Contextualising Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts: The Agriculture Sector in South Africa as a Case Study through the Doughnut Theory

Environmental and social impact reporting is increasingly crucial in business, yet current frameworks often fail to contextualise impacts within socio-ecological systems. This thesis explores the application of Raworth's Doughnut Theory to address this gap, focusing on downscaling the model to local levels while considering interactions between human needs and planetary boundaries. Using South Africa's agricultural sector as a case study, the research employs a distributive justice and sufficientarianism approach to determine the minimum environmental pressures required for ensuring access to a healthy diet. The study aims to assess whether the sector operates within a "Safe and Just Space" and to provide insights for contextualising sustainability impacts that can be adapted across various sectors and businesses. By integrating local socio-ecological contexts into impact assessment, this research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of sustainability, potentially transforming how businesses evaluate and report their environmental and social impacts.