Thomas Derek Richardson

Prospects for a just transition within agricultural production systems in South Africa

Agriculture is a significant driver of global environmental change and the disruption of natural ecosystems. In South Africa, widespread adoption of conventional agricultural practices has profoundly impacted the country’s arable land, placing immense stress on natural resources and undermining the long-term sustainability of the agricultural sector. Compounding these environmental challenges, the sector still grapples with a dual agrarian system, a legacy of the exclusionary structures of the apartheid era. Challenges with ineffective land reform programmes, inadequate support for emerging producers, and structural vulnerabilities amongst small-scale farmers hinder meaningful transformation and inclusion within the system.

This study advocates for a just transition in South African agriculture, arguing that a shift toward sustainable agricultural systems must address complex and interconnected concerns of participation, inclusion and equity. The study integrates key dimensions of justice common to just transition theory (distributional, procedural and recognitional) with concepts of capability development and ecological justice to explore how agricultural systems and associated decision making structures can effectively navigate a just transition.

By adapting existing principles and concepts prominent to food and agricultural just transition literature using data from semi-structured stakeholder interviews, combined with relevant South African sources, guiding principles for a just transition in South African agriculture were developed. These were applied to a case study on the country’s sugarcane industry, using data from a set of stakeholder interviews to demonstrate how the application of these principles can reveal concerns, challenges, and opportunities for achieving a fair and equitable transition. The results enabled critical reflection on the future application and refinement of the guiding principles, whilst also offering insights for the industry as it navigates change.