In a globalised economy, the strength of a province’s agricultural logistics is often measured by its ports and rail lines. However, as extreme weather becomes more frequent, a new form of infrastructure has emerged as equally vital: Ecological and Data Infrastructure. Through the Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership (MCAP), the Western Cape is now leading a global alliance to “climate-proof” the foundations of our agricultural sector.
A Global Alliance for Local Resilience
The MCAP is an international alliance of 16 regions across five continents that share a Mediterranean climate—and its specific hazards. “While informal collaborations existed, there was no formal platform to consolidate expertise,” says Dr. Ilse Trautmann of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. Launched at COP28 in 2023, MCAP acts as a knowledge-logistics hub, moving vital data across borders to help regions like ours manage extreme heat, drought, and wildfires.
Protecting the Water and Energy “Highways”
For the Western Cape farmer, infrastructure isn’t just a road; it is the mountainous water-storage system and the mountain catchments that feed it. The partnership prioritises Water Management Infrastructure, recognising that fruit orchards are highly vulnerable to drought that halts production at the source.
“Local partners such as Hortgro and CapeNature support MCAP because it helps the region identify shared risks,” explains Trautmann. By linking fruit orchards to sophisticated water-monitoring systems, the Western Cape is building a “defensive infrastructure” that ensures crop yields—and the logistics that follow—remain stable even in unpredictable weather.
Digital Infrastructure: Predictive Tools for 2026
The 2025 MCAP Convening in the Western Cape approved three major cross-regional projects that act as Digital Infrastructure for the sector:
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Wildfire Risk Information Service: A spatial planning tool to prevent fire from destroying physical farm assets and blocking transport corridors.
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Regional Heat Island Tool: A monitoring system to predict extreme heat, which directly impacts the “Cold Chain” logistics by requiring more energy for refrigerated storage.
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Coastal Wetlands Resilience: Protecting the biodiversity and water management systems that safeguard our coastal export hubs.
Managing the “Disaster Logistical” Chain
Disasters like wildfires don’t just destroy crops; they disrupt the disaster logistical chain, cutting off-road access for exports and threatening worker safety. As Dr. Stephanie Midgley highlights, localised threats like wildfires endanger not only the orchards, but also the communities that provide the labour for our packhouses.
Through MCAP, the Western Cape is learning to use “crises as catalysts for policy change.” This means building resilient community infrastructure that goes beyond simple awareness, delivering tangible benefits such as well-planned water management and heat-mitigation projects that protect the workforce and the economy.
The Verdict: Infrastructure for the Long Haul
As the Western Cape aims for a R1 trillion economy by 2035, the MCAP partnership proves that logistics starts long before the fruit reaches a truck. It begins with the data that predicts a fire and the ecological infrastructure that secures a dam. By participating in this global network, the Western Cape is not just adapting to climate change; it is building a modernised, scientific backbone for a resilient agricultural future.