultivars across South Africa’s varied agro-ecological zones. “Research done by UFS and ARC scientists on cultivar selection and cultivation is applied and scaled up through OPUS Cactus’ commercial operations,” Prof Boshoff adds.

This partnership provides valuable hands-on experience and career pathways for postgraduate students and young researchers. “We offer internships and employment opportunities, with several recent UFS graduates already joining our R&D team,” says Pilafidis. “We actively seek motivated graduates passionate about sustainable agriculture and bioengineering.”

By converting semi-arid landscapes into productive, carbon-sequestering ecosystems, the UFS-OPUS Cactus collaboration exemplifies how scientific innovation, entrepreneurship, and environmental stewardship can drive climate resilience, food security, and sustainable economic growth.

“OPUS Cactus is a win for the environment, communities, and business alike,” concludes Van den Bovenkamp-Hofman.

News Archive

UFS and Mexico forge links
2006-03-30

Some of the guests attending the signing of the memorandum of agreement were in front from the left Prof Wijnand Swart (Chairperson: Centre for Plant Health Management at the UFS), His Excellency Mauricio de Maria y Campos (Ambassador of Mexico in Southern Africa), Prof Magda Fourie (Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the UFS) and Dr José Sergio Barrales Domínguez (Rector of the University of Chapingo in Mexico).
Photo: Stephen Collett

UFS and Mexico forge links
The Centre for Plant Health Management (CePHMa) in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) is presenting its first international conference.  The conference started yesterday and will run until tomorrow (Friday 31 March 2006) on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein. 

The conference is the first on cactus pear (or prickly pear) in South Africa since 1995.  It coincides with 2006 being declared as International Year of Deserts and Desertification by the United Nations General Assembly. 

During the opening session of the conference yesterday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between CePHMa and the University of Chapingo (Universidad Autonoma Chapingo) in Mexico.  The signing ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Mexico in Southern Africa, His Excellency Mauricio de Maria y Campos, the Rector of the University of Chapingo, Dr José Sergio Barrales Domínguez, and the Vice-Rector: Academic Planning of the UFS, Prof Magda Fourie, amongst other important dignitaries. 

“South Africa and Mexico have a lot in common where agricultural practices in semi-arid areas and the role of the cactus pear are concerned,” said Prof Wijnand Swart, Chairperson of CePHMa at the opening of the conference.

He said that the MOU is the result of negotiations between CePHMa and the Ambassador of Mexico in Southern Africa over the past 12 months.

“The MOU facilitates the negotiation of international cooperative academic initiatives between the two institutions.  This entails the exchange of students and staff members of the UFS, curriculum development, research and community service,” said Prof Swart.

“During the next two days, various areas of interest will be discussed.  This includes perspectives from commercial cactus pear farmers in South Africa, the health management of cactus pear orchards, selection of new cultivars of cactus pear, and the nutritional and medicinal value of the crop,” said Prof Swart.

In his welcoming message Prof Swart explained that in recent years there has been increased interest in the cactus pear for the important role it can play in sustainable agricultural systems in marginal areas of the world.  These plants have developed phenological and physiological adaptations to sustain their development in adverse environments. 

“The cactus pear can serve as a life saving crop to both humans and animals living in marginal regions by providing a highly digestible source of energy, water, minerals and protein,” said Prof Swart. 

“In an age when global warming and its negative impact on earth’s climate has become an everyday subject of discussion, the exploitation of salt and drought tolerant crops will undoubtedly have many socio-economic benefits to communities inhabiting semi-arid regions,” said Prof Swart.

“Plantations of cactus pear grown for fruit, forage and vegetable production, as well as for natural red dye produced from the cactus scale insect known as cochineal have, over the last two decades, been established in many countries in South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.  The crop and its products have not only become important in international markets, but also in local markets across the globe,” said Prof Swart. 

Detailed discussions on the implementation of the MOU will take place between CePHMa and the University of Chapingo after the conference. 

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
30 March 2006

 

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