Sustainable Development

Hungry for Change: The Politics of Food in South Africa

Not only have current food systems failed to end hunger, they are intensifying climate emissions, destroying our biodiversity and harming our health. Yet, the UN’s first international conference on Food Systems, set to kick off on 23 September 2021, looks set to entrench the status quo, avoiding the questions of power that underpin the failure to ensure the fulfillment of the Human Rights to Food and a Healthy Environment.

What we do

Faced with on-going development challenges compounded by the imminent threat of a warming and unstable global climate, sustainable development considerations have never been more compelling in Southern Africa.

Responsible decision making requires that we balance social, economic, and environmental objectives, taking due consideration of rights-based approaches to development in order to sustain life and the well-being of our current and future generations. This philosophy underpins the Sustainable Development Programme which encompasses four main themes: climate change, energy, resource governance and green development. The programme seeks to facilitate platforms for civil society, policy makers, decision makers and other stakeholders traditionally left out of the mainstream discourse to ensure that the interconnectedness between humans and nature is understood.

Partners

Agency in South Africa’s Food Systems: Community Driven Research

During the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, a group of community researchers, together with students, undertook a study on hunger and agency in the food systems of five locations.

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The Corporate Capture of the UN Food Summit

Article

Transnational agribusiness firms are contributing to a growing global hunger crisis, causing widespread environmental damage, and threatening people’s health. By also capturing the United Nations Food Systems Summit, they have restricted the meeting's agenda to solutions that will further inflate corporate profits.

By Sofia Monsalve

What COVID-19 Revealed About Hunger

Article

The pandemic has shown the importance of community-based initiatives in fighting food insecurity. Unfortunately, when the United Nations Food Systems Summit convenes this month, few voices of those most affected by hunger will be at the table.

By Brittany Kesselman

Transforming Cape Town’s COVID Soup Kitchens Into Spaces of Dignity – A Community Vision

Article

Can community kitchens play a role in moving our approaches to hunger beyond the binary of ‘charity’ and ‘market’?

By Sanelisiwe Nyaba, Haidee Swanby and Stefanie Lemke

The Food Series: 10 Short Films on SA’s Food System, Available for Download and Screening

Power Poverty Hunger - Food System Facts 2021

Hunger and malnutrition are not accidental by-products of our food systems. This publication aims to present the causes of hunger and malnutrition, and show that clear political rules and strategies are needed to counter these realities.

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