IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wodepe/v13y2019icp87-94.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Food insecurity in South Africa: To what extent can social grants and consumption of wild foods eradicate hunger?

Author

Listed:
  • Chakona, Gamuchirai
  • Shackleton, Charlie M.

Abstract

As the world continues to face widespread food insecurity, achieving food security for all at all times is increasingly complicated. In South Africa, social grants and the use of wild foods have been reported as some ways to improve household food insecurity and reduce poverty. The study examined if social grants and consumption of wild foods alleviate food insecurity in South Africa. Household surveys and focus group discussions were conducted along the rural-urban continuum in three South African towns situated along an agro-ecological gradient. We explored the differences in household food security indicators, mean monthly food expenditure and wealth index between households receiving social grants, households consuming wild foods, and those who did not. Households receiving social grants were more food insecure with lower mean monthly food expenditure and wealth index than those who did not. Overall all towns, the use of wild foods improved household food security which was not true within towns where wild foods were mostly consumed by low income and more food insecure households. Social grants alone cannot eradicate food insecurity as the money is not enough to cater for all household needs whilst wild foods can potentially alleviate household food insecurity. As food prices continue to increase gradually and worsening household food insecurity, ways to shift ‘income circumstances’ of households and promote the use and consumption of wild foods which may increase dietary diversity and diversifying food access. Focus should be placed on capacity building, employment creation and promoting awareness on own food production which is one way to improve food security of poor households rather than depending on purchases from the grant money alone.

