Imperatives for an agricultural green economy in South Africa

Abstract

Globally, there are social, economic and environmental challenges related to sustainable development; these challenges include climate change, the need to feed a rapidly increasing population, high rates of poverty and environmental degradation. These challenges have forced us to rethink the way in which development takes place, resulting in the emergence of the concept of a ‘green economy’. A green economy results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing risks to the environment. It is based on principles which integrate social, economic and environmental considerations. South Africa has adopted the principle of green economic growth, and agriculture is one of the sectors that will drive this growth. Agriculture could address some of the sustainable development problems, but there are challenges related to resource availability, environmental impacts of agriculture and climate change. For agriculture to support a green economy it has to be productive, contribute to economic growth and not undermine the environment, social and cultural systems. The information base and policies required to support a green economy in general, and/or an agriculture-supported green economy have not yet been developed, as the green economy is an emerging concept in South Africa as well as globally. The generation of such information requires analysis and synthesis of green economy principles and agricultural imperatives into generic principles and practices for facilitating agriculture’s contribution to the green economy. In this paper, we conduct this analysis and synthesis and highlight the defining aspects of an agricultural green economy.

R&D Expenditure for New Technology in Livestock Farming: Impact on GHG Reduction in Developing Countries

“…However, there are few studies that address this concern in developing countries [38]. This is mainly due to the fact that literature is focused on the evolution of green technologies in industry and manufacturing [39], while in developing countries agriculture remains the sector that contributes most significantly to the domestic product and is also the most representative sector of the green economy [40].…”

How Can Multifunctional Agriculture Support a Transition to a Green Economy in Africa? Lessons from the COMACO Model in Zambia

“…Drawing from the various definitions in literature (e.g., [2][3][4][5]), a green economy is seen in this paper as being characterised by at least six key elements: (a) low carbon economic activity; (b) resource efficiency; (c) social inclusion; (d) green jobs and businesses; (e) pollution and waste reduction; and (f) protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Green jobs, here, are viewed as jobs in business that produce goods or provide services beneficial to the environment and conserve natural resources (and includes workers with green skills) [3,6].…”

“…According to Musvoto et al [2] agricultural activities potentially offer solutions to a myriad of social, economic, and environmental challenges. However, for agriculture to drive the green economy, it is acknowledged that changes are required within the sector [2]. As Leakey [14] equally argues, agriculture needs to be rethought, to move it from being an environmental culprit to an environmental, social, and economic savior.…”

“…Studies on these initiatives are already generating important lessons about the value of multifunctional agriculture and demonstrating the need to study such initiatives more keenly, especially in the context of the green economy. Moreover, with the concept of the green economy being new, the reality on the ground is that currently, there is insufficient information to aid green economy strategies or policy development [2] especially in African countries such as Zambia. In this regard, there are still some gaps in our understanding of the type of strategies and conditions that offer the most effective approach for supporting agriculture systems that are resilient, provide sustainable livelihoods, and at the same time foster inclusive and sustained economic growth and environmental sustainability.…”

Green Development, Natural Resource Financialization and Emerging Conflict in Southern Africa with Examples from Implementation Contexts in Madagascar, Tanzania and South Africa

“…South Africa has a very large portfolio of active CDM projects across sectors. Particular NRF effort is related to sustainable infrastructure (particularly capacity for RE/EE), biodiversity conservation and management in the context of an expanded network of protected areas, agriculture and forestry (Death 2014;Musvoto et al 2015;UNEP 2013). Many of these initiatives have been facilitated through the Green Fund with co-funding from donors and private partnerships, including the Farming the Wild project to promote greening of the rural economy through conservation agriculture; biodiversity programmes like Sanparks and Shepherding Back; eThekwini Municipality's Greening Durban programme that seeks to transform landfills into active carbon sequestration zones through reforestation; the Wildlands Waste-preneurs project that combines recycling and ecosystem services delivery, and the RE/EE retrofitting of low-cost housing.…”