Supplementary submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa

The document argues that food insecurity in South Africa is a result of policy and market failures, specifically citing the casualisation of agricultural labour and the failure of land redistribution models. It advocates for a Universal Basic Income Grant (UBIG), the adoption of agroecological farming to improve resilience and yields, and the removal of legal and practical barriers to women's land access. The authors suggest that the state must move beyond market-led food security and implement active industrial policy, land reform, and a dedicated food affordability framework.

• Food insecurity among Coloured households in rural and peri-urban agricultural regions is driven by the 'casualisation of labour', where permanent employment is replaced by seasonal contracts, a trend exacerbated by climate change and the use of labour brokers who often bypass the National Minimum Wage.
• A Universal Basic Income Grant (UBIG) could be funded through non-regressive measures such as a wealth tax (starting at 0.5% to 1.0%), a Social Security Tax (3% or 4%) on formal wages, and increased VAT revenue from higher Gross Domestic Expenditure.
• Agroecology is presented as a viable alternative to industrial farming, with evidence that it can match or exceed conventional yields through practices like intercropping and minimal tillage, while improving soil health and water use efficiency.
• Current land redistribution models, specifically the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS), are described as ineffective due to a focus on high-value commodity production, inadequate post-settlement support, and a failure to encourage small-scale family units.
• Women face significant barriers to land access resulting from the interaction of law and practice, including patriarchal control, sexual extortion by traditional leaders, and the lack of recognition for collective tenure in family homes.
• Hunger in South Africa is characterized as a policy and market failure rather than a constitutional failure, as the state has 'outsourced' food security to the market and failed to integrate the right to food into government planning.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2026). Supplementary submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Just_Transition_group_supplementary_submission_SAHRC.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Supplementary submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa. 2026. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Just_Transition_group_supplementary_submission_SAHRC.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Supplementary submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa |date=21 April 2026 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Just_Transition_group_supplementary_submission_SAHRC.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjustice2026supplementary, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Supplementary submission by the Just Transition in the Food System Group: SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) National Inquiry into the Food Systems of South Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Just_Transition_group_supplementary_submission_SAHRC.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }