5 research outputs found
What are we measuring? Comparison of household food security indicators in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
The development of national food security information systems is constrained by a
lack of guidance on which indicators to use. This paper compares food security
indicators across two seasons (summer and winter) in one of the most deprived areas of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The results show that only
anthropometric indicators are sensitive enough to differentiate levels of food
insecurity. The lack of consistent classification across indicators means that surveys
must use a combination of food consumption and experience of hunger measures
backed up by anthropometric measures. Targeting interventions is difficult if the
measures cannot be relied on. Further investigation is needed to identify a suite of
appropriate indicators for a national information and surveillance system.South African Water Research Commission (WRC Project No. Project K5/2172/4), the South African National Research Foundation (Grant numbers CPR20110706000020, 77053 and 80529), the University of Pretoria’s Institutional Research Theme on Food, Nutrition and Well-being, and the University of Pretoria’s Post-Doctoral Fellowship Programme.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gefn202017-09-30hb2016Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen
An investigation of the role of food democracy in food security policy and research outcomes in South Africa
Food insecurity in South Africa is framed by historically and spatially entrenched socioeconomic
inequality, and driven by shocks and stresses from a globally integrated food system. Although the
government has introduced an array of social protection measures on a scale unique among
developing countries, and unparalleled in Sub-Saharan Africa, food insecurity and malnutrition
are widespread and persistent, manifesting as concurrent underweight and obesity. Over the years,
efforts to better characterise and understand South Africa’s food security situation have generated
data and information that quantify problems and reveal broad patterns of deprivation. However,
these studies offer few insights into local food environments or the interactions of people with the
food system. Policy processes have been neither inclusive nor consultative, stalling progress
towards the fulfilment of the constitutional right to food. The purpose of this research is to explore
current policies and policymaking processes with reference to South Africa’s poorest rural
communities using a food democracy-informed approach. The study is informed by a review of
multidisciplinary literature on food security and nutrition policy, social history and current global
food politics. Field research and community consultations investigated three specific objectives.
The first specific objective set out to explore the potential for structural transformation in policy
and the role of food insecure citizens in food security policy processes, using a narrative analysis
of the 2014 Household Food and Nutrition Security Strategy for South Africa. The second specific
objective explored the food consumption patterns of rural households in four of the poorest
communities in South Africa. The study drew on a formal survey as part of a larger commissioned
team project and extended the insight from this quantitative data through fieldwork to gather
qualitative data. The second objective involved further analysis of the data using a framework of
food citizenship to understand the agency of rural poor people in shaping local food systems. For
the third objective, the project data were then subject to participatory validation and interpretation
with the communities to explore the potential of knowledge co-creation with food security policy
stakeholders. Together, the findings of these three components of the study demonstrated why research and
policymaking should be more inclusive and representative of the most food insecure. The policy
review revealed that, although the state recognises the need for structural changes, the parameters
are constrained and processes are unclear, while citizens are viewed not as stakeholders but instead
as welfare beneficiaries, charity recipients, and passive consumers. Analysis in the second
objective showed that, in spite of many obstacles and challenges, poor rural people are active
agents in shaping local food systems. For the third objective, the fieldwork and participatory data
validation and interpretation showed the potential of co-creation of knowledge with communities
to enrich understandings of food insecurity, while potentially also contributing to solutions to rural
food security and nutrition problems. The study concluded that prevailing policy approaches miss
opportunities to create transformation through more inclusive processes, which would help the
country progress towards the fulfilment of the right to food. Relying solely on quantitative data
limits the transformative potential of engagement. Even multidisciplinary food security and
nutrition data can be further enriched through knowledge co-creation with communities. As multifaceted
stakeholders with multiple roles as food producers, consumers, workers and entrepreneurs
and social protection beneficiaries, community members have the capacity to actively negotiate
local food environments and shifting social and economic situations. Rural people are both entitled
to, and necessary to inclusive policy making, research and problem-solving. Food democracy has
an important role in food security policy and research and should be informing approaches to both.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018.Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural DevelopmentPhDUnrestricte
Interpreting food security research findings with rural South African communities
INTRODUCTION : The presence of concurrent childhood stunting and adult obesity observed in poor, rural, former
homeland communities in South Africa appears to be explained by nutrition transition, but the factors shaping rural
food security are still poorly understood. Localized constraints and capabilities are often overlooked by food
security policies, strategies and programs. Grounding food security data in local contexts is often a missing step in
the diagnosis of food insecurity.
