OP DIE PAD NA ’N REGVERDIGE OORGANG IN SUID-AFRIKA SE VOEDSELSTELSEL

The document examines the failures of South Africa's industrial food system, characterized by corporate power, land inequality, and high greenhouse gas emissions. It advocates for a 'just transition' that prioritizes workers, small-scale farmers, and women over corporate profit. The author proposes a framework based on three goals: decent livelihoods, environmental sustainability through agro-ecology, and the right to food and nutrition. The text warns that 'green' transitions focusing only on production sustainability may reinforce existing inequalities if they ignore power dynamics and social justice.

• South Africa's food system is marked by deep social injustice, where a few thousand large-scale commercial farmers control the most productive land while millions of small-scale farmers lack secure land access and support, with women particularly marginalized.
• Corporate power dominates the food system, with a few large corporations controlling inputs, processing, distribution, and retail, leading to high profits while up to a quarter of households experience persistent food insecurity.
• Labor in the food system is characterized by a shift toward informal, temporary, and piecework, with many farm workers paid only the minimum wage, which is insufficient to cover a basic nutritious diet for a family.
• The industrial food system is a major driver of climate change, contributing approximately 18% of South Africa's greenhouse gas emissions and causing water pollution and biodiversity loss through monoculture and chemical use.
• Several obstacles hinder a just transition, including a policy focus primarily on energy, the dominance of market-led organization since the Agricultural Products Marketing Act of 1996, and incoherent government policies across departments.
• A just transition must achieve three interrelated goals: decent livelihoods (including job security and land rights for small farmers), environmental sustainability via agro-ecology to minimize emissions, and the realization of the right to food and improved nutrition.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). OP DIE PAD NA ’N REGVERDIGE OORGANG IN SUID-AFRIKA SE VOEDSELSTELSEL. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FactS-01-AFR-Towards-a-just-transition_fin_Web.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. OP DIE PAD NA ’N REGVERDIGE OORGANG IN SUID-AFRIKA SE VOEDSELSTELSEL. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FactS-01-AFR-Towards-a-just-transition_fin_Web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=OP DIE PAD NA ’N REGVERDIGE OORGANG IN SUID-AFRIKA SE VOEDSELSTELSEL |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FactS-01-AFR-Towards-a-just-transition_fin_Web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjusticenddie, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{OP DIE PAD NA ’N REGVERDIGE OORGANG IN SUID-AFRIKA SE VOEDSELSTELSEL}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FactS-01-AFR-Towards-a-just-transition_fin_Web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }