TOWARDS A JUST TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA’S FOOD SYSTEM

This fact sheet from the Institute for Economic Justice outlines the necessity and framework for a just transition within South Africa's food system. It argues that the current industrial food system is characterized by deep social inequality, corporate dominance, and significant environmental damage, contributing approximately 18% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. The document proposes a transition based on food sovereignty, focusing on equitable livelihoods, environmental sustainability through agroecology, and the universal right to food and nutrition.

• The South African food system is marked by severe land and agrarian inequality, where a small number of large-scale commercial farmers control most productive land, leaving millions of smallholders, particularly women, without secure access to land, markets, or support.
• Corporate power dominates the food system, with a few large companies controlling inputs, processing, distribution, and retail, which marginalizes approximately 600,000 informal traders, most of whom are women.
• Labor in the food system is characterized by precariousness and low wages, with a shift toward informal and temporary work. Many farm workers earn only the minimum wage, which is insufficient to cover a recommended nutritional diet for a family.
• The industrial food system is a major driver of climate change, accounting for roughly 18% of South Africa's greenhouse gas emissions and causing biodiversity loss and water pollution through monoculture and chemical use.
• Several barriers hinder a just transition, including a policy bias that prioritizes energy over food systems, the influence of profit-oriented corporate strategies, and disjointed government policies that lack an overall food system perspective.
• A just transition in the food system should be measured by three inter-related targets: equitable livelihoods (decent jobs and secure land rights), environmental sustainability (via agroecology), and the realization of the right to food and improved nutrition.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). TOWARDS A JUST TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA’S FOOD SYSTEM. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FactS-01-ENG-Towards-a-just-transition_Web.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. TOWARDS A JUST TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA’S FOOD SYSTEM. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FactS-01-ENG-Towards-a-just-transition_Web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=TOWARDS A JUST TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA’S FOOD SYSTEM |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FactS-01-ENG-Towards-a-just-transition_Web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjusticendtowards, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{TOWARDS A JUST TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA’S FOOD SYSTEM}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FactS-01-ENG-Towards-a-just-transition_Web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }