Children Ensuring their own Food Security in South Africa

Abstract

As the first in the series of articles on food security for this volume of Development, Gerrie Albertse and Elena Mancusi-Materi illustrate how initiation of school children into innovative technologies has fostered mechanisms of social mobilization towards enhanced food security in South Africa. In a system where children grow their own food and are trained in sustainable agricultural practices, not only are children attaining better nutritional standards and more balanced diets, but also a participatory approach to school feeding programmes is contributing to overall community development The example is drawn from a research case study accomplished within the framework of a SID-WFP Project on Food Security and Sustainable Livelihoods: Local Innovations against Hunger.