Food is one of the important needs that humans have to survive every day. In South Africa, it is recognized as a fundamental human right under the country's constitution.
Approximately 11% of South Africa's population (6.5 million people) are hungry and food insecure. Conflict and insecurity, climate change, poverty and population growth are the main causes of hunger and food insecurity.
Food insecurity is categorized into two severity levels. Low food security is when the quality or variety of a household's diet falls outside of the 10 Essential Dietary Guidelines. Poor food security refers to households with severe food insecurity. These usually have some signs of a change in eating patterns, such as decreased food intake or skipping meals.
Food insecurity and hunger remain challenges in South Africa. Food-insecure households don't have enough money to buy food or produce it themselves. Additionally, households are either unemployed, have low incomes, or have large population sizes. These factors make them particularly vulnerable to economic shocks.
In Gauteng, the economically wealthiest of South Africa's nine provinces, about 35% of the population is marginally food insecure. They have (at least) skipped meals because they didn't have enough money for food.
We conducted a survey on the determinants of food insecurity from nine municipalities in Gauteng. Our analysis used data collected in 2020/2021.
Our hypothesis was that a number of factors contribute significantly to reducing food insecurity in this region. Gender (especially being male), race (especially being white), unemployment, good health, food assistance status, level of education, age (especially being young), and small household size. poverty, availability of subsidy support, availability of poverty rebates and higher levels of income.
Our main findings are supported by economist and philosopher Amartya Sen's theory of ability. This highlights that hunger and food insecurity are linked to many factors. These include lack of access to resources, different psychosocial capacities, and the impact of rights, freedoms, policies, and social, political, and economic arrangements.
what we found
Statistics show that most of the households surveyed experiencing food insecurity were concentrated in the three largest municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
The results showed that six factors significantly define household food insecurity. Nevertheless, few were statistically significant. And the signs of effect were different. Some factors, such as unemployment, health status, and household size, had positive effects. Other items such as education, grant applications, poverty rebates, and income were also negatively impacted.
The findings also highlighted that food insecurity is more prevalent in large households than in small households. The deciding factor was education.People with lower levels of education were more likely to experience hunger and food insecurity
survival strategy
How were vulnerable families able to survive?
The role of the country is important. This applies not only to the provision of essential services, but also to the provision of safety nets to support poor households.
Gauteng municipalities are implementing programs to reduce food insecurity, promote economic growth and create jobs. These include the Tshepo Youth Program and the Expanded Public Works Program.
Despite these measures, food insecurity remains widespread. There are several reasons for this. They include:
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Insufficient coordination in the policy implementation process
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the fact that the policy environment is hampered by too many actors, competing institutions, and organizations;
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Lack of socio-economic transformation.
what's next
We propose interventions that can address each of the drivers of insecurity in the Gauteng City region.
First, state education departments need to improve funding for learning and skills development. Skills development helps reduce unemployment and underemployment, increase productivity and improve living standards.
Second, income has been identified as a determinant of household food insecurity. We therefore recommended that municipalities use innovative mechanisms to promote investment. These could include special economic zones and the effective implementation of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry's one-stop-shop initiative.
Third, household rebates and subsidies should be maintained to support households below the food poverty line.
Fourth, community leaders must work with local governments to plan and implement programs. To this end, urban municipalities will need to foster public-private partnerships in food production and supply chain systems to increase revenue from urban food projects.
Finally, promoting sustainable urban agriculture can help reduce food insecurity. Many investments are possible here. This could include prioritizing education, food production infrastructure, irrigation infrastructure, providing support to subsidy-dependent households, and implementing state food security policy programs.
