Food Security SA

People do not have economic access to food. Because of severe unemployment, people have no money to buy food. And as a result of Apartheid laws that displaced people (often to un-farmable areas), many don’t own land or have over generations lost the agricultural expertise to grow their own food. On top of this, societal/traditional gender structures means that women, the major rural food producers, do not or cannot own land.

Also, there is massive wastage. Restaurants, university residences and even households throw away heaps of edible food every day. This is partly due to the luxurious lifestyles enjoyed by a portion of our population, partly to the inconvenience of safely distributing leftovers to those who can make use of them, and partly to society’s dependence on “sell-by” dates, which often result in perfectly good food being removed from shelves and discarded.

On top of this, even when people do have enough food to eat, diet is often poor. The preferred diet is non-nutritious: high sugar, high fat and highly-processed. And, working single mothers are less able to provide healthy meals.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region is also inextricably linked to food security. On an individual level, malnutrition weakens immunity, speeding up HIV progression, which in turn worsens malnutrition. On a household/community level, HIV/AIDS-related illness and death affects productivity and so, access to food. Our previous health minister identified nutrition as a vital element in the HIV/AIDS debate, but was - for a number of reasons, including a very strong affinity for alcohol - labelled a fool and unfortunately, the truth in what ‘Dr Beetroot’ was saying was lost.

These are the barriers to food security I see around me, and I have no doubt that there are more that I cannot see. What is absolutely clear, though, is that a multi-level approach is required to change the situation.

There are many interventions currently working to increase economic access to food (poverty alleviation), reduce wastage, promote nutritious diets and deal with issues around HIV/AIDS and nutrition.

These are a few that I’ve found particularly interesting:

www.ruralwomensmovement.org

Women and Land is the main program of Rural Women's Movement. Within this program RWM tackles issues around indigenous women's land, property and inheritance rights. Almost all
traditional authorities still do not allow land to be allocated to women in their own rights as women. Instead, land is still attached to male relatives.

The Women and Land program works to reverse this unequal access to land and give women the rights necessary for them to own and keep property free from the fear of losing it to a male in the community.

www.foodbank.org.za

FoodBank South Africa is leading a large-scale co-ordinated effort to establish a national network of community foodbanks to feed South Africa's hungry.

What is a foodbank? A foodbank is an organisation which acts on behalf of all of the -- potentially hundreds of -- social services organisations ("Agencies") which may be operating in its area. The foodbank procures food (and some other groceries), which are principally donated by the food and grocery industries, government agencies, individuals and other organisations. The foodbank defaces the branding to protect the interests of the donors. The foodbank safely stores this food in hygienic conditions, using refrigeration where required, sorts it into nutritionally sensible packages, and makes it available or delivers it to the Agencies.

www.philani.org.za

Philani is committed to the promotion of good child health and nutrition, the prevention of child malnutrition and the rehabilitation of underweight children to normal nutrition status and good health, in a caring, supportive, environment. It is also committed to limiting the suffering of families infected and affected by HIV and preventing the spread of the virus through a comprehensive programme of education, care, support and treatment.

Philani's vision is a South Africa where every child can grow up healthy and well nourished to fulfill his or her physical and mental potential.