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The fact sheet outlines the necessity of a just transition in South Africa's food system to combat land inequality, corporate dominance, and food insecurity. It argues that the current industrial food system contributes approximately 18% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions and is highly vulnerable to climate change. The document proposes a framework based on food sovereignty, focusing on three targets: equitable livelihoods, environmental sustainability through agroecology, and the right to food and nutrition. It identifies several barriers to this transition, including a policy bias toward energy and the market-driven approach established by the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act of 1996.

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 transition based on three pillars: equitable livelihoods, sustainable ecological production, and the right to healthy food. The document identifies barriers such as the influence of large companies and fragmented government policies, and provides a framework of principles and indicators to guide the transition toward a more just and resilient 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.

The document outlines the necessity of a 'just transition' in South Africa's food systems, moving away from industrial models that marginalize small-scale farmers and workers. It identifies key barriers, such as the dominance of large corporations and a policy focus limited to the energy sector, and proposes a framework based on agroecology, fair livelihoods, and the right to nutritious food. The text emphasizes that industrial food production contributes approximately 18% of South Africa's greenhouse gas emissions and leaves the food supply highly vulnerable to climate change.

The South African food system is characterized by concentrated corporate ownership, policies favoring large-scale commercial agriculture for export, and high levels of food insecurity, with at least one in five households regularly food insecure. The current industrial model causes significant environmental damage through toxic chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions, while WTO-mandated open markets lead to a dependency on cheap, subsidized imports that undermine local production. The document proposes a just transition centered on the right to food, the implementation of a universal basic income grant, and the adoption of agroecology to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and soil degradation.

The document analyzes the current state of South Africa's food system, highlighting how industrial agriculture and trade policies prioritize large-scale commercial interests and exports over domestic food security. It notes that at least one in five households faces food insecurity, with black women and rural residents most affected. The text criticizes the role of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in forcing market openings that lead to the import of cheap, low-nutrient food, undermining local producers. Environmentally, the current system is described as unsustainable due to excessive water use, toxic chemicals, and greenhouse gas emissions. The document proposes a 'just transition' based on agroecology, the redistribution of land and resources, and the establishment of food as a public right regardless of purchasing power.

Climate change is projected to increase temperatures in South Africa at double the global average, leading to water scarcity, reduced crop yields for staples like maize and wheat, and increased risks for small-scale farmers and marginalized communities. The document argues that a market-led response will exacerbate inequality and instead advocates for a just transition involving resource redistribution, agro-ecological practices, and a universal basic income grant to build resilience.

Climate change in South Africa is projected to increase temperatures by up to 3.5°C over 40 years, leading to water scarcity, yield pressure for maize and wheat, and increased vulnerability for smallholder farmers and marginalized groups. The document argues that a market-led response will intensify inequality and instead advocates for a just transition involving resource redistribution, agroecology, and social support systems.

The fact sheet advocates for agroecology as a transformative approach to build a climate-resilient food system in South Africa. It contrasts this with 'false solutions'—such as GMOs and precision planting—which it claims reinforce corporate power and inequality. Agroecology is presented as a bottom-up method that integrates ecological science with traditional knowledge to reduce emissions, improve adaptation, and ensure food sovereignty by returning control of land and seeds to smallholders and indigenous peoples.

The fact sheet advocates for agroecology as a holistic approach to building climate-resilient and just food systems in South Africa. It contrasts agroecology—which integrates traditional knowledge and ecological science to empower small-scale producers—with 'false solutions' such as GMOs and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) that it claims reinforce industrial control and inequality. The document outlines how agroecology enhances resilience through local production, biodiversity, and soil health, and aligns these goals with the 13 HLPE principles for food system transformation.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) provides feedback on the draft Procedure Manual for the implementation of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant for the Department of Social Development. The IEJ argues that the draft fails to sufficiently address administrative barriers and accessibility issues, specifically regarding digital exclusion and the onerous nature of monthly verification processes.

The report examines Ghana's energy, industrial, and gender policies, finding that while there is a strong focus on localisation and renewable energy targets, there is a lack of specific mechanisms to integrate small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and women into the production networks. It highlights implementation lags in the Renewable Energy Master Plan and the absence of a unified industrial policy, recommending targeted financial support and gender-responsive budgeting to ensure a just transition.

The policy brief highlights a severe economic downturn in South Africa during the third quarter of 2021, characterized by a 1.5% GDP contraction and record-high unemployment. It identifies specific vulnerabilities among youth, Black African women, and informal workers, while noting significant job losses in retail, hospitality, and community services. To mitigate these effects and prevent social instability, the author recommends a suite of interventions including wage support, expanded social grants, sector-specific loans for tourism, and increased funding for industrial policy.

The document analyzes the impact of the Trump administration's 'reciprocal tariffs' on the Global South, specifically Africa, and argues that these policies signal the end of preferential market access under AGOA. It suggests that African nations should respond by rerouting trade through the AfCFTA and BRICS, implementing targeted import substitution industrialisation, and creating collective bargaining platforms to negotiate with external powers.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) proposes a shift away from growth-dependent poverty eradication, advocating for a universal basic income grant for adults aged 18-59 in South Africa and a global wealth tax on billionaires. The submission argues against regressive VAT increases and conditional social grants, instead recommending progressive taxation, debt management strategies to lower interest costs, and the removal of algorithmic and digital barriers to social protection access.

This joint submission by the Center for Economic and Social Rights, the Institute for Economic Justice, and SECTION27 argues that South Africa is implementing retrogressive austerity measures that threaten economic, social, and cultural rights. The authors contend that the government's focus on debt reduction is based on exaggerated concerns and that resources could be maximized through progressive tax reform and the eradication of corruption and 'state capture'. The document details how budget cuts and inefficient resourcing are severely undermining the public health and basic education systems, leading to critical staff shortages, infrastructure backlogs, and poor learner outcomes.

The fact sheet analyzes the funding of basic education in South Africa, highlighting a real-terms decline in per-learner spending from R17,822 in 2010 to R16,435 in 2017. It identifies critical underfunding in school infrastructure, sanitation, and special needs education, while noting that provincial mismanagement and inaccurate data collection further exacerbate the crisis. The authors call for an end to budget austerity and the implementation of a rights-based funding model to ensure all learners have access to essential resources and safe facilities.

A joint submission by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) providing recommendations on the draft amendments to the regulations for the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant in South Africa.

A group of over 75 economists and experts argue that South Africa's initial economic responses to COVID-19 were insufficient in scale compared to other nations. They propose a comprehensive five-pillar strategy to support households, protect workers, sustain businesses, strengthen public health, and stabilize the broader economy, emphasizing the need for fiscal and monetary expansion to protect the most vulnerable populations.

This research paper finds that approximately half of the target population for South Africa's Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant is excluded, with an average of 76% of those excluded being eligible. The study identifies that rapid digitalization and automation, lacking transparency and oversight, create systemic barriers to application, verification, payment, and appeal. These barriers disproportionately affect those already marginalized by digital, financial, and spatial inequalities, leading to severe hardship and hunger.