Considerations for the design of nutrition-sensitive production programmes in rural South Africa

Abstract

Amidst conflicting narratives in development circles regarding the drive for nutrition-sensitive agriculture and the displacement of household production by supermarket penetration into deep rural areas, little is documented about the design of nutrition-sensitive agricultural programmes in the context of changing food systems. This is the first comparative assessment of the production and consumption patterns of South Africa’s poorest rural households. The study set out to identify programme elements necessary to improve nutrition outcomes. The poorest communities in four provinces were identified and surveyed using an extensive production and consumption survey. The survey was conducted in summer and winter for each community to capture seasonal differences. A total of 278 households were interviewed in summer and 280 in winter at the four sites. Even though most foods were purchased, crop production (beyond maize production) improved dietary diversity but selling produce and the use of irrigation had led to a stronger improvement. Seasonality affected availability of fresh fruit and vegetables for home consumption in winter, compromising nutrition. This shows a more positive influence of cropping on the consumption of fruit and vegetables in winter than in summer. This result was not expected, as the number of crops that can produce edible portions in winter is rather limited. Some crops such as beans are produced in summer and preserved (dried) for consumption in winter. The cultural preference is for dried beans rather than fresh green beans. Crops such as pumpkin and butternut are also stored for consumption later. Another explanation may be that savings from consumption in summer were used to purchasing these foods in winter, post-harvest. This was certainly true for households engaged in farmland cultivation (larger scale production) where consumption patterns improved in winter, post-harvesting of the main crops. However, farmland cultivation was only carried out under irrigated conditions. The study contributes knowledge about the impact of food-based approaches on the diets of populations at risk of hunger and food insecurity. Research and extension should focus on improving year-round availability and affordability of nutrient-dense foods that can grow in specific rural communities.

Levels and Correlates of Physical Activity in Rural Ingwavuma Community, uMkhanyakude District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

“…The high prevalence of back pain and knee osteoarthritis among the elderly in rural South Africa [ 39 , 40 ] possibly explains the insufficient physical activity. Third, unlike typical rural areas dependent on labour-intensive subsistence farming, agricultural activities have declined in the region over the past few decades due to erratic rainfall [ 27 ]. Fourth, the high unemployment in the region [ 24 ] likely spares the elderly from livelihood activities and domestic chores as younger adults may assume a significant share of activities.…”

“…Fluctuant rainfall has affected forest cover and agricultural production. Consequently, poverty and food insecurity have worsened in uMkhanyakude [ 25 , 27 ], with only a quarter (26%) of households reporting sufficient food stocks at all times [ 23 ]. Jozini local municipality is the most populous municipality in uMkhanyakhude District and comprises of 20 administrative wards.…”

Connecting the food and agriculture sector to nutrition interventions for improved health outcomes

“…While this has been a consistent intervention within the food and agriculture sector to promote nutrition, Ruel et al (2013) indicated that there was limited empirical evidence to demonstrate its efficacy in addressing child and maternal malnutrition in terms of anthropometric outcomes. However, NGOs have advocated for its success (such as Hellen Keller International, Concern International, and German Agro-Action) and there is growing evidence of the benefits of home production on nutrition outcomes (Hendriks et al, 2020;Lal, 2020;Rammohan et al, 2019). However, it has been useful in other outcomes, such as enhancing women's empowerment in the areas of increasing meeting with other women, purchasing decisions, and health care decisions (Olney et al, 2016(Olney et al, , 2017.…”

The effect of the food insecurities in farming and non-farming households: lesson learnt from households in the Francis Baard district municipality, Northern Cape Province of South Africa

“…There have been contradictory reports regarding the food security status in the South African provinces. Some reports claim that food security in South Africa has improved, yet there is evidence that suggests that food security in the rural areas has worsened, even prior to the COVID 19 pandemic (Hendriks, Viljoen, Marais, Wenhold, McIntyre, Ngidi, Annandale, Matlou & Stewart, 2020). This observation makes an assumption that to obtain a level of food security; food has to be available, accessible, and adequate for everyone without discrimination.…”