A food system just transition: insights from the beef industry

The document argues that South Africa's beef industry reflects deep agrarian inequalities, characterized by a dichotomy between large-scale commercial production and struggling smallholder farmers. It highlights that while beef production is vital for employment, it contributes significantly to climate change and is vulnerable to its impacts. The paper concludes that a just transition requires moving beyond market-led growth strategies to address precarious labour conditions, low wages for farm workers, and the ecological impacts of intensive production, such as high water and grain use for feed.

• South Africa's beef industry is marked by a structural divide between large-scale commercial operations and smallholder farmers, which mirrors wider agrarian inequalities in the country.
• Labourers in the beef sector experience precarious livelihoods and low wages, a situation worsened by a lack of bargaining power.
• Intensive beef production creates significant ecological pressure, specifically through the consumption of grain and water for animal feed, while climate change threatens cattle health and household incomes.
• Current efforts toward a just transition are hindered by market-centric policies and a lack of coordinated climate responses; even promising methods like regenerative grazing often ignore labour conditions.

APA

Bennie, A., Naidoo, L., Bowman, A., & Sandi, A. (2024). A food system just transition: insights from the beef industry. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/resource/working-paper/a-food-system-just-transition_insights-from-the-beef-industry/

Chicago

Bennie, Andrew, Lalitha Naidoo, Andrew Bowman, and Asandi Sandi. A food system just transition: insights from the beef industry. Institute for Economic Justice, 2024. https://iej.org.za/resource/working-paper/a-food-system-just-transition_insights-from-the-beef-industry/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bennie |first1=Andrew |last2=Naidoo |first2=Lalitha |last3=Bowman |first3=Andrew |last4=Sandi |first4=Asandi |title=A food system just transition: insights from the beef industry |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |date=15 July 2024 |url=https://iej.org.za/resource/working-paper/a-food-system-just-transition_insights-from-the-beef-industry/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bennie2024food, author = {Bennie, Andrew and Naidoo, Lalitha and Bowman, Andrew and Sandi, Asandi}, title = {{A food system just transition: insights from the beef industry}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://iej.org.za/resource/working-paper/a-food-system-just-transition_insights-from-the-beef-industry/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }