Hunger in South Africa
change their future.
“The poverty trap remains one of the leading causes of hunger,” says Tasniem Patel, head of communications at Bayer. “The unfortunate cycle that begins with poverty causes food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition, all negatively affecting physical and cognitive development, which leads to low productivity levels, ultimately trapping people.”
Change is critical. This is a space into which individuals, organisations and government need to step to effect real change. In addition to changing the lives of those who hang on the edge of their last meal, positive shifts in access to food, land and nutrition will fundamentally change the gross imbalances in South Africa.
“We believe that research and development are more important than ever to make agriculture more efficient and sustainable at the same time,” says Patel. “We believe that targeted support for smallholder farmers in
Africa plays a key role in food production. Bayer is currently providing education to smallholders on best practice, pest and disease management and how to establish better links to the market.”
Bayer is not alone. Diageo, a global producer of spirits and beer, has committed to sourcing 80% of all produce for its beverages from African suppliers by 2020 and Kellogg’s South Africa has made a move to stop importing the majority of its ingredients, opting to use local suppliers and farmers. The role of the corporate is critical to making tangible changes as they can not only bring production back to South Africa, they can also contribute to job creation and the development of the agricultural sector as a whole.
“In our work we address short-term hunger and food insecurity in a different way,” says Du Plessis. “We take surplus food from the agriculture sector and retailers and use this to feed people. With the agricultural surplus we are involved with food processing alternatives and we work with unskilled people to teach them about agriculture. We want more big brands and manufacturers to come on board. Many are dumping their goods into landfills, but we can use that to feed so many people.”
FoodForward SA supports 600 beneficiary organisations and distributes around 4 400 000kg of food, feeding 250 000 people a day. It’s an organisation that builds a bridge over the chasm between South Africa’s staggering food waste and equally staggering food insecure population. It is one of many non-profit organisations that have stepped in to help mitigate the crisis. However, it is not just FoodForward that’s making strides in changing the face of food security in South Africa.
“Government, through the education department, is helping through its School Nutrition Programme,” says Craig du Mont, director at RLabs. “Some of the bigger retailers such as Shoprite and Pick n Pay have experimented with initiatives to help underserved communities access food products and by making generous contributions to NGOs. Ultimately we need to focus on a multi-stakeholder approach that covers the entire supply chain and food systems so that the production and delivery of nutritious food can be improved alongside the affordability of food.”
The road that lies ahead is still rocky and largely fallow, but it seems the way forward is one that most stakeholders believe is the most sustainable — collaboration across industry, sector, institution and individual. This may redress the imbalances and shift South Africa’s hungry towards a better future.