Agri-food Systems: Facts and Futures

The report details how South Africa's food system contributes to biodiversity loss and climate change while failing to address widespread hunger and malnutrition. It highlights a dualistic agrarian structure and market concentration that marginalizes smallholder farmers. To feed a growing population by 2050, the document advocates for five transformative areas: inclusive regenerative farming, optimal water use, responsible sourcing, reducing food waste, and a dietary shift toward more plants and less meat.

• The food system is the primary driver of environmental degradation, contributing more to biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, and soil degradation than any other human activity.
• South Africa faces a significant food security paradox where sufficient calories exist, yet 22% of households lack adequate food access and 33% of all produced food is wasted.
• South Africa's agricultural sector is characterized by a stark duality: approximately 37,000 large-scale commercial farmers produce the bulk of food for formal retail, while over 2 million smallholder farmers remain largely marginalized.
• Dietary shifts toward processed, energy-dense foods have led to a public health crisis, with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) causing estimated GDP losses of R27 billion between 2006 and 2015.
• Agriculture is the largest land-use type in South Africa and the single biggest water user, with 90% of vegetable, fruit, and wine production relying on irrigation.
• The agri-food value chain is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, estimated to account for 43–57% of all human GHG emissions globally.
• Food waste in South Africa was estimated at 10 million tonnes in 2013, resulting in a financial burden of R61.5 billion, or 2.1% of the national GDP.
• To meet the needs of a population that could reach 73 million by 2050, South Africa may need to increase yields per hectare by 40–45% through sustainable intensification and improved management.
• Market concentration allows a small number of companies to dominate the food industry; for example, four dominant supermarket chains control 97% of formal retail trade.
• Climate change poses severe risks to regional food security, with projections suggesting maize yields in Botswana could drop by 20% at 1.5 °C warming and up to 35% at 2 °C warming.

APA

von Bormann, T. (2019). Agri-food Systems: Facts and Futures. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_food_report_facts_and_futures_2019.pdf

Chicago

von Bormann, Tatjana. Agri-food Systems: Facts and Futures. WWF South Africa, 2019. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_food_report_facts_and_futures_2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=von Bormann |first1=Tatjana |title=Agri-food Systems: Facts and Futures |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2019 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_food_report_facts_and_futures_2019.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vonbormann2019agrifood, author = {von Bormann, Tatjana}, title = {{Agri-food Systems: Facts and Futures}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2019}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_food_report_facts_and_futures_2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }