The complexities of climate adaptation in South African agriculture

This document addresses: (i) the complexity and political contentiousness of the agriculture industry in South Africa, its connection to food security, water, health and land reform, and the historic resource imbalances between black and white farmers; (ii) the unique challenges related to climate change faced by different parts of South Africa considering its size and the number of fully allocated water basins; and (iii) the varying levels of adaptive capacity between large-scale commercial operations and emerging smallholder farms and the need to prioritize national policy response to ensure cohesive and nuanced support for climate change adaptation.