The document discusses dimensions and drivers of food and nutritional insecurity in Southern Africa, noting that over 95 million people in the region are undernourished with the majority located in just 5 countries. It analyzes fruit consumption patterns and deficiencies, finding intake is far below recommended levels in Southern Africa. Opportunities for horticultural research and an integrated systems approach are proposed to address challenges of the food system and improve food security.
Food security at the national level refers to availability in the country of sufficient stocks of food to meet domestic demand through domestic supply or imports
Food security at the national level refers to availability in the country of sufficient stocks of food to meet domestic demand through domestic supply or imports
Dr. Emerson Nafziger - Why We Grow Soybeans In The Corn BeltJohn Blue
Why We Grow Soybeans In The Corn Belt - Dr. Emerson Nafziger, from the 2018 Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference, March 6 - 7, Ada, OH, USA.
More presentations at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZBwPfKdlk4SB63zZy16kyA
Presented at the Pulses for Sustainable Agriculture and Human Health” on 31 May-1 June 2016 at NASC, New Delhi, India. The conference was jointly organised by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), TCi of Cornell University (TCi-CU) and Agriculture Today.
POLICY SEMINAR
What is the Cost of a Healthy Diet? New Price Indexes Reveal Changes in Affordability of Nutritious Foods
MAY 29, 2019 - 12:15 PM TO 01:45 PM EDT
Presented at the Pulses for Sustainable Agriculture and Human Health” on 31 May-1 June 2016 at NASC, New Delhi, India. The conference was jointly organised by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), TCi of Cornell University (TCi-CU) and Agriculture Today.
Chemical and Functional Properties of Zea mays Semolina Fortified with Vigna ...BRNSS Publication Hub
Analysis was carried out on the sensory, mineral, functional, and proximate properties of maize semolina fortified with bambara groundnut flour using different formulations. The sensory evaluation of maize semolina fortified with bambara nut flours was carried out using the different formulations. Sample MWB which is sample produced between 40% maize, 40% wheat and 20% bambara nut flours. It had 7.60% color, 7.90% flavor, 6.90% taste, 8.50% texture, and 9.00% acceptability, respectively. The calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and phosphorus contents were 92.59 mg/kg, 179.46 mg/kg, 300.58 mg/kg, 16.35 mg/kg, and 6.80 mg/kg, respectively. For the functional properties, the oil absorption capacity (g/g) was 6.0, water absorption capacity (g/g) was 7.80, emulsion capacity was 54.00%, gelation capacity was 22.60%, foam capacity was 48.30%, and bulk density was 0.78 g/ml. The moisture content, ash content, crude fat, crude fiber, and the crude protein composition were 12.29%, 1.60%, 5.60%, 3.80%, 17.38%, and 59.33% carbohydrate, respectively. The results showed that the nutritive value of bambara nut flour incorporated into maize semolina flour can be used to supply protein to the human diet.
Key words:
PPT on the problem of food security in India and related issues such as hunger,famine,public distribution system in india based on the Economics textbook for class 9th from NCERT.
Dr. Emerson Nafziger - Why We Grow Soybeans In The Corn BeltJohn Blue
Why We Grow Soybeans In The Corn Belt - Dr. Emerson Nafziger, from the 2018 Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference, March 6 - 7, Ada, OH, USA.
More presentations at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZBwPfKdlk4SB63zZy16kyA
Presented at the Pulses for Sustainable Agriculture and Human Health” on 31 May-1 June 2016 at NASC, New Delhi, India. The conference was jointly organised by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), TCi of Cornell University (TCi-CU) and Agriculture Today.
POLICY SEMINAR
What is the Cost of a Healthy Diet? New Price Indexes Reveal Changes in Affordability of Nutritious Foods
MAY 29, 2019 - 12:15 PM TO 01:45 PM EDT
Presented at the Pulses for Sustainable Agriculture and Human Health” on 31 May-1 June 2016 at NASC, New Delhi, India. The conference was jointly organised by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), TCi of Cornell University (TCi-CU) and Agriculture Today.
