How Food Secure Are South Africa’s Cities?

Food insecurity in urban South Africa is situated in both historic and contemporary factors. This article argues that there is a need to reimagine and reconceptualise national, socio-ecclesial and theological responses to urban food insecurity in South Africa. We contend that the global and enduring nature of food insecurity is indicative of the violence of hunger and poverty and can be viewed as structural violence. While the church has since its inception been involved in feeding the hungry, the structural and systemic nature of food insecurity requires more nuanced theological responses and reflections. As a prophetic voice, the church and theological reflection and action are important partners in conversations, dialogue, measures and interventions geared towards the eradication of hunger and food insecurity in urban South Africa. A descriptive and evaluative method of enquiry was adopted in order to identify the historic structural and systemic factors that perpetuate food insecurity in South Africa. This article concludes that social inequality, economic disenfranchisement and poverty are as a result of structural inequalities that amount to structural violence inflicted on the most vulnerable of society.

This study aims to integrate underutilized crops (UCs) into the food system to address climate change impacts, and food -water insecurity. UCs have immense potential to mitigate food shortages, yet their role remains largely unexplored in mainstream agricultural and food security strategies. A multidisciplinary approach using social psychology, resource-based theory (RBT), and a new ecological paradigm was used to investigate factors influencing UCs adoption and their potential contribution to water and food insecurity in South Africa. The water poverty index (WPI) and household food insecurity access score (HFIAS) were used to determine the water and food insecurity status of rural households. The study found that UCs cultivation was driven by awareness, access to extension advisory services, and climate information. The findings indicate that adopting UCs significantly improves water and food insecurity in South Africa. Consequently, households that integrated UCs into their farming systems experienced higher WPI scores, reflecting improved water availability and conservation, as UCs require less water than conventional crops. Likewise, lower HFIAS values suggest that UCs enhance food insecurity by diversifying diets, stabilizing food access, and reducing seasonal hunger. Statistically, households in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North-West provinces who adopted UCs saw 25.18 (21%), 31.03 (26%), and 28.77 (24%) rise in WPI and HFIAS compared to those who did not embrace UCs, respectively. These results highlight the potential of UCs as climate-resilient crops that mitigate water scarcity and food insecurity, making them a viable strategy for enhancing rural livelihoods amid climate change. Therefore, prioritizing UCs cultivation could build more resilient agricultural systems, address water scarcity and improve food security.

Who Eats, Where, What, and How? COVID-19, Food Security, and Canadian Foodscapes

Food insecurity in South Africa: To what extent can social grants and consumption of wild foods eradicate hunger?

This article maps food insecurity in South Africa and plumbs the data to women-headed households at the municipal level. Local contexts provide a better understanding of people's experiences by studying the impact their geographical location has on their economic status, and the impact their raced and gendered identities have on that experience. Localised information could also ensure that more nuanced policies are developed to address inequalities. Food insecurity is a marker of exclusion and poverty in urban and rural areas across South Africa, but women are more likely than men to be food insecure, especially in the rural areas. Data are combined from Statistics South Africa's Income and Expenditure Survey and Community Survey (both 2008) to arrive at a more accurate assessment of food insecurity at municipal level in South Africa. The National Department of Agriculture places food insecurity at 50%, while this study argues that approximately 64% of households in South Africa are food insecure, a result which has policy implications. Our study also uses data that provide a more nuanced approach that shows provincial and municipal variations that are much higher than the national average, which should support provincial and local government policies that address food insecurity more effectively. The article also argues that due to male-biased economic, cultural and community practices, women-headed households are most food insecure. In light of this information, the article provides a nuanced understanding of women's food insecurity in the country. We offer policy recommendations on how women's food insecurity could be reduced in the areas where it is most prevalent. The importance of gender-sensitive development policies, localised contextual knowledge, and innovative strategies that would assist women in their efforts to become food secure, particularly in rural areas across South Africa, are highlighted.

Household food insecurity in South African suburban low-income households is a major challenge. Research outcomes that will inform decisions on effective solutions towards reducing household food insecurity in South Africa are essential. The purpose of this study was firstly to determine the food security status of households and the skills of household members in Ward 60 of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Secondly, it was also to determine the association between the socioeconomic and demographic variables of the households and their level of food (in-)security. The study employed a mixed method of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, comprising a qualitative Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) methodology and a quantitative household food security survey methodology. A household food security survey was employed using a questionnaire that was based on the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). The questionnaire was used to collect data from 170 randomly selected households. The data analysis used the HFIAS score and logistic regression analysis. The results show 6.1% of households as food secure, 3.05% as mildly food insecure, 13.4% as moderately food insecure, and 77.4% as severely food insecure. The results also show that a significant unemployment rate, a reliance on social grants, and absence of income seriously impact the extent of household food insecurity. The results show a significant association between the household food security and the variables of unemployment, income, and gender. The regression analysis results suggest that gender, household size, age, employment, and household income influence household food security. The results of the household skills show that the households had a variety of skills. These results can help to inform decisions by the government, local municipalities, NGOs, and other stakeholders towards designing effective solutions for enhancing household food security.

