Food security begins with the soil that sustains life. When the structure and fertility of soil are weakened, entire food systems become fragile. Composting provides a biological correction to this imbalance. It rebuilds organic matter, improves the soil’s ability to retain water, and restores the microbial life that supports healthy crops.
Organic waste plays a decisive role in this recovery. Each year, South Africa discards approximately 10 million tonnes of food, a third of what we produce. Unfortunately, 90% of this goes to landfill. This is a massive lost opportunity to restore the very soil that South Africa’s agricultural sector is heavily reliant on.
Only around 12% to 13.5% of South Africa’s total land area is considered suitable for rain-fed crop production, and only about 3% is classified as high-potential or genuinely fertile land. That is not a lot. Due to a combination of naturally arid conditions and human activity, over 50% of the land area is estimated to be affected by some form of degradation, which includes soil erosion (losing more soil annually than is naturally formed), a dramatic loss of soil organic carbon (up to 50% in cultivated soils over the last century), and general soil fertility depletion. This widespread degradation threatens the long-term sustainability and security of the country’s food systems.
“Healthy soils are the starting point for nutritious food. Compost enhances the soil’s carbon content and promotes microbial activity, which allows plants to absorb a wider range of nutrients,” says Brian Küsel, director of BiobiN South Africa. “When you think about the scale of food insecurity in South Africa, and how that intersects with soil degradation, it really shines a light on the importance of composting for soil regeneration, and ultimately food production.”
BiobiN South Africa works closely with the commercial food sector to capture and process large volumes of food and organic waste, repurposing this waste stream as a secondary resource for soil regeneration. With looming organic waste regulations and the urgent need to improve soil fertility in many regions across South Africa, there has never been a more important time to start composting.
Technology has made this process more efficient and accessible. Enclosed composting systems, such as the BiobiN, allow for controlled decomposition that prevents odour, manages moisture, and produces consistent results. These systems are used by farms, universities, and commercial kitchens to manage organic waste responsibly and to generate compost for use in gardens and agricultural land. By adopting on-site composting solutions, organisations contribute to national goals of reducing organic waste to landfill and advancing sustainable food systems.
Composting speaks directly to the focus of World Food Day, which is to strengthen the relationship between how food is produced, how resources are used, and how soil is conserved. It strengthens the biological foundations of food production while addressing environmental and social priorities. When organic waste is returned to the soil, it closes the nutrient cycle that links consumption to regeneration.