Just Transition in the Food System 

Dear partners,

TCOE, along with partner organisations, are compiling a joint submission, as the Just Transition in the Food System group, to the SA Human Rights Commission’s Inquiry into the South African food system and violations of the right to food. For more on the Inquiry, see concept note below.

We have different people and organisations collecting submissions on each theme, so if you are keen to make a submission, please send it to the relevant contact (below). In addition to the 7 themes identified by the SAHRC, we have added a few others that we feel are important but were missing

The deadline for submissions to THIS joint submission is 13 February, because we need time to compile them all into one group submission, send it out to partners for signatures/endorsements from other organisations, and submit to the SAHRC by their deadline of 27 February.

Please try to keep your submission focused and brief, based on your organisation’s unique expertise and experiences, including the challenges or barriers that prevent people from enjoying their right to food, as well as recommendations for government intervention, which the SAHRC can then put into their report and into their recommendations to government.

Themes and contacts:

1. 1. Economic and structural issues that perpetuate hunger (historic and present) as well as social policy: email andrew.bennie@iej.org.za
2. The concentration of power in the food value chain and its impact on access, affordability, and nutritional quality: Email: greenbergs08@pm.me
3. The link between land access, tenure security, and food insecurity: email annuschka@spp.org.za or laurel@afra.co.za
4. The intersection between the right to food and related constitutional rights, i.e: dignity, health, water, and environment: email yvonne@seri-sa.org
5. The role of indigenous knowledge systems, traditional seed practices, and agroecology in achieving food security and resilience: email brittany.kesselman@uct.ac.za or vanessa@biowatch.org.za
6. Institutional coordination, policy coherence, and legislative adequacy: email marc.wegerif@up.ac.za
7. The role of civic participation, public accountability, and social movements in advancing the right to food: email agriculture@tcoe.org.za
8. Climate change and food systems: email yasirah.madhi@iej.org.za
9. Gender and food systems: email celeste@tcoe.org.za
10. Child hunger and malnutrition: email southafricafoodpolicy@humaneworld.org 

Download the concept note here: Just Transitions SAHRC Inquiry submission style guide_sent