Suggested Citation

  • Chakona, Gamuchirai & Shackleton, Charlie M., 2019. "Food insecurity in South Africa: To what extent can social grants and consumption of wild foods eradicate hunger?," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 13(C), pages 87-94.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:wodepe:v:13:y:2019:i:c:p:87-94
    DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2019.02.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452292917302734
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.wdp.2019.02.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mengistu Fentahun & Herbert Hager, 2009. "Exploiting locally available resources for food and nutritional security enhancement: wild fruits diversity, potential and state of exploitation in the Amhara region of Ethiopia," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 1(2), pages 207-219, June.
    2. Jane Goudge & Steven Russell & Lucy Gilson & Tebogo Gumede & Steve Tollman & Anne Mills, 2009. "Illness-related impoverishment in rural South Africa: Why does social protection work for some households but not others?," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(2), pages 231-251.
    3. Delang, Claudio O., 2006. "Not just minor forest products: The economic rationale for the consumption of wild food plants by subsistence farmers," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 64-73, August.
    4. Aliber, Michael, 2009. "Exploring Statistics South Africa’s national household surveys as sources of information about household-level food security," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 48(4), pages 1-26, December.
    5. Jonathan S Crush & G Bruce Frayne, 2011. "Urban food insecurity and the new international food security agenda," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 527-544, October.
    6. Jacobs, Peter T., 2009. "The status of household food security targets in South Africa," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 48(4), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Maluccio, John A. & Flores, Rafael, 2005. "Impact evaluation of a conditional cash transfer program: the Nicaraguan Red de Protección Social," Research reports 141, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    8. Candace M. Miller & Maxton Tsoka & Kathryn Reichert, 2010. "Targeting Cash to Malawi's Ultra-Poor: A Mixed Methods Evaluation," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 28(4), pages 481-502, July.
    9. Shackleton, Charlie M. & Shackleton, Sheona E. & Buiten, Erik & Bird, Neil, 2007. "The importance of dry woodlands and forests in rural livelihoods and poverty alleviation in South Africa," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(5), pages 558-577, January.
    10. Jonathan Crush & Alice Hovorka & Daniel Tevera, 2011. "Food security in Southern African cities," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 11(4), pages 285-305, July.
    11. Wayne Twine & Lori Mae Hunter, 2011. "Adult mortality and household food security in rural South Africa: Does AIDS represent a unique mortality shock?," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 431-444, October.
    12. Jane Battersby, 2011. "Urban food insecurity in Cape Town, South Africa: An alternative approach to food access," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 545-561, October.
    13. Altman, M. & Hart, Tim G.B. & Jacobs, Peter T., 2009. "Household food security status in South Africa," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 48(4), pages 1-17, December.
    14. Frikkie Booysen & Servaas Van Der Berg, 2005. "The Role Of Social Grants In Mitigating The Socio‐Economic Impact Of Hiv/Aids In Two Free State Communities1," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 73(s1), pages 545-563, December.
    15. Baiphethi, Mompati N. & Jacobs, Peter T., 2009. "The contribution of subsistence farming to food security in South Africa," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 48(4), pages 1-24, December.
    16. Sheryl Hendriks, 2014. "Food security in South Africa: Status quo and policy imperatives," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(2), pages 1-24, June.
    17. Sheryl Hendriks, 2005. "The challenges facing empirical estimation of household food (in)security in South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 103-123.
    18. Stephen O Shisanya & Sheryl L Hendriks, 2011. "The contribution of community gardens to food security in the Maphephetheni uplands," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 509-526, October.
    19. Murray Leibbrandt & Arden Finn & Ingrid Woolard, 2012. "Describing and decomposing post-apartheid income inequality in South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 19-34, March.
    20. Keitometsi Ncube & Charlie M. Shackleton & Brent M. Swallow & Wijaya Dassanayake, 2016. "Impacts of HIV / AIDS on food consumption and wild food use in rural South Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(6), pages 1135-1151, December.
    21. Schatz, Enid & Ogunmefun, Catherine, 2007. "Caring and Contributing: The Role of Older Women in Rural South African Multi-generational Households in the HIV/AIDS Era," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1390-1403, August.
    22. Völker, Marc & Waibel, Hermann, 2010. "Do rural households extract more forest products in times of crisis? Evidence from the mountainous uplands of Vietnam," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(6), pages 407-414, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nonkululeko Thandeka Brightness Zondi & Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas Ngidi & Temitope Oluwaseun Ojo & Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo, 2022. "Impact of Market Participation of Indigenous Crops on Household Food Security of Smallholder Farmers of South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-19, November.
    2. Sandile Mthethwa & Edilegnaw Wale, 2021. "Household Vulnerability to Food Insecurity in Rural South Africa: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Yonas T. Bahta, 2022. "Nexus between Coping Strategies and Households’ Agricultural Drought Resilience to Food Insecurity in South Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-18, June.
    4. Lusanda Ncisana & Vafana Attraction Ntuli & Nonhle Tracey Sibisi & Mmapake F. Masha & Mdumo S. J. Mboweni & Moyahabo Anna Satekge & Wonga Ntilini & Ntuthuko Raphael Mkhize & Suresh K. Singh, 2023. "A Comparative Study of Teaching Approaches in Agro-Ecology: An Investigation of 10th-Grade Agricultural Sciences Learners in Selected Schools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-9, February.
    5. Qhelile Ntombikayise Bhebhe & Mjabuliseni S. C. Ngidi & Muthulisi Siwela & Temitope O. Ojo & Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo & Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, 2023. "The Contribution of Trees and Green Spaces to Household Food Security in eThekwini Metro, KwaZulu-Natal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, March.
    6. Kocak, Emrah & Bilgili, Faik & Bulut, Umit & Kuskaya, Sevda, 2022. "Is ethanol production responsible for the increase in corn prices?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 689-696.
    7. Rudzani Mudzielwana & Paramu Mafongoya & Maxwell Mudhara, 2022. "An Analysis of the Determinants of Irrigation Farmworkers’ Food Security Status: A Case of Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme, South Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-14, July.
