Food and cash: understanding the role of the retail sector in rural food security in South Africa

Pereira, Laura; Cuneo, C. Nicholas; Twine, Wayne

doi:10.1007/s12571-014-0349-1

Cited by 42 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Food security in both urban and rural South Africa is heavily dependent on cash incomes for household purchase of food for consumption, 1 which, in a context of high unemployment, is largely reliant on social grants. 2 This safety net does not reach all those eligible for such grants including those defined as "seriously hungry". 3 Rising food prices can exacerbate poverty, inequality and food insecurity when the poor are net food consumers (consume more than they produce), 4 which is the case for the majority of South Africans.…”

Section: Rising Food Prices and Household Food Securitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Rising food prices and household food security

Faber

Drimie

2016

South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Section: Rising Food Prices and Household Food Securitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Rising food prices and household food security

Faber

Drimie

2016

South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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“…Nutrition transitions and the reliance on commercial value chains has been addressed to a much lesser extent in rural areas of Latin America, which are confronted with challenges related to resource extraction, energy production, and other contentious changes in the use and ownership of the local resources. In addition to the need for holistic food policies that address all the components of food systems [45], integrated policies that consider the interactions between different development priorities could greatly contribute to minimizing unintended negative outcomes of economic development in the Amazon. This is of particular importance for sustainable development goals, in which targets and programs interact to create synergies and/or trade-offs at multiple scales [46].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rural development and shifts in household dietary practices from 1999 to 2010 in the Tapajós River region, Brazilian Amazon: empirical evidence from dietary surveys

et al. 2020

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Background: Research on changing dietary practices is rare in lower and middle income countries, and understanding the impact of global economic processes on population health and nutrition is important, especially of rural communities. We analyzed the diet of 22 families in Brasília Legal, a riverside community in the Tapajós River region of the Brazilian Amazon, using nonparametric tests to compare dietary surveys taken in 1999 and 2010. Results: Data from the two surveys show that food obtained through commercial supply chains became more frequent in household diets, corresponding to significant increases in daily consumption of food items rich in energy, protein, and sugar. At the same time, there was a decline in traditional Amazonian food intake. Conclusions: Comparing these results with household socioeconomic characteristics and drawing on open-ended interviews, we consider the multiple influences that economic development processes may have had on local diets. The introduction of new income sources and employment opportunities, infrastructural and transportation expansion, as well as environmental change appear to have influenced the observed dietary shifts. Such shifts are likely to have important implications for the nutritional status of communities in the Amazon, highlighting concerning trade-offs between current development trajectories and human health. Public policies and health education programs must urgently consider the interactions between sustainable development priorities in order to address emerging health risks in this rapidly changing region.

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“…Seasonal variation in the vitamin-A-rich foods consumed (including traditional leafy vegetables to supplement shortages during some times of the year) exposed the need for year-round consumption. Pereira et al (2014), Mudzinganyama (2012) and Ngidi (2012), reiterate the seasonal constraints of improved consumption from home production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Evidence from food security studies conducted between 1994 and 2014 in rural South Africa is not decisive regarding the role of agricultural production on food security. Mudzinganyama (2014) Ndlovu (2007) and Ngidi (2007) report that gardens played a positive role in alleviating food security, while Pereira et al (2014), Prinsloo and Pillay (2014) found that food gardens failed to play any significant role in food security (Misselhorn and Hendriks, 2017). Selepe and Hendriks (2014), Shisanya and Hendriks (2014), Beery et al (2013), Esterhuyse (2012), Faber and Laubscher (2008) and van Averbeke and Khose (2007), report that household and community gardens can contribute to food security, but cannot assure it (Misselhorn and Hendriks, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Hendriks

Viljoen

Marais

et al. 2020

Preprint

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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.

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Food and cash: understanding the role of the retail sector in rural food security in South Africa

Cited by 42 publications

References 40 publications

Rising food prices and household food security

Rising food prices and household food security

Rural development and shifts in household dietary practices from 1999 to 2010 in the Tapajós River region, Brazilian Amazon: empirical evidence from dietary surveys

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

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