Analysis of the impact of social grants on food security in Gauteng province of South Africa

Abstract

This study analysed the impact of social grants on food security, considering the effect of household dynamics in South Africa. Correlation and two-way ANOVA analyses were employed to analyse the impact of social grants on food security using data from 900 households selected randomly from three low-income areas in Gauteng Province of South Africa. The results show that social grants are associated with low food insecurity, whereas child grant significantly alleviates the severity of food insecurity among the sampled urban households. Also, it was found that increased income, higher level of education, and high employment rate of the household head have a positive impact on household food security. Furthermore, this study shows that any type of social grant is critical in reducing the severity of food insecurity among low-income households. As a result, the policymakers in the South African government should integrate the current special COVID-19 social relief of distress grant into the social grant system.