    8. Otilia Vanessa Cordero-Ahiman & Jorge Leonardo Vanegas & Pablo Beltrán-Romero & María Elena Quinde-Lituma, 2020. "Determinants of Food Insecurity in Rural Households: The Case of the Paute River Basin of Azuay Province, Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, January.
    9. Xikombiso Gertrude Mbhenyane & Ayuk Betrand Tambe, 2024. "The Influence of Household and Community Food Environments on Food Insecurity in Limpopo Province, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(2), pages 1-23, January.
    10. Hesekia Garekae & Charlie M. Shackleton, 2020. "Foraging Wild Food in Urban Spaces: The Contribution of Wild Foods to Urban Dietary Diversity in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, January.
    11. Oladipo Olalekan David & Wynand Grobler, 2022. "Status Quo of Households’ Backyard Food Gardens in South Africa: The “Drivers”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-10, February.
    12. Victor H Mlambo & Nonoxlo Nomfundo Khuzwayo, 2021. "COVID-19, Food Insecurity and aGovernment Response: Reflections from South Africa," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 19(1), pages 1-14, May.
    13. Pamela Clarke & Mthokozisi Kwazi Zuma & Ayuk Betrand Tambe & Liana Steenkamp & Xikombiso Gertrude Mbhenyane, 2021. "Caregivers’ Knowledge and Food Accessibility Contributes to Childhood Malnutrition: A Case Study of Dora Nginza Hospital, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-18, October.
    14. Busisiwe Lujabe & Blanche Pretorius & Veonna Goliath & Wilbert Sibanda, 2022. "Exploring the Food (In)Security Status of Suburban Households and Its Determinants during COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-18, March.
    15. U. Chipfupa & E. Wale, 2020. "Linking earned income, psychological capital and social grant dependency: empirical evidence from rural KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and implications for policy," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 9(1), pages 1-18, December.
    16. Kortei, Nii Korley & Koryo-Dabrah, A & Esua-Amoafo, P & Yarfi, C & Nyasordzi J & Essuman, EK & Tettey, CO & Nartey, EB & Awude, E & Akonor, PT, 2022. "Household food security determinants and nutritional status of inhabitants of a peri-urban community: A case study in the Volta region of Ghana," African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), vol. 22(05).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Horman Chitonge, 2014. "Land Redistribution and Zero Hunger Programs: Can South Africa Reap a Triple Dividend?," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(4), pages 380-406, December.
    2. L. Baiyegunhi & B. Oppong & G. Senyolo, 2016. "Mopane worm (Imbrasia belina) and rural household food security in Limpopo province, South Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(1), pages 153-165, February.
    3. Magnifique Nkurunziza & Zandile June-Rose Mchiza & Yanga Zembe, 2023. "Meals on Wheels: Promoting Food and Nutrition Security among Older Persons in Cape Town, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-19, January.
    4. Wilna Oldewage-Theron & Abdulkadir A. Egal, 2021. "Is food insecurity a problem among the elderly in Sharpeville, South Africa?," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 71-81, February.
    5. L. J. S. Baiyegunhi & B. B. Oppong & G. M. Senyolo, 2016. "Mopane worm (Imbrasia belina) and rural household food security in Limpopo province, South Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(1), pages 153-165, February.
    6. Oludele Akinloye Akinboade & Segun Adeyemi Adeyefa, 2018. "An Analysis of Variance of Food Security by its Main Determinants Among the Urban Poor in the City of Tshwane, South Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 61-82, May.
    7. Mahlako Nthabeleng Mokgomo & Clarietta Chagwiza & Phathutshedzo Fancy Tshilowa, 2022. "The Impact of Government Agricultural Development Support on Agricultural Income, Production and Food Security of Beneficiary Small-Scale Farmers in South Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-21, October.
    8. Louw Pienaar & Dieter von Fintel, 2013. "Hunger in the former apartheid homelands: Determinants of converging food security 100 years after the 1913 Land Act," Working Papers 26/2013, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    9. Hesekia Garekae & Charlie M. Shackleton, 2020. "Foraging Wild Food in Urban Spaces: The Contribution of Wild Foods to Urban Dietary Diversity in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, January.
    10. Ward, Catherine D. & Shackleton, Charlie M., 2016. "Natural Resource Use, Incomes, and Poverty Along the Rural–Urban Continuum of Two Medium-Sized, South African Towns," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 80-93.
    11. Primrose Zama Ngema & Melusi Sibanda & Lovemore Musemwa, 2018. "Household Food Security Status and Its Determinants in Maphumulo Local Municipality, South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-23, September.
    12. Fabrice Murtin & Federica Marzo, 2007. "HIV/AIDS and Poverty in South Africa: a Bayesian Estimation," Cahiers de recherche 07-08, Departement d'économique de l'École de gestion à l'Université de Sherbrooke.
    13. Xikombiso Gertrude Mbhenyane & Ayuk Betrand Tambe, 2024. "The Influence of Household and Community Food Environments on Food Insecurity in Limpopo Province, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(2), pages 1-23, January.
    14. Kilburn, Kelly & Handa, Sudhanshu & Angeles, Gustavo & Mvula, Peter & Tsoka, Maxton, 2017. "Short-term impacts of an unconditional cash transfer program on child schooling: Experimental evidence from Malawi," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 63-80.
    15. Davis, Jac & Magadzire, Nyasha & Hemerijckx, Lisa-Marie & Maes, Tijs & Durno, Darryn & Kenyana, Nobelusi & Lwasa, Shuaib & Van Rompaey, Anton & Verburg, Peter H. & May, Julian, 2022. "Precision approaches to food insecurity: A spatial analysis of urban hunger and its contextual correlates in an African city," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    16. Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo & Temitope Oluwaseun Ojo & Albert Thembinkosi Modi & Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi & Rob Slotow & Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas Ngidi, 2022. "The Determinants of Market Participation and Its Effect on Food Security of the Rural Smallholder Farmers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces, South Africa," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-16, July.
    17. Stephen Shisanya & Paramu Mafongoya, 2016. "Adaptation to climate change and the impacts on household food security among rural farmers in uMzinyathi District of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(3), pages 597-608, June.
    18. Jennifer Waidler & Stephen Devereux, 2019. "Social grants, remittances, and food security: does the source of income matter?," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(3), pages 679-702, June.
    19. Tibesigwa, Byela & Visser, Martine, 2016. "Assessing Gender Inequality in Food Security among Small-holder Farm Households in urban and rural South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 33-49.
    20. Simone Schotte & Rocco Zizzamia & Murray Leibbrandt, 2022. "Snakes and ladders and loaded dice: Poverty dynamics and inequality in South Africa between 2008 and 2017," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 90(2), pages 214-242, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:wodepe:v:13:y:2019:i:c:p:87-94. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/world-development-perspectives .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.