Food security in rural areas of Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

Although South Africa is food secure as a nation, many households remain food insecure. The government has recognized several key food security challenges in the Integrated Food Security Strategy (IFSS). However, South Africa still lacks specific and accepted methods to measure food security and currently has no regulated way of monitoring the food security status of its population. This article reports on an investigation into the food security situation of rural households in the Limpopo Province. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered across five districts in the province. The study sample eventually involved 599 households in the rural areas of Limpopo. This allowed a thorough description of household characteristics and livelihoods and an assessment of the food security and poverty levels in the area. The findings showed that 53 % of the sampled rural households declared themselves to be severely food insecure. Multivariate analyses were used to identify the main food security status. These determinants were mainly human capital (education, household size and dependency ratio), household income and district in which the households were situated. The findings indicated that policy priorities should be focused on the promotion of rural education and creating an enabling environment for the rural labour market.

Assessing the food security outcomes of industrial crop expansion in smallholder settings: insights from cotton production in Northern Ghana and sugarcane production in Central Ethiopia

“…This supports other studies in SSA that found correlations between primary education and food security (FAO 2007;De Cock et al 2013). We found in both countries that the education level of the household head has a significant effect of on household calorific intake (Table 3); in Ethiopia, food security increases as the education level goes up.…”

Food security in South Africa—first steps toward a transdisciplinary approach

“…The study by De Cock et al (2013) also revealed an important dimension of food insecurity, namely seasonality.…”

“…The study by De Cock et al (2013) revealed that only 14.5 % of all respondents declared themselves to be food secure. Even if these data were exaggerated and negatively biased, they suggest that the food insecurity situation remains extremely serious.…”

“…When households were asked to identify their principal sources of monthly income in the study by De Cock et al (2013), 75 % of the respondents indicated that they received social grants from the State, 7 while 31 % received some kind of formal salary. Social grants were the most prevalent source of income across all districts.…”

“…Some 57 % of the sampled households were involved in crop production, with maize being the most frequently grown (31 % of households), followed by mangos (24.2 %), spinach (15.4 %), paw-paws (papaya) (15.4 %) and tomatoes (14.2 %) (De Cock et al 2013). Drawing on a broader set of studies, Pauw (2007) concluded that among these farming households, few earned sufficient from farming as a main source of income.…”