Food and Nutrition Security: Household Food Plots

1. Food and Nutrition Security: Household Food Plots/Gardens Tim Hart Centre for Poverty, Employment and Growth Rural Development and Agrarian Reform Workshop Parliament, Cape Town 26 May 2010

2. Elements of food and nutrition security National food security is not equal to individual or household food security- depends on levels of food production; functioning of food markets; distribution systems; household access – income and own production; fortification & supplementation; knowledge of nutrition; and affordability of a nutritional basket of food. Falling food production in SA: South Africa is nationally food secure in terms of staple cereal production but is a net-importer of many other foods (especially processed foods). NAMC Food Cost Reviews of the last two years indicate that the country could become a net food importer in all foods partly due to climate change, soil degradation and expanded biofuel feedstock cultivation. Income is main means of accessing food and thus the main determinant of household food security. Food plots/gardens contribute to household food availability, access and nutrition – largely a supplementary coping strategy Household food security is not simply a rural question – large proportion of hungry people live in urban areas – CT, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni

3. Food Insecurity -Hunger While the experience of hunger has decreased in recent years, 12% of South African children and 10% of adults still feel the desperation of hunger (GHS 2007) Major improvement from 20% and 25% ( respectively, in 2002), largely explained by the expansion of social grants but declining since 2008 GHS – Food Crisis & IFC? At the national level, one out of two households (52%) experienced hunger (NFCS 2005) Another 33% of households are at risk of hunger, which means that food inflation and the loss of income might push them into hunger