SOUTH AFRICA FOOD LOSS AND WASTE IN FARMING

This 2023 report by WWF South Africa, based on research by the Behaviour Change Agency (BCA), explores the perceptions, root causes, and management practices regarding food loss and waste among 15 fruit and vegetable farmers in South Africa. The study highlights a critical lack of baseline data at the primary production level and identifies financial viability as the primary motivator for reducing waste.

• South Africa wastes approximately 10.3 million tonnes of edible food annually, based on a five-year average from 2014 to 2018. It is estimated that 45% of the total food supply in the country is lost or wasted, with the most wasted types being seeds and pulses, followed by fresh fruits and vegetables, which comprise about 44% of total annual food waste.
• There is a significant lack of baseline data on food wastage at the primary production level in South Africa, which hinders the implementation of behavioural strategies and the ability to monitor and evaluate their impact.
• Farmers in the study distinguish between 'food loss' and 'food waste', viewing food loss as non-preventable events outside human control (such as hail or pests) and food waste as preventable, behaviourally driven losses.
• Environmental factors are cited by 13 out of 15 farmers as the biggest contributor to food loss, specifically extreme weather events like hail storms, which can destroy 80-100% of a crop.
• Incorrect pesticide use is a major behavioural contributor to food wastage, often resulting from a lack of knowledge and training, which can lead to the loss of entire crops.
• Market-related drivers, including oversupply and unrealistic aesthetic standards for 'perfect' produce, lead to food waste. Farmers report that produce not meeting these cosmetic requirements is often rejected by retailers or consumers despite being edible.
• Supply chain and political challenges contribute to waste, including high transport costs for redistribution, port bottlenecks that shorten shelf-life for exports, and the impact of loadshedding on cold storage.
• Financial viability is the primary motivator for reducing food waste, with 80% of farmers stating they are financially driven because 'food wasted equals income lost'.
• Measuring food waste is uncommon among farmers; less than 40% of those surveyed measure how much food is wasted during the farming process, often because wastage is seen as too insignificant to monitor or is too dynamic to estimate.
• Farmers are willing to donate surplus food but face logistical barriers and a lack of a centralised contact point to organise the redistribution of large donations.

APA

Fourie, J., Engelbrecht, K., & Govender, P. (2023). SOUTH AFRICA FOOD LOSS AND WASTE IN FARMING. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/food_loss_and_waste_report.pdf

Chicago

Fourie, Jorique, Kara Engelbrecht, and Pat Govender. SOUTH AFRICA FOOD LOSS AND WASTE IN FARMING. WWF South Africa, 2023. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/food_loss_and_waste_report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fourie |first1=Jorique |last2=Engelbrecht |first2=Kara |last3=Govender |first3=Pat |title=SOUTH AFRICA FOOD LOSS AND WASTE IN FARMING |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2023 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/food_loss_and_waste_report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fourie2023south, author = {Fourie, Jorique and Engelbrecht, Kara and Govender, Pat}, title = {{SOUTH AFRICA FOOD LOSS AND WASTE IN FARMING}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2023}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/food_loss_and_waste_report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }