Climate change exacerbates inequalities between small-scale and large-scale farmers in South Africa’s fruit export market

Food production and consumption patterns disproportionately impact climate change, biodiversity, land use, water, and soil. To reverse these impacts, a sustainable food system has been promoted and within this, a planetary health diet, which simultaneously promotes human health and ecosystem health, has been recommended. This study adapts the framework developed by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) to explore the sustainability challenges of fruit production for the export markets in the context of a global increase in the demand for fruits following the recommendation of the planetary health diet. The study focuses on South Africa, one of the top global exporters of fruits, and considers a set of values within the SDC sustainability framework, namely social, environmental, economic, and governance. The analysis relies on primary qualitative data collected through interviews with experts in South Africa and is complemented with quantitative secondary data. The findings show that the production of fruits for the export markets exacerbates water resource depletion due to shifts in international demand towards water-intensive fruits such as avocados. It also contributes to further increase the inequality between commercial and small-scale farmers in the country. Sustainability enablers include the economic benefits for rural communities through the provision of jobs, mainly in avocado farms.