Voices of the hungry: a qualitative measure of household food access and food insecurity in South Africa

South 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

Consumer acceptability and perceptions of maize meal in Giyani, South Africa

This study examined the acceptability and perceptions of traditionally prepared maize meal porridge, cooked from commercial roller-mill white maize meal and hammer-mill white and yellow maize meal (with and without fibre), among female Tsonga consumers in Giyani in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study used sensory evaluation tests, followed by focus group discussions to gather supportive information about consumer attitudes, perceptions and practices regarding the consumption of maize meal porridge prepared from these maize meal types. Giyani consumers preferred commercial roller-mill white sifted fortified and white super-fortified maize meal, but, contrary to popular belief, were also willing to accept hammer-mill yellow maize meal, mainly for its nutritional value.maize meal porridge, sensory evaluation, perceptions, consumer acceptance,

Effect of drought on communal livestock farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

Despite the size of the informal small-scale farming sector and its livestock holdings in South Africa, there has been little detailed work to assess how livestock populations are affected by drought. South Africa experienced a major drought in 2015–2016. We analysed goat and cattle census data from the Msinga area in KwaZulu-Natal, which represent the livestock of some 3 000 households. Cattle farmers in the study area lost 43% of the herd, compared with 29% for goats, in 2015–2016. Three years after the drought, cattle numbers remained depressed, whereas goat numbers had recovered. Larger herds suffered lower mortality rates, suggesting that owners of larger herds had better means to support their herds. Support to reduce drought losses and aid recovery should take into consideration the different capabilities and requirements of small and large herd owners. Effects of high stocking rates and resource condition on mortality and herd growth were apparent during the drought year of 2016, but not the other years. Most die-offs appear to have been concentrated in a short period once forage and water resources became too scarce and far to reach. Recognising when this threshold is imminent would be useful for targeting strategic interventions