Adapting to the Climate Change Act: how agro-processing SMEs can build resilience

Wynand Deyzel, commercial sales manager at Solenco, spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel about how the Act is shaping the operational durability of small to medium-sized agricultural enterprises and the role of indoor air management in adapting to climate impacts.

- Wynand Deyzel

The Act provides the country's legal framework for managing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate impacts, guiding the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy.

While major emitters like Eskom and the national grid are often in the spotlight, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in agriculture and agro-processing, are increasingly feeling the indirect effects.

These businesses may not be directly responsible for large emissions, but they face rising energy costs, the need for greater operational efficiency, and the challenges of adapting to extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves.

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON SMES

Speaking to Farmer's Weekly, Wynand Deyzel, commercial sales manager at Solenco, explains that even businesses not directly responsible for large emissions must adapt to the changing climate and its operational impacts.

"The provisions or regulations coming out of the Climate Change Act are still in the process of being phased in, especially those that would have an impact on SMEs, so while medium-sized businesses may largely not be adapting to the new Act just yet, they are already needing to adapt to the impact of climate change itself.