South Africa

South Africa is facing its smallest maize harvest since 2007 this year as record-high temperatures and drought continue to hit its agricultural sector. According the government’s Crop Estimates Committee, only 7.44 million tons of maize is likely to be harvested in 2016 - that’s 25 percent less than the 9.94 million tons reaped.

South Africa has today tabled its climate action plan for Paris, committing to put a lid on rising emissions through to 2030. How low they are able to plateau will depend on international support meaning so climate finance will be key to unlock greater ambition, says Oxfam.

The BRICSAMIT have come to be considered the economic powerhouses of recent decades. Not only have these countries managed to reduce poverty but today, all eight BRICSAMIT countries occupy the top ranks as some of the most unequal countries in the world.

The African Union (AU) should call on the South African authorities to provide a long-term security guarantee for refugees, migrants and asylum seekers living in the country, Oxfam, Amnesty International and other 11 civil society organizations said today at a side event during the AU Summit underway in Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Rising food costs, climate change and dramatic changes in land tenure are increasing the reality of hunger and leaving food-insecure people feeling they “are rated as the cheapest of the cheapest”.

One in four people in South Africa do not have enough to eat, and half the population is at risk of hunger, despite the country producing more than enough food.