PurposeHousehold food insecurity in South Africa is a pervasive public health challenge. Although its link to chronic health conditions is well established, its relationship to mental illness, particularly major depression, is not well-understood. Despite KwaZulu-Natal Province being the epicenter of the drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) epidemic, and having the largest share of poverty in South Africa, this relationship remains unexamined. This study investigated the association between major depressive episode (MDE) and household food insecurity among individuals with MDR-TB.MethodsWe enrolled and interviewed 141 newly admitted microbiologically confirmed MDR-TB inpatients at a specialized TB hospital in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Logistic regression models were fitted to assess the relationship between MDE and household food insecurity, while accounting for socio-demographic status (e.g., age, gender, education, marital status, social grant status, income, and preference for living in one’s community).ResultsThe prevalence of MDE and household food insecurity was 11.35% and 21.01%, respectively. MDE was significantly associated with household food insecurity (aOR 4.63, 95% CI 1.17–18.38). Individuals who are female (aOR 6.29, 95% CI 1.13–35.03), young (aOR 8.86, 95% CI 1.69–46.34), have low educational attainment (aOR 6.19, 95% CI 1.70–22.59) and receive social grants (aOR 7.60, 95% CI 2.36–24.48) were most at risk of household food insecurity.ConclusionsMDE in individuals with MDR-TB was significantly associated with household food insecurity, independent of socio-economic status. Although MDR-TB is not exclusively a disease of the poor, individuals from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g., female, young adults, low education, and social grant recipients) were more likely to experience household food insecurity. Our study underscores the need to address the co-occurring cycles of food insecurity and untreated MDE in South Africa.

Quantitative Indicators from a Food Expenditure Survey Can Be Used to Target the Food Insecure in South Africa

The indigent and societally vulnerable have compromised capacities to achieve their full welfare potential. This necessitates polices that can cushion them, such as the indigent support policy in South Africa. However, there is little acknowledgement on the welfare effects of community and contextually derived support policies. The study seeks an understanding of the effectiveness of the indigent support policy on food insecurity in Matatiele Local Municipality, South Africa, using a cross sectional survey of a purposively selected sample of 549 households. Food insecurity, determinants of awareness and beneficiation as well as effectiveness from the policy are assessed through the Household Food In-Access Scale (HFIAS), Heckman two step model and Propensity Score Matching (PSM), respectively. Households are found to be food secure, with awareness and beneficiation from the indigent policy being affected by duration of stay, employment status, location, tenure, total monthly income, monthly food expenditure and food insecurity status. To add, the indigent support policy has a positive impact on food security. In conclusion, there is food security partly due to indigent support with beneficiation affected by various socio-economic factors. There is need to compliment indigent support products to include food products and promote the policy to increase awareness. Furthermore, there is need to capacitate and coordinate policy making to target food insecure households to augment and magnify the positive effects of indigent support.

BackgroundSouth Africa is rated a food secure nation, but large numbers of households within the country have inadequate access to nutrient-rich diverse foods. The study sought to investigate households’ physical and economic access and availability of food, in relation to local context which influences households’ access to and ability to grow food which may affect the dietary quality. We sought to understand self-reported healthy diets, food insecurity from the perspective of people who experienced it, barriers to household food security and perceptions and feelings on food access as well as strategies households use to cope with food shortages and their perceptions on improving household food security.MethodsFocus group discussions were conducted along a rural–urban continuum in three South African towns situated along an agro-ecological gradient. Participants were asked about their knowledge of healthy diets, factors influencing their food consumption, their perceptions regarding food insecurity, barriers to food security, coping strategies and solutions to improve access to nutrient-rich foods.ResultsA total of 91 people participated in 11 focus groups, with 76% females. The majority of participants aged between 31 and 50 years. Participants were knowledgeable about healthy diets but had limited access to it hence consumed monotonous diets. The perceptions provided insights into the pressing issues of inadequate access to food, food insecurity, coping strategies and ideas on improving food security. The majority of participants reported on experiencing food insecurity and female-headed households, unemployed and orphaned children were most vulnerable. Focus group participants highlighted the complexity of the food system in their communities which relies on own production, collecting from open spaces, donations and to a larger extent purchase, in the context of unemployment, low income, water and land shortages as well as theft.ConclusionThe results provide a significant contribution from a needs assessment perspective from the communities, identify “hidden” constrains in household food access and provide effective future solutions for improving food security in the communities. Government should assist with capacity building, employment creation and providing resources (especially, land and water) for communities to practise agriculture which they all agreed can improve food security.

