Just Food System Transitions

This policy brief by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective argues for a 'deep, just transition' approach to African food systems that prioritizes human rights, structural equity, and agroecology over industrialization. Using South Africa as a cautionary example of the failures of industrial agri-food systems, the document provides recommendations for philanthropic organizations to fund multi-sectoral coalitions, grassroots agency, and long-term, context-based research and advocacy.

• A 'deep, just transition' in food systems must move beyond carbon neutrality to prioritize human rights, the dismantling of poor working conditions, and the correction of historical structural inequities to ensure healthy food is affordable and accessible.
• South Africa serves as a cautionary case for the rest of Africa because its food system is dominated by a large-scale industrial production model rooted in apartheid-era land dispossession and cheap labour, resulting in high concentration and racialized inequality.
• Industrialization and 'modernization' policies in Africa, often driven by corporate interests, risk undermining food sovereignty and biodiversity by increasing dependence on private sector hybrid seeds and artificial inputs, which disproportionately impacts women small-scale farmers.
• Acute food insecurity in Africa is rising, with 140 million people across 35 countries affected in 2022 (a 17% annual increase), and climate change is projected to put an additional 30 million people at risk of hunger by 2030.
• Philanthropic funding should shift from rigid, one-size-fits-all 'scaling up' metrics toward supporting multi-actor platforms, long-term relationship building, and context-specific grassroots solutions.
• Case studies in South Africa, such as the National Policy Dialogue and Food Agency Cape Town, demonstrate that linking participatory research with local agency allows marginalized communities to challenge 'expert' dominance and influence policy.

APA

Swanby, H., Bennie, A., Dasoo, M., & Kroll, F. (2025). Just Food System Transitions. African Climate Foundation. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_L-Just-transitions-WEB-1.pdf

Chicago

Swanby, Haidee, Andrew Bennie, Malik Dasoo, and Florian Kroll. Just Food System Transitions. African Climate Foundation, 2025. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_L-Just-transitions-WEB-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Swanby |first1=Haidee |last2=Bennie |first2=Andrew |last3=Dasoo |first3=Malik |last4=Kroll |first4=Florian |title=Just Food System Transitions |publisher=African Climate Foundation |date=2025 |url=https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_L-Just-transitions-WEB-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{swanby2025just, author = {Swanby, Haidee and Bennie, Andrew and Dasoo, Malik and Kroll, Florian}, title = {{Just Food System Transitions}}, institution = {African Climate Foundation}, year = {2025}, url = {https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_L-Just-transitions-WEB-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }