Bennie Andrew

Andrew Bennie has an MA in Development and Environmental Sociology, and is currently writing his PhD on ‘Food sovereignty, the agrarian question and class politics in South Africa’ at Wits University, Johannesburg, which examines popular organising around food systems in the context of the country’s agrarian question. After obtaining my Master’s degree, I worked in civil society on community economies, food and climate justice issues. I have experience spanning research and teaching as well as writing and presenting at conferences, in both the civil society and academic spaces. I have been published in a number of peer-reviewed academic publications, and have written a significant number of research reports and popular education materials related to climate and food justice, agrarian change, land and gender.

I have worked as a grassroots organiser, campaigner, and researcher at the Cooperative and Policy Alternative Centre (COPAC) and the South African Food Sovereignty Campaign (SAFSC). Most recently, I worked as the Research Coordinator at the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), where we undertook research and advocacy as part of the broader African food sovereignty movement. My scholarly work is informed by a deep activist commitment to the interests of the subaltern, justice and social transformation. I am passionate about the continued relevance of the agrarian question in southern Africa, especially in relation to climate change and social movements.