Climate shocks are hitting South Africa’s food businesses – study shows what they need to adapt

Climate change discussions in southern Africa often focus on farming, where the effects of environmental shocks are most visible. The debate frequently centres on droughts, floods, declining crop productivity and heat stress affecting livestock systems. This is largely because agriculture is a sector that’s directly exposed to extreme weather events.

But food systems involve far more than agricultural production. Between farms and consumers lies the agri-processing sector. This is made up of businesses that transform raw agricultural commodities into consumable food products through activities such as cleaning, milling, preservation, packaging, storage and manufacturing.

It connects agricultural production to markets, retailers and households. In South Africa, agri-processing contributes approximately 25% of national manufacturing output and supports more than 300,000 direct jobs.

The agri-processing sector is particularly exposed to climate risks because its operations depend on a reliable supply of agricultural raw materials (crops and livestock). This makes it very vulnerable to disruptions caused by droughts, floods, heatwaves and other extreme weather events.

I was part of a group of researchers with expertise in food systems, climate change adaptation and agri-processing. We conducted a study in South Africa’s industrial heartland, Gauteng, to find out how businesses in this sector were managing climate change risks and what steps they were taking to adapt.

We chose the province because it is one of the country’s most important centres for food processing, logistics and distribution. Disruptions in agri-processing extend far beyond the province. They affect food availability, supply reliability, employment and household food prices across South Africa.

Our research involved interviews with 113 agri-processing enterprises. We asked whether they were aware of climate change risks, what they could do to adapt to climate change and what was stopping them from adapting.

Our key findings were that:

Formal education was a strong factor in shaping climate adaptation. We found that agri-processing businesses whose owners had university education made better decisions and adopted climate-responsive practices.
Most training available to the agri-processors was of little help. This is because it focused on production and running a business, rather than helping people understand climate risks or how to respond to them.

We concluded from our findings that merely owning or working in agri-processing participation was not sufficient to promote climate change adaptation. Education played the most important role in supporting adaptation. Training, age, gender, education and enterprise experience had limited influence on whether the business owners took up ways to adapt to climate change (such as water conservation, energy-efficient technologies, improved storage practices, and sourcing their raw materials from many different suppliers).

Food businesses are feeling the heat

The agri-processing enterprises included businesses involved in grain milling, meat processing, dairy production, fruit and vegetable processing, and poultry processing. We also studied bakers and businesses that made food products.

We found that these enterprises were badly affected by climate-related disruptions, because they were dependent on crops, livestock and other agricultural raw materials, water and energy.

These business owners told us that water shortages, rising temperatures, irregular supply of agricultural inputs, and increasing production costs were big problems. Some businesses had taken steps to cope with climate change, such as saving water.

They also expanded the range of products they made, including more long-life processed foods. They adapted their operations by shifting work schedules during extreme heat, improving cooling and ventilation, and using water more efficiently.

But many struggled to do more because they lacked money, technical support and access to reliable information about climate risks.

The support that agri-processors need to cope with climate shocks

Our findings suggest that Gauteng’s agri-processing businesses need more support to understand climate change and prepare for its impacts. This includes better access to information and practical training and support programmes. These will help businesses respond to growing climate risks.

Helping businesses adapt will take more than individual companies acting alone. Climate change adaptation needs to be built into the support programmes that businesses already use, such as training, education and advice. It cannot be treated as an optional extra. This kind of support is usually delivered through government extension services, industry groups and small business programmes.

Any planning for the industry and food production sector must include this kind of training, especially as climate-related disruptions become more common and expensive.

Access to climate-focused education, hands-on training and technical support will be particularly important. Many business owners are aware that climate change poses a risk. But knowing about the problem does not always mean they know how to respond. Practical guidance, planning tools and expert advice can help businesses move from short-term responses to longer-term preparation.

Access to funding will also be important. Adapting to climate change costs money. This could be for new equipment, infrastructure or technologies that can help businesses cope with changing conditions, like heatwaves and floods.

At the same time, basic public services need to improve. Reliable electricity, a stable water supply and functioning municipal services are essential for agri-processing businesses in Gauteng. When these systems are unreliable, it is much harder for businesses to prepare for and respond to climate change.

Our study also shows that greater support for women-led businesses is needed. Women have more difficulty in accessing finance, technology, markets and climate information.

Preparing agri-processing businesses for climate change is not only an environmental issue. It is also important for protecting food supplies, supporting jobs and strengthening the economy.

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