AIMS : This qualitative study aimed to engage members of poor rural communities in generating a more grounded,
localized understanding of food insecurity.
METHOD : Members of South Africa’s poorest rural communities were asked to validate and interpret food
production, consumption and nutrition data from a three-year, multidisciplinary food security study, with the aid of
graphic presentations to overcome literacy barriers.
RESULTS : Interpretations of food security research findings by communities revealed unique local experiences and
understandings of food insecurity.
CONCLUSION : Engaging people in the joint diagnosis of their food security challenges generates information on the
environmental, economic and cultural conditions that shape experiences of hunger and influence nutrition
outcomes, which are not always captured by conventional food security analyses. More inclusive and participatory
research could support the design of more effective food security interventions in marginalized rural communities.http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/gjhs/indexam2019Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen
Interpreting Food Security Research Findings With Rural South African Communities
INTRODUCTION : The presence of concurrent childhood stunting and adult obesity observed in poor, rural, former
homeland communities in South Africa appears to be explained by nutrition transition, but the factors shaping rural
food security are still poorly understood. Localized constraints and capabilities are often overlooked by food
security policies, strategies and programs. Grounding food security data in local contexts is often a missing step in
the diagnosis of food insecurity.
AIMS : This qualitative study aimed to engage members of poor rural communities in generating a more grounded,
localized understanding of food insecurity.
METHOD : Members of South Africa’s poorest rural communities were asked to validate and interpret food
production, consumption and nutrition data from a three-year, multidisciplinary food security study, with the aid of
graphic presentations to overcome literacy barriers.
RESULTS : Interpretations of food security research findings by communities revealed unique local experiences and
understandings of food insecurity.
CONCLUSION : Engaging people in the joint diagnosis of their food security challenges generates information on the
environmental, economic and cultural conditions that shape experiences of hunger and influence nutrition
outcomes, which are not always captured by conventional food security analyses. More inclusive and participatory
research could support the design of more effective food security interventions in marginalized rural communities.http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/gjhs/indexam2019Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen
Considerations for the design of nutrition-sensitive production programmes in rural South Africa
BACKGROUND: Very little has been researched about the efficacy, effectiveness, feasibility, sustainability and impact of
food-based approaches on the diets and nutritional status of populations at risk of hunger and food insecurity. This
study contributes knowledge about the impact of food-based approaches on the diets of populations at risk of
hunger and food insecurity in four of the poorest rural communities in South Africa. The study investigated the
consumption and production patterns of rural households (278 in summer and 280 in winter) in four sites in the
poorest municipalities in South Africa.
METHODS: A multistage stratified random sampling technique was applied to identify the communities and sample
households for the quantitative survey and qualitative assessments. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected
between 2013 and 2015 through focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews and the two-round
panel survey to cover both the summer and winter seasons at each site.
RESULTS: Home gardening led to a significant positive increase in the consumption of white roots and tubers, dark
green leafy vegetables, orange-coloured fruit and other fruit in the 24 h prior to the survey. Participation in a
community garden led to significant increases in the consumption of dark green leafy vegetables and other
vegetables. School gardening did not demonstrate any statistical relationships with the consumption of foods from
the crop-related food groups. Crop production improved dietary diversity. Selling produce and irrigation showed a
stronger improvement in dietary diversity. Seasonality affected the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables for home
consumption in winter.
CONCLUSIONS: Producing beyond that solely for home consumption has greater benefits for dietary diversity and a
consumption-smoothing effect during the post-harvest period. Politicians and the scientific community should
recognise the role that household and small-scale crop production plays in supporting household consumption
and the provision of essential micronutrients despite constraints and disincentives. Production and education
programmes should focus on strengthening existing good consumption patterns and promoting the consumption
of foods that can improve dietary diversity.South African Water Research Commission (WRC) and
University of Pretoria’s Institutional Research.http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealthpm2020Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural DevelopmentConsumer ScienceHuman NutritionPlant Production and Soil Scienc