By Johnathan Paoli
As the globe observed World Food Day under the theme “Right to Foods for a Better Life and Better Future” on Wednesday, the reality in South Africa is that more than 60% of households are currently experiencing food insecurity.
In Gauteng, which is the economic hub of the country, one in four people face food insecurity, according to the provincial agriculture and rural development department.
“Access to food must not be conditional; it cannot depend on one’s economic status,” agriculture MEC Vuyiswa Ramokgopa said in a statement.
She emphasised that achieving food equity necessitated transformative changes in agricultural systems, local food production and economic growth.
Ramokgopa said the situation was one of the systemic failures that hindered the nation’s potential and collective prosperity.
With approximately 34% of the province’s population facing moderate to severe food insecurity, the urgency for equitable access to nutritious food has never been clearer.
“…. we recognise that ending hunger requires more than simply increasing food production. It demands a concerted effort to ensure equitable access to nutritious food for all,” the MEC said.
“A pivotal strategy in this fight is the commercialisation of smallholder farmers, which will necessitate collaboration among various stakeholders to build inclusive and resilient food systems.
“This initiative will not only create jobs and stimulate the economy, but will also ensure that food is produced closer to communities, particularly in marginalised areas with limited access to formal food networks.”
Findings from the Human Sciences Research Council underscore the gravity of the situation, with a staggering 63.5% of South African households currently experiencing food insecurity.
And global children’s fund, Unicef, reports that 23% of South African children live in severe food poverty, leading to cognitive impairments that can have long-lasting effects on their development.
The survey also revealed that food insecurity significantly hampered children’s abilities to achieve their full cognitive, physical and psychosocial potential, correlating with poorer performance in essential academic skills such as mathematics and reading.
And, a report from the research platform Frontiers indicates that 27% of children under five in the country suffer from stunting and wasting due to chronic malnutrition.
Malnutrition addresses three broad groups of conditions: undernutrition, which includes wasting (low weight-for-height), stunting (low height-for-age) and underweight (low weight-for-age).
The cycle of deprivation is further perpetuated by maternal malnutrition, which adversely affects child mortality rates and educational performance, reinforcing gender disparities in food security.
The urgency of the situation has caught the attention of various stakeholders, including SA Harvest CEO Alan Browde.
He emphasised that despite three decades of democracy, hunger remained one of the country’s most pressing socioeconomic challenges.
Since its inception, SA Harvest has rescued 19 million kilograms of food and delivered the equivalent of 63 million meals.
Additionally, the Shoprite Group launched the South African Food Security Index 2024, revealing a sharp decline in food security scores — from 64.9% in 2019 to 45.3% in 2023 — marking the lowest level since 2012.
This decline highlights why collaborative strategies are needed to deal with hunger.
To combat food insecurity, recommendations include prioritising nutritional interventions for young children, zero-rating VAT on essential food products and supporting rural communities in establishing food gardens.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has also emphasised the urgent need for food security.
Steenhuisen, who was in the Northern Cape on Wednesday with Premier Zamani Saul and Northern Cape agriculture MEC Mase Manopole, planted fruit trees at Delportshoop Intermediate School.
“Today, I carry the message of food security and nutrition. As young people take agriculture seriously. Your future and the future of food depend on it,” he said.
The Northern Cape has been identified as a priority area for addressing malnutrition, with alarming rates of underweight, wasting and stunting among children under the age of five.
These statistics served as a wake-up call for immediate action, the minister said.
He expressed his gratitude to private sector sponsors who have supported sustainable food initiatives through donations, training programmes and community garden projects.
Steenhuisen called for active participation in the National Food and Nutrition Security plan for 2024 to 2029, stressing that sustainable change required collaboration across all sectors.
South Africa is a signatory of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, including goal 2, which aims to create a world free of hunger by 2030.
INSIDE POLITICS
