SA's food system ‘vulnerable to climate change'

The Just Transition Agenda for Food System Policymaking in SA webinar, hosted by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) in October, highlighted the role that South Africa’s food system plays in contributing to climate change and how vulnerable it is to the impact thereof.

- Sinenhlanhla Mncwango

Speaking during the webinar, Dr Andrew Bennie, senior researcher in climate policy and food systems at the IEJ, discussed the complexities of balancing food production, emissions, and the socio-economic challenges South Africa faced.

“Globally, food systems are responsible for about one-third of human-sourced emissions. In South Africa, our food system was responsible for 21% of our greenhouse gas emissions in 2021,” he said.

He added that our food system, while large and advanced, was highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

“The resilience of our food production, particularly for the poorest and workingclass populations, is under severe threat from climate-related disruptions.”