Mapping the equity of food system landscapes: A Metacoupling approach

Global food value chains can offer significant benefits to those able to participate in them. Participation is shaped by governance mechanisms that regulate access and compliance, which often excludes less powerful producers. In South Africa, the inclusion of historically disadvantaged producers in agricultural value chains has received considerable attention, but most studies focus on local production contexts and overlook how cross‑scale dynamics influence local equity outcomes. To address this gap, we apply the metacoupling framework, which captures interactions across local, neighbouring, and distant places, to a case study of South Africa’s horticultural export sector. Using a mixed‑methods approach combined with process tracing, we examine how different governance mechanisms shape equity, understood as the fair distribution of benefits, risks, and decision‑making authority across social groups, while recognising differences in needs, interests, and power. Our analysis identifies a range of public and private governance mechanisms designed to achieve specific social and environmental objectives, yet which inadvertently constrain the participation of certain producers. Actors implement a variety of interventions to address perceived inequities, but their ability to intervene is also not equal. Building on the concept of the equity landscape as a contested space in which different groups pursue competing equity‑related objectives, we show why targeted support remains essential for achieving just outcomes. The study highlights the need for governance processes that account for cross‑scale social and environmental effects, incorporate contextual factors such as historical injustice, while empowering marginalised actors to influence governance mechanisms that shape equity outcomes.