Abstract
Food insecurity is a global challenge. The reduction of hunger is a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target widely seen as a measure for evaluating the progress of the well-being of rural people. This study aimed to investigate the impact of collective action and market participation on household food security. Data were collected using a structured survey questionnaire from 243 randomly selected households in Msinga Local Municipality. The binary probit model findings revealed that farmers’ group membership, market participation, gender, the total number of cattle owned, farm income, and credit access increased the likelihood of a food-secure household. This paper’s findings have crucial implications for the government and other development agencies for improving household food-security status. The findings identified collective action and market participation to be contributing to food-insecurity alleviation. The government and private organisations need to encourage and empower existing farmers’ groups through community mobilisation.
Highlights
The number of smallholder farmers is estimated to be around 500 million, and they produce food for about 80% of the population ([1] stated that smallholder farmers are paradoxically the poorest and most food-insecure, and that they suffer from malnutrition)
The Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) is a widely used instrument promoted by the Food and Agriculture Orginizations (FAO) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as a food-access proxy
The main aim of this study was to examine the impact of market participation and collective action with other socioeconomic factors on rural farm households’ food security in Msinga Local Municipality
Summary
The number of smallholder farmers is estimated to be around 500 million, and they produce food for about 80% of the population ([1] stated that smallholder farmers are paradoxically the poorest and most food-insecure, and that they suffer from malnutrition). [2] reported the recent poverty statistics for South Africa, which showed that, despite a decline in poverty between 2006 and 2011, poverty levels rose in 2015. In 2011, the poverty level was 53.2%; in 2015, approximately 30.4 million (55.5%) South Africans lived in poverty. Smallholder farmer participation in the market may eradicate poverty and household food insecurity [3]. Most smallholder farmers do not have financial and marketing skills. As a result, they cannot comply with the quality requirements developed by markets for fresh produce and food processors, especially in South Africa
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