Ben Cousins The COVID-19 crisis has clearly demonstrated the vulnerability of the livelihoods of many South Africans, and highlighted food insecurity as one key aspect. Many now argue that reducing the vulnerability of the livelihoods of the poor, and associated food insecurity, must become a key focus of...
By Stephen Grootes While so many South Africans are naturally worried about avoiding Covid-19, it is clear that to even more people the greatest fear is hunger. The evidence is that so far, food production has remained the same, but farmers have too much food on...
Recently, our country's leaders and medical representatives have publicly debated the effect of the lockdown on the malnutrition rates of our most vulnerable populations. Before Covid-19, a significant number of South Africans did not have access to sufficient food and were going hungry on a...
According to Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity (PMBEJD), the problem facing South Africans has been compounded through multiple means. Whilst the price of foods in the supermarket trollies of families living on low incomes continues to increase, with the Household Food Basket having increased by...
In commemoration of International World Hunger Day on 28 May 2020, Community Chest, in partnership with The Southern Africa Food Lab, has launched a publication entitled “Challenging False Narratives in a Global Crisis: Reflections on Human Rights, Inequality and Securing Food Systems”. The compilation of papers, reflecting...
Public statement by the Southern Africa Food Lab 27 May 2020 The Southern Africa Food Lab notes with concern indications in the media and from first hand reports that government is acting to limit civil society initiatives for food security and food relief. The lockdown, which was imposed on...
By Mark Heywood As I went for one of my early-morning runs last week, it was a rubbish collection day. As I panted up and down hills on the comfortable, sequestered roads around Observatory, I noticed many more people than usual foraging in the bins. These...
By Nic JJ Olivier and Sheryl L Hendriks For millions of poor households across Africa affected by lockdowns, the threat of contracting Covid-19 may be more distant than the very real fear of hunger. Many are indefinitely trapped in cramped homes with multiple household members, wondering...
Stephen Greenberg The Covid-19 crisis has exposed the stark inequalities that persist in our society. Vast disparities in access to healthcare, food, shelter, personal safety, water, transport and communications have been laid bare. Aside from imposing a lockdown, the government has been in disarray in responding to...
Riaan Grobler Unemployment and the subsequent loss of income remain key concerns for South Africans and have a direct impact on food security, research by Ask Afrika has shown. It found that food security at a household level is low, and that one in three adults went to bed...
Event details Date: 27 May 2020Time: 15:00 to 16:30Venue: Online via Zoom, registration requiredAttend event via webcast The distribution of food parcels quickly led to conflict in several communities across South Africa. How sustainable is the provision of food directly to those who need it, and can it be done fairly? Do food parcels...
In South Africa a range of social solidarity networks have emerged to respond to the COVID-19 hunger crisis. They are a vital part of the societal response because of their speed, innovation, and local responsiveness. They complement the central role of government. Yet the government is...
After 4 weeks of motivated competition, Oribi Village and partners Wakanda Food Acceleratorand the Southern Africa Food Lab are pleased to announce the top two projects that have been chosen to disrupt and reimagine collectively with us South African's food system. Both have won a fully paid incubation/acceleration support from ORIBI and...
The 2020 Global Nutrition Report looks beyond global and national patterns, revealing significant inequalities in nutrition outcomes within countries and populations. Based on the best-available data, in-depth analysis and expert opinion rooted in evidence, the report identifies critical actions to achieve nutrition equity. Everyone deserves...
Jane Battersby This was written in the 4th week of South Africa’s lockdown period, when the country had 3465 reported Covid-19 cases and 58 deaths. It was also the week in which looting of formal and informal retailers, food trucks and distributors of food parcels began. South...
Food and Trees for Africa Have you considered the many steps between the food you buy at the shops and the farmers who produce it? These food systems play an essential role in food security. If you’re like most consumers in the global economy, you’re used...
PMBEJD |Pietermaritzburg | 8 April 2020 Observations from the supermarket floor, the waiting lines, the street, the spaza shop, the taxi, the home, the kitchen, the plate and the stomach. The attached paper is based on observations and conversations with women in Pietermaritzburg from 19th March to 7th April...
PMBEJD Research Report 28 April 2020 On Thursday 23rd April 2020 we collected food prices in Pietermaritzburg supermarkets which target the low-income market. We present these price increases from before the lockdown to this date (2 March 2020 to 23 April 2020). Last week we started...
Questions are circling about the mobilisation of 73,000 additional South African National Defence Force personnel, and whether this suggests an intensified militarisation of the lockdown. This would bode badly for community-based efforts to resolve the food crisis and signal that the state has abandoned its...
Stuart Gillespie Senior Research Fellow, The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Malnutrition is by far the biggest driver of ill-health and premature mortality in every region of the world. A slow-burn attritional problem, it does enormous damage. The COVID-19 epidemic that’s sweeping the world, meanwhile, brings a series of...