{
  "id": 14902602,
  "title": "TASTE OF HOME: Identity, equity, clarity — and a cup of tea",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/taste-of-home-identity-equity-clarity-and-a-cup-of-tea",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T08:00:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-16-identity-equity-clarity-and-a-cup-of-tea/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the COP17 Convention on Biological Diversity begins in Yerevan, Armenia, South Africa's rooibos, buchu, and honeybush benefit sharing agreements take center stage. These herbal teas, central to South Africa's identity, transcend race, class, gender, and geography, offering a familiar taste of home to all.\n\nRooibos, especially, has gained global attention, gracing prestigious shelves in London and Paris. However, this global importance comes with an unequal history of colonial collecting, research, and commercialization. Traditional knowledge holders and their connection to the land and plants were often marginalized.\n\nSouth Africa's agreements aim to rectify these historical wrongs, with the 2019 Rooibos Traditional Knowledge Industry-Wide Benefit-Sharing Agreement recognizing Khoi and San communities as traditional knowledge holders entitled to share in commercial benefits. Similar agreements for buchu and honeybush have also been established.\n\nThe rooibos agreement, South Africa's first comprehensive, industry-wide benefit-sharing agreement, remains the only one of its kind in the world. However, the fairness and equity of these agreements remain somewhat unclear. While they are mandated by law, the methods for calculating fairness and equity are not transparent. The agreements allow for the minister to seek technical advice, but the thought processes behind these decisions are not well-documented.\n\nThe rooibos agreement pays a 1.5% levy based on farm-gate purchase value, excluding VAT. Buchu processors pay 1.2% of annual net sales revenue from specified products. These percentages are applied at specific points in the value chain, making direct comparisons between the percentages challenging.\n\nThe honeybush agreement's disclosure of financial terms is less transparent. While it is claimed to safeguard financial benefits and meaningful inclusion, specific details, such as the benefit-sharing rate or calculation basis, are lacking. Additionally, a confidentiality clause in the rooibos agreement raises questions about the extent of public disclosure.\n\nDespite these challenges, South Africa's agreements serve as valuable lessons for other countries. The implementation of fair and equitable benefit-sharing, as seen in South Africa's experience, can provide a framework for addressing the unequal histories of indigenous ingredients and ensuring a more balanced distribution of benefits.",
  "summary": "As the COP17 Convention on Biological Diversity begins in Yerevan, Armenia, let’s look at South Africa’s rooibos, buchu and honeybush benefit sharing agreements.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}