Faith, food and the future: Indigenous food systems for climate and community resilience

This paper brings together research, case studies and community voices from across Southern Africa to show how indigenous food systems using agroecological farming methods build climate resilience, strengthen cultural identity and advance food sovereignty. It responds to concerns that industrial agriculture, land dispossession and climate shocks are eroding biodiversity, nutrition and the cultural and spiritual relationships that have long sustained communities.

Drawing on academic research, interviews with community and faith leaders and analysis of policy frameworks, the paper places indigenous food systems at the centre of debates on climate justice, sustainable consumption and cultural resilience. It offers practical recommendations for faith communities, policymakers, farmers and regional actors to protect and revitalise these systems through agroecological practices, knowledge transmission, legal protection and economic support.

Produced for the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI), a regional multi-faith organisation committed to eco-justice and climate action, the paper affirms that recognising and protecting indigenous foods and the systems in which they are produced is an act of justice for people and the planet. By elevating indigenous food systems, Southern  Africa can nurture sustainable, nutritious,  equitable and spiritually grounded food  systems that honour both heritage and  the Earth. This is the first document in a series of three reports on Faith, food and the future: Research report, Policy recommendations and Examples of indigenous foods.

Special thanks and acknowledgement to Claire Roussel for participatory research with faith leaders and experiential research at the 2024 Amadiba indigenous seed and food festival, forming the basis of the earlier working paper on which this study builds, for her drawings and illustrations. We also thank Stefanie Swanepoel for bringing all the initial research together, her further research, and the grounding of this paper in science and faith, as well as for her editing work. We are grateful for the active participation of faith leaders in this study, who generously shared their time and knowledge.

The cover photograph used shows Matilda Fakazi, an African Traditional Faith Leader, holding her grandmother Maize’s seeds, an inheritance she now plants with her community in the Western Cape to help feed others.