Load-shedding – A Threat to Our Food Supply and Agri Sector

The recent spell of load-shedding in South Africa disrupts the economy intensely. It shuts down factories, switches off servers, prevents mining operations, causes massive traffic disruptions and costs billions in potential revenue.

Its effects on the Agricultural Sector are equally significant. An inability to address the load-shedding problem over the long term could have substantial consequences for the country’s food security.

Data released from Agri SA indicates that the agricultural sector spent around R146 billion on intermediate goods and services of which R7 billion was spent on electricity alone.

Electricity is fundamental to high energy farming activities such as horticulture, dairy, poultry, grains and agro-processing. Agri SA estimates that 25% of the country’s food is produced by irrigation-reliant and energy-intensive industries.

Electricity and Water Goes Hand-in-Hand

You will have seen how major cities have communicated how sustained load-shedding affects water supply because you obviously need electricity to pump water. The same is true for farming; an inability to pump water could threaten the growth of multiple crops cultivated in the country.

The fact further exacerbates the challenge in some cases. There is a total lack of coordination in terms of the rollout for load-shedding. While a farmer may have access to electricity on his property, the power may have been cut in the area where the irrigation scheme pump stations are situated.

The effects of load-shedding on the industry could likely be managed if Eskom agreed to exclude the agricultural sector from stage 1 load-shedding.

A Possible Solution – Solar Power

The impact on the industry has also led to farmers turning to solar power to go off the grid. Agri SA estimates that over 500 applications from the agricultural sector awaiting Eskom and NERSA to stabilise their operations better.

Related Topic:

Importance of Solar Energy in Agriculture

A Looming Food Crisis

Within the context of load-shedding, a recent report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has also indicated that the country could face a food crisis in 2050. The WWF has projected that the country will need to produce 50% more food by 2050 to feed an estimated population of around 73 million people.

The WWF has proposed interventions across the following key areas namely;

• water management,
• regenerative agriculture,
• responsible sourcing,
• reducing food waste and
• encouraging a dietary shift.

The report comes at a time when the agricultural industry has gone through one of the most severe droughts in the country’s history, and its recovery has now further been hampered by the recent spate of load-shedding.

Conclusion

South Africa’s food demands are only going to increase in the future. Unless the government can adequately respond to the agricultural sector’s needs, it will pose a severe risk to the country’s food security.

Continued instability in the country’s ability to provide electricity and a failure to acknowledge the role that renewable technologies could play, particularly in the agricultural industry could threaten the sector’s future.

Has your business been affected by load-shedding and what was the negative impact?

Tell us your story in the comment section below.

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Key facts

• Load-shedding threatens South Africa's food security by disrupting electricity-dependent farming operations, especially irrigation systems.
• Around 25% of the country's food comes from irrigation-reliant, energy-intensive industries that are highly exposed to power cuts.
• The agricultural sector spends about R146 billion on intermediate goods and services, including roughly R7 billion on electricity.
• The WWF projects South Africa will need 50% more food by 2050 to feed an estimated population of around 73 million people.
• Over 500 agricultural applications for solar power operations await approval from Eskom and NERSA.
• Excluding agriculture from stage 1 load-shedding, plus renewable energy and better policy, could help mitigate the damage.

Frequently asked questions

How does load-shedding threaten South Africa's food supply?

Load-shedding threatens food supply by disrupting the electricity-dependent operations that agriculture relies on, particularly irrigation systems. Water pumping depends on electricity, so power cuts reduce water supply to crops. Around 25% of South Africa's food is produced by irrigation-reliant and energy-intensive industries that are especially vulnerable.

Which farming sectors are most affected by load-shedding?

Electricity is essential across horticulture, dairy, poultry, grains, and agro-processing, so all of these are affected. Irrigation-reliant and energy-intensive industries are hit hardest because they depend on continuous power for water pumping and processing. Coordination failures also occur when a farm has power but its irrigation pumps lose it.

How much does electricity cost the South African agricultural sector?

The agricultural sector spends approximately R146 billion on intermediate goods and services, with about R7 billion of that going specifically to electricity. This scale of spending shows how deeply farming depends on a reliable power supply, which load-shedding puts at risk.

What can be done to protect farms from load-shedding?

The article suggests excluding the agricultural sector from stage 1 load-shedding to help mitigate damage. Renewable energy adoption is also key, with over 500 agricultural applications for solar power awaiting Eskom and NERSA approval. The WWF further proposes water management, regenerative agriculture, responsible sourcing, reducing food waste, and encouraging dietary shifts.

How much more food will South Africa need in the future?

The World Wide Fund for Nature projects that South Africa will need 50% more food by 2050 to feed an estimated population of around 73 million people. This makes protecting energy-dependent food production from load-shedding increasingly urgent.