Look behind your food

Towards a food production system that respects the rights, livelihoods and dignity of workers

Countries: South Africa

Partners: Commercial, Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers Union (CSAAWU) and The Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE)

Allocated amount: DKK 2.500.000,00

Project start: 01/01/2022 Project end: 31/12/2024

Agricultural workers in South Africa find themselves in a situation where the capitalist system makes their labour largely invisible. At the same time, national and international consumers who put South African food products on their plates every night have less and less knowledge of that food’s journey from soil to table. This project grows out of a tripartite partnership between Global Aktion (GA), the Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE) and the Commercial, Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers Union (CSAAWU) that works towards a food production system in South Africa that respects the rights, livelihoods, and dignity of workers. It operates at three different scales to 1) empower agricultural workers in South Africa to speak up against injustice and claim their rights, 2) strengthen collective bargaining and build worker solidarity in the agricultural production system through a capacitated union, and 3) increase public awareness of working conditions in the agricultural sector among South African and Danish consumers.

Development objective:

Look behind your food: towards a food production system that respects the rights, livelihoods, and dignity of workers. 

Immediate objectives:

The project operates with three specific objectives, each pertaining to a specific element in the Development Triangle. 

Objective 1: Workers along the value chain are claiming their rights through organised collaboration. 

Objective 2: CSAAWU has strengthened its organisational capacity and democratic mandate

Objective 3: Consumers, alliance partners and other relevant stakeholders support the workers in advocating for an agricultural industry that respects the rights, livelihoods, and dignity of workers in South Africa

Target groups:

1.5000 new union members. 2. 150 new shop stewards. 3. 50 women leaders. 4. 10 youth research assistants. 5. 14 union employees. 5. 7 elected union leaders. 6. 160 community members. 7. At least 300 community members. 8. 250 union members. 9. Farm dwellers and the agricultural communities more broadly. 10. Consumers in South Africa and Denmark. 11. Key potential alliance partners. 12. Key industry stakeholders.

This project is organized by Sydafrikagruppen