BackgroundRecent studies have confirmed that the COVID-19 lockdown has caused massive job losses. However, the impact of this loss on food security is not well-understood. Moreover, a paucity of evidence exists regarding social protection grants’ countervailing effects against such shocks. This study examined the effects of job loss (labour income loss) on child and household hungers (our two measures food insecurity) during COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. It also ascertained whether these effect were offset by alternative social grant programs to document the protective role of the latter.Data and methodsWe used South Africa’s National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) and the Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (CRAM) data. These data cover a nationally representative sample of 7073 individuals. We employed a probit model to estimate the effect of job loss and receipts of various social grants on child and households’ hungers. We also estimated the double-selection logit model to account for the model’s uncertainty surrounding the variable selection and treatment-effects estimation using lasso (Telasso) for causal inference of our analysis.ResultsOur analyses showed that households exposed to a labour market shock during the pandemic experienced a significant increase in our measures of food insecurity (child and household hungers). Specifically, we found that compared with households containing employed respondents, households with respondents who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 lockdown were 5.4% more likely to report child hunger and 2.6% more likely to report household hunger in the past seven days A receipt of child support grant reduces the likelihood of reporting child hunger and household hunger by 21.7%and 16.9% respectively among these households. A receipt of old age pension grant reduces the likelihood of reporting household hunger by 24% with no significant effect on child hunger.ConclusionThe COVID-19 lockdown resulted in unprecedent job losses with significant implications for food insecurity. Job loss due to COVID-19 lockdown significantly increased food insecurity in South Africa. Receipts of social grants effectively offset this adverse effect. The protective effect of the social grant is heterogenous across its alternative programs (child support grant and old age pension grant) and food insecurity, suggesting the differences in the size of transfers and motivations for sending these transfers.

Comparing Food Security Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations When Choosing Measures

This study examines how the smoking behavior of household head impacts the food insecurity status of household in South Africa, with a focus on smoking behavior transition. The study used the fifth wave of the 2017 National Income Dynamics Study survey. Additionally, the smoking transition variable was computed using smoking status in waves 3 and 5 of the survey. Foster-Greer-Thorbecke food insecurity index, descriptive statistics, and logit regression techniques were deployed in the study. Surprisingly, the analysis shows that households headed by current smokers have a lower prevalence of food insecurity (compared to households whose heads are nonsmokers). Similarly, household food insecurity prevalence is lesser for homes whose head initiated smoking behavior or remained a smoker compared to those whose head remained a nonsmoker or transition to nonsmoking. Nevertheless, the findings from the applied logit regression suggested that household food insecurity significantly increases when a household head is a current smoker and a consistent smoker. The finding indicates that household head smoking behavior does contribute to household food insecurity in South Africa. The need to address food insecurity at the household level is a compelling argument for tobacco smoking cessation or control in addition to health consequence concerns.

The African continent is hampered by low adaptive capacity and is therefore vulnerable to climate change. This impact of climate change presents a significant challenge to regional agricultural development. Sub-Saharan Africa is faced with a range of climate risks, which include rapid and uncertain changes in rainfall and temperature patterns that threaten food production, and could lead to an increase in food prices and food insecurity. Several studies have assessed the impact of food insecurity in South Africa, more especially in the light of periodic droughts. South Africa is known as a food secure nation but food insecure at household level. Climate change is among the factors influencing food security status in rural households. South African smallholder farmers are no different since they also face the challenges of adapting to climate change and building resilience. Social capital can be a resource for building adaptation by farmers. This study explores the role of social capital in climate change adaptation for improving food security and livelihoods among smallholder farmers. The study was conducted in Appelsbosch, Kwa-Zulu Natal province. Random sampling was used to obtain a sample of 135 active and long-term smallholder farmers, who were interviewed using questionnaires and focus group discussions. Key informant interviews were held with group leaders and extension officers. Descriptive statistics was utilised in analysing the demographics of the respondents and the chi-square test was used to test the relationship between social capital dimensions and the adaptation strategies employed by farmers. It was found that social capital has a positive impact on the coping strategies used by households on food insecurity and adaptation strategies. Social capital can improve rural livelihoods, although the capital is not fully exploited by farmers. Farmers should be stimulated to expand their social groups to share farmer-to-farmer agricultural knowledge and increase participation and networks with the view of strengthening their adaptive capacity. Extension services and rural leaders can also play a role in strengthening such networks and influence policy on strengthening local and extension systems.

Addressing the disproportionate burden of food insecurity in South Africa requires targeted efforts to help smallholder farmers to access markets. The purpose of this study was to assess determinants of market participation and its contribution to household food security. The secondary data used in this study were collected from 1520 respondents; however, 389 smallholder farmers participated in the market. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale revealed that out of the total sample size, 85% of the households were food insecure while 15% were food secure. Gender of household head, receiving social grants and higher wealth index positively impacted market participation. Having a family member with HIV had a negative impact on market participation among smallholder farmers. The results from the extended ordered probit regression model showed that household size, having a family member with HIV and agricultural assistance had a positive and significant contribution to the household food insecurity situation of the smallholder farmers. On the other hand, the educational level of household head, ownership of livestock, age of household head, gender of household head, and having access to social grants had a negative and significant effect on the food insecurity status. Access to education and the market can improve household food security. Linking smallholder farmers, particularly women and aged farmers, to markets should form an intrinsic part of the government’s efforts to improve farming and food security and increase access to diversified food.