South Africa is considered as food secure at national level, while households in the rural areas are
food insecure. Since food is an essential basic human need, it is even constitutionally declared as a
need to be protected. The Eastern Cape Province is characterised as one of the provinces which
have high rates of food insecurity in the country. The study determines the extent to which the
identified factors of household food insecurity contribute to the livelihood in the study area. The
primary aim was to investigate whether the community was provided with assistance by different
organisations to overcome the situation of being food insecure and, also the strategies employed by
the government to improve the situation. The study comprised a sample of thirty-five respondents
from the community and three governmental officials of Mhlontlo Municipality and Tsolo Agriculture
and Rural Development. The study revealed that factors that contribute to food insecurity were high
level of unemployment, underemployment and dependence on the State grants. The study also
revealed that there is inadequate service from the government to promote programmes that could
alleviate food insecurity through promoting substance farming. Community development programmes
are unevenly distributed to the community due to the lack of communication, and households have
abundance of land but food production is not frequent. Therefore, land is underutilised for food
production. The study recommended that the Tsolo Municipality and the Department of Rural
Development should establish suitable programmes such as agricultural support programmes through
promoting subsistence farming
