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South Africa has faced persistent food price hikes and volatility since 2020, driven by climate change, global market disruptions, high input costs, and concentrated corporate control over food value chains. Staple foods such as maize, wheat, and cooking oil have become increasingly unaffordable, worsening food insecurity, which now affects nearly one in five households.
Andrew Bennie is Senior Researcher in Climate Policy and Food Systems at the Institute for Economic Justice.
Refiloe Joala is the Food Sovereignty programme manager in the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s Southern Africa Office in Johannesburg.
Kagiso Zwane is an economist at the Competition Commission in South Africa.
Sophia Murphy is a food systems and international economy expert at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.
This policy brief, produced by the Institute for Economic Justice with support from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, examines the potential role of public food buffer stocks as a strategy to stabilize prices, protect vulnerable households, and strengthen climate resilience. Beginning with white maize, a staple crop in South Africa that is highly climate-sensitive, buffer stocks could help balance supply and demand, reduce price shocks, and support smallholder farmers. Over time, the buffer stocks system will expand to other grains such as wheat along with indigenous, climate-resilient crops like sorghum and millet.
The brief also draws on international experiences, outlines risks and governance requirements, and proposes a phased approach that expands to other staples such as wheat and indigenous grains. Ultimately, it positions buffer stocks as a vital component of a broader food sovereignty strategy, complementing competition regulation, agroecological investment, and regional cooperation to advance food security in South Africa.
