Using the Climate Change Act to Shape a More Just and Resilient Food System in South Africa

The document analyzes the South African Climate Change Act as a framework for transforming the food system, which contributes approximately 20% of national emissions and is highly vulnerable to climate shocks. It identifies specific legal avenues—such as the National Adaptation Strategy and Plan (NASP), municipal climate response plans, and the Presidential Climate Commission—where farmers, workers, and civil society can intervene to promote agroecology, land rights, and food price stability. The author emphasizes that while the Act provides the legal framework, it does not guarantee funding or specific ground-level obligations, making active public participation essential to ensure a 'just transition' that protects vulnerable groups including women, youth, and smallholder farmers.

• South Africa's food system is both a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and highly susceptible to climate-driven disruptions, with emissions accounting for roughly 20% of the national total due to industrial agriculture, energy-intensive supply chains, and poor waste management.
• The Climate Change Act serves as framework legislation that establishes legal obligations for state organs to align policies and programs with its principles, but it lacks specific ground-level obligations, binding emissions targets with timelines, and guaranteed budget allocations.
• The Act mandates a structured timeline for the National Adaptation Strategy and Plan (NASP), requiring the development of climate risk scenarios and national objectives within one year of the Act passing, the adoption of the NASP within two years, and the creation of Sector Adaptation Plans within one year following the NASP's adoption.
• Local governments are required to conduct climate needs assessments within one year of the NASP's publication and develop climate response implementation plans within two years thereafter, which must then be integrated into Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and environmental plans.
• The document identifies several priority areas for advocacy under the Act to ensure a just transition, including shifting support toward agroecology, regulating food prices for stability, securing land access for small-scale producers, and addressing gender inequality by investing in services that reduce women's unpaid care work.
• The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) and the Premier’s Intergovernmental Forum are key coordination and advisory bodies, though the former's Just Transition Framework only partially addresses food systems and the latter currently lacks transparency and civil society participation.

APA

Madhi, Y., & Bennie, A. (2025). Using the Climate Change Act to Shape a More Just and Resilient Food System in South Africa. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IEJ-Food-System-Climate-Change-Act-2025-web.pdf

Chicago

Madhi, Yasirah, and Andrew Bennie. Using the Climate Change Act to Shape a More Just and Resilient Food System in South Africa. Institute for Economic Justice, 2025. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IEJ-Food-System-Climate-Change-Act-2025-web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Madhi |first1=Yasirah |last2=Bennie |first2=Andrew |title=Using the Climate Change Act to Shape a More Just and Resilient Food System in South Africa |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |date=October 2025 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IEJ-Food-System-Climate-Change-Act-2025-web.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{madhi2025using, author = {Madhi, Yasirah and Bennie, Andrew}, title = {{Using the Climate Change Act to Shape a More Just and Resilient Food System in South Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IEJ-Food-System-Climate-Change-Act-2025-web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }