TOWARDS A JUST TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA’S FOOD SYSTEM

The fact sheet outlines the necessity of a just transition in South Africa's food system, highlighting how historical land dispossession and corporate control have led to food insecurity and labor exploitation. It proposes a framework based on three goals: equal livelihoods, environmental stability, and the right to adequate nutrition. The document identifies significant barriers, including a policy focus on energy over food systems and the dominance of corporate interests, and provides a set of principles and indicators to measure and implement a just transition.

• South Africa's food system is characterized by extreme inequality, where a few commercial farms control most of the land and production, while millions of small-scale farmers lack land access, support, and markets. This is linked to historical land dispossession of Black people.
• Corporate dominance in the food chain leads to high profits for a few while leaving over 25% of households facing chronic food insecurity and many workers in precarious, low-paying jobs.
• Industrial, business-led food production is a significant driver of climate change, contributing approximately 18% of greenhouse gas emissions and causing water pollution and biodiversity loss through monoculture and chemical use.
• The food system is highly vulnerable to climate change; without adaptation measures to strengthen the system, food production in many areas will decline, leading to higher prices and increased hunger.
• A primary barrier to a just transition is that public and policy agendas focus almost exclusively on the energy sector, neglecting the critical need for a transition in food systems.

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-XHO-Towards-a-just-transition_Web_Fin.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-XHO-Towards-a-just-transition_Web_Fin.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-XHO-Towards-a-just-transition_Web_Fin.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-XHO-Towards-a-just-transition_Web_Fin.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }