Browsing by Subject "food security"

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    Has Food Security and Nutritional Status Improved in Children 1–<10 Years in Two Provinces of South Africa between 1999 (National Food Consumption Survey) and 2018 (Provincial Dietary Intake Study (PDIS))
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2022-01-18) Steyn, Nelia P.; Nel, Johanna H.; Drummond, Linda; Malczyk, Sonia; Senekal, Marjanne
    The 1999 National Food Consumption Survey in South Africa showed that food insecurity (hunger) was prevalent in households with children aged one to <10 years. A repeat of the survey in two provinces: Gauteng (GTG) and the Western Cape (WC) was undertaken in 2018. Results showed that in all domains (living areas) in GTG, food shortage prevalence decreased between 1999 and 2018, from 55.0% to 29.6% in urban informal areas, from 34.1% to 19.4% in urban formal areas and from 42.1% to 15.6% in rural areas. While the prevalence of food shortage in urban formal areas in the WC remained similar in 2018, prevalence decreased from 81.8% to 35.7% in urban informal areas and from 38.3% to 20.6% in rural areas. Energy and macronutrient intakes improved significantly in GTG between 1999 and 2018 but not in the WC; intakes were significantly higher in the WC at both time points. The only significant change in stunting, wasting, overweight and obesity prevalence was that 7–<10-year-olds in GTG were significantly more likely to be wasted (BAZ < 2SD) in 2018 than in 1999 (20.2% versus 6.9% respectively). In the WC, 1–3-year-olds were significantly more likely to be obese in 2018 than in 1999 (8.1% versus 1.7% respectively) and 7–<10-year-olds were less likely to be stunted (14.5% versus 4.9% respectively). There were significant negative correlations between the hunger score and dietary variables in both provinces in 1999. In GTG in 2018, only the correlation with fat intake remained while there were still several significant correlations in WC in 2018. Changes in top 12 energy contributors reflect a shift to high or moderate energy foods low in nutrients from 1999 to 2018. Nutrient dense (high micronutrients, low energy/g) foods (e.g., fruit) fell off the list in 2018. Logistic regression analyses reflect the importance for food security of having a parent as head of the household and/or caregiver, and parents having grade 12 or higher education and being employed. We conclude that food security nutritional status indicators improved amongst 1–<10-year-old children especially in GTG between 1999 and 2018. However, the shift to poorer food choices and increase in wasting in older children and overweight in younger children are of concern.
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    Home food gardens and poverty alleviation in the rural area of Macekane, KwaZulu-Natal
    (2025) Lugagu, Snenhlanhla; Abdullah, Somaya
    Access to food, water and nutrition is a constitutional right in South Africa, yet the state of food accessibility is questionable, particularly in rural communities. After South Africa achieved political freedom in 1994, development and prosperity were prioritised, and a number of policies were designed to eradicate poverty and inequalities. However, these policies have had little effect on food security, which is still precarious in many places, especially deep rural areas. This research explored the effects of home food gardens on food accessibility and poverty reduction in the rural area of Macekane in KwaZulu-Natal. It sought to investigate the circumstances of food insecurity in this area that prevail in the face of government-related food security interventions in rural areas. The focus of the research was a recent project initiated by the youth in the uMhlathuze Municipality's Ward 31, which falls under the Somopho Traditional Council. The youth initiated a ‘One home, one garden' project to address food insecurity and support self-sustainability in the community. The research employed a qualitative approach in which participants with food gardens were purposively selected and interviewed about their experiences of producing food to sustain their households. The findings revealed that water accessibility was a hindrance to the maintenance of home food gardens in Macekane. Home food gardens could contribute to the livelihood of the Macekane community, but water scarcity poses a major obstacle to achieving this goal. There is also a need for more systematic planning and implementation of community programmes such as this to ensure their success. This research brings a new perspective to the topic of food insecurity as its focus is on a specific rural community and their experiences. It therefore fills a gap in the discourse on poverty alleviation and food shortages in rural areas.
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    Malawi Farm Input Subsidy Programme - impact on income of smallholder farmers
    (2015) Musonzo, Charity Priscilla; Biekpe, Nicholas; Standish, Barry
    Agriculture is the single most important sector in Malawi due to its contribution to the economy ranging from employment creation, contribution to GDP growth to source of foreign exchange earnings. These significant contributions have necessitated the Government of Malawi to develop strategies and policies such as the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP), whose main aim is to increase household incomes and reduce food insecurity and ultimately reduce poverty. It is nine years since the introduction of FISP but its results remain mixed. Using the 2009/10 Integrated Household Survey Phase 3 (IHS3) dataset, a logistic regression in a multivariate data analysis approach was used to investigate the impact of FISP on income levels and food security of rural smallholder farmers in Malawi. The analysis showed that about 82 percent of smallholder farmers live in rural areas, about 75 percent of them were males, 71 percent were married, 70 percent did not go to school and 69 percent benefited from FISP. In farming, 68 percent of these smallholder farmers had less than 1 hectare of farms, 70 percent of them had labour force of less than 5 people, 51 percent of them harvest less than 5 bags of 50kgs of maize of which 92 percent sell most of their harvested maize and 89 percent of them receive less than MK5, 000 from sales. In addition, about 99 percent of these smallholder farmers were food insecure as they save less than 1 bag of 50kgs after harvest. Only 1 percent of these smallholder farmers receive remittances and 21 percent had other income generating activities (IGAs). Demographic and socio-economic factors have no impact on these farmers capability to increase income levels and enhance their food security. There is also no statistically significant difference between FISP beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries in terms of capabilities of increasing incomes and enhancing food security. It is, therefore, concluded that FISP had no significant impact on the abilities of these smallholder farmers to increase their incomes and enhancing their food security. Hence, FISP did not prove to be the best food security and poverty alleviation tool in Malawi.
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    The prevalence and predictors of food insecurity among HIV-infected women in Cape Town, South Africa: A cross sectional study
    (2019) Mzimkulu, Olona; Myer, Landon
    Background: Food insecurity is a major public health concern in most settings where the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is prevalent, and it affects women disproportionately. However, the prevalence of food insecurity and associated risk factors for women who are living with HIV (WLH) in South Africa is under researched. Methods: The researcher conducted a secondary, cross-sectional analysis of 346 HIV-infected women aged between 18 and 45, in Gugulethu, Cape Town. All participants were 12 months postpartum and enrolled into the MCH-ART study, a large implementation science study of antiretroviral use in pregnancy. For this study, women completed a 10-item household food security questionnaire that categorised food security status into household-level food insecurity, individual level food insecurity and children hunger. Using this tool, the level of food insecurity was categorised as food insecurity (“yes” to up to four questions), experiencing food insecurity (“yes” to five questions or more) and free from food insecurity (“no” to all questions). Results: Overall, the mean age was 29 years (SD: 5.46); 25 % of the women completed high school; 61 % were unemployed; nearly 66 % were free from food insecurity; and 25 % experienced food insecurity. Women who were employed were less likely to experience food insecurity when compared to those who were not employed (OR=0.54; 95 % CI: 0.32-0.90; p= 0.01). Those who completed high school were associated with food security than the ones who did not complete high school (OR= 0.5; 95 % CI: 0.28-0.97; p= 0.04). After adjusting for maternal age, marital and cohabiting status, education attainment, and parity, employment remained a significant predictor of experiencing food security (AOR= 0.55; 95 % CI: 0.32- 0.95 p=0.03) and educational attainment was no longer associated with food insecurity. Conclusions: The prevalence of food insecurity was relatively low in the urban-based sample of HIV-infected women. However, most of these HIV-infected women were obese and overweight. Thus, there is a clear need for more research to explore issues of food insecurity and nutrition in HIV-infected South African women.
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    What does it take to feed a city? Understanding the urban food system
    (2014-08-22) Pirie, Gordon; Battersby, Jane; Haysom, Gareth
    Coordinated by Professor Gordon Pirie, Deputy Director, African Centre for Cities, UCT; lecturers associated with Food Security and Ways of Knowing projects hosted by the Africa Centre for Cities, this resource studies urban food systems. Food is one of the essentials of life and yet relatively little attention is paid to how it reaches us in our cities. Although there has always been enough food to feed everyone in Cape Town, up to eighty percent of residents in low income areas struggle to access adequately nutritious and affordable food. In urban centres worldwide, areas of food scarcity and oversupply exist in close proximity. The complexity of food production, distribution, access, control and consumption are critical development challenges for all cities – no less for Cape Town. This three-lecture course will investigate the workings of the Cape Town food system and will argue that food is an essential lens through which to view urban sustainability and issues of justice. LECTURE TITLES: 1. Philippi horticultural area: food flows and politics (Dr Jane Battersby) 2. Food and urban sustainability (Gareth Haysom) 3. The urban food policy gap (Dr Jane Battersby) This resource is useful for anyone interested in food security issues in an urban environment. Recommended reading: Joubert, L. 2012. The Hungry Season. South Africa: Pan MacMillan. Lemonick, M.D. Top 10 Myths about Sustainability in Scientific American. March 2009, 19, pps. 40–45.