Chemical and Functional Properties of Zea mays Semolina Fortified with Vigna ...BRNSS Publication Hub
Analysis was carried out on the sensory, mineral, functional, and proximate properties of maize semolina fortified with bambara groundnut flour using different formulations. The sensory evaluation of maize semolina fortified with bambara nut flours was carried out using the different formulations. Sample MWB which is sample produced between 40% maize, 40% wheat and 20% bambara nut flours. It had 7.60% color, 7.90% flavor, 6.90% taste, 8.50% texture, and 9.00% acceptability, respectively. The calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and phosphorus contents were 92.59 mg/kg, 179.46 mg/kg, 300.58 mg/kg, 16.35 mg/kg, and 6.80 mg/kg, respectively. For the functional properties, the oil absorption capacity (g/g) was 6.0, water absorption capacity (g/g) was 7.80, emulsion capacity was 54.00%, gelation capacity was 22.60%, foam capacity was 48.30%, and bulk density was 0.78 g/ml. The moisture content, ash content, crude fat, crude fiber, and the crude protein composition were 12.29%, 1.60%, 5.60%, 3.80%, 17.38%, and 59.33% carbohydrate, respectively. The results showed that the nutritive value of bambara nut flour incorporated into maize semolina flour can be used to supply protein to the human diet.
Key words:
PPT on the problem of food security in India and related issues such as hunger,famine,public distribution system in india based on the Economics textbook for class 9th from NCERT.
Agricultural biodiversity – the variability of crops and their wild relatives, trees, animals, arthropods, microbes and other species that contribute directly or indirectly, to food production – is fundamental for the long-term sustainability and resilience of agriculture.
Most research in recent decades has been concerned with increasing production through the increased use of external inputs and management of production, in ways that render agriculture more uniform. These approaches are increasingly recognized as having significant adverse consequences including land degradation, pollution and the loss of ecosystem services.
Alternative approaches are urgently needed to sustainably feed the growing population and adapt to global challenges such as climate change.
Bioversity International has been at the forefront of global scientific efforts to collect, conserve and use agricultural biodiversity for more than 35 years.
Read more about Bioversity International’s research-for-development portfolio and strategic priorities.
http://www.bioversityinternational.org/research/
Food system resilience in economic/food price crisis in Uganda, by Stephen Bi...ExternalEvents
"www.fao.org/about/meetings/sustainable-food-systems-nutrition-symposium
The International Symposium on Sustainable Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition was jointly held by FAO and WHO in December 2016 to explore policies and programme options for shaping the food systems in ways that deliver foods for a healthy diet, focusing on concrete country experiences and challenges. This Symposium waas the first large-scale contribution under the UN Decade of Action for Nutrition 2016-2025. This presentation was part of Parallel session 3.2: Enhancing food system resilience in areas affected by climate change and other crisis"
Presentation by Parviz Koohafkan, Senior Honorary Research Fellow at Bioversity International, and Global Coordinator of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).
This was presented during a seminar hosted at Bioversity International on 'The Indicators of Resilience in Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes (SEPLS)' in January 2014.
Find out more: http://www.bioversityinternational.org/research-portfolio/agricultural-ecosystems/landscapes/
Traditional and Indigenous foods for Food systems transformationFrancois Stepman
Presentation by Anna Lartey Professor of Nutrition.
Anna Lartey (PhD UC Davis); Sc.D. (h.c.McGill University)
Professor of Nutrition, Past President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS 2013-2017)
at Webinar of 20 May 2021. Traditional and Indigenous Foods for Food Systems Transformation in Africa
Sustainable innovations and solutions presented at the 4th Agriculture and Rural Development Day, in Rio de Janeiro, 18 June 2012. Presented by Ann Tutwiler, Deputy General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). http://www.agricultureday.org
Presentación realizada en la VIII Reunión del Grupo de Trabajo 2025 de la Iniciativa América Latina y Caribe sin Hambre, que tuvo lugar entre el 30 y 31 de julio en México.
http://www.rlc.fao.org/es/iniciativa/seguimiento/gt2025/viii-reunion-del-gt2025/
Food systems, food security and environmental changeIIED
This is a presentation given by Dr John Ingram of Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute (ECI) to a Critical Theme organised by the International Institute for Environment and Development on 12 February 2015.
Dr Ingram leads the Environmental Change Institute's Food Systems Research and Training Programme, which aims to increase understanding of the interactions between food security and environmental change. The programme's research products have been adopted by national and international organisations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the UK and Dutch governments.
In his presentation, Ingram looked at food system activities and 'planetary boundaries' – the safe operating space for humanity with respect to the earth's biophysical systems. If these planetary boundaries are crossed, then important subsystems, such as a monsoon system, could shift into a new state. Such shifts could have damaging consequences, including undermining the environmental conditions and the natural resource base on which our food security depends.
IIED hosts Critical Themes meetings to explore new ideas, introduce new research and broaden the knowledge of its staff.
More details: bit.ly/1CkRJ9K.
Christian economists, environmental externalities and ecological scaleMartin de Wit
The environmental economic response to mainstream neo-classical economics’ disconnect from the natural world was to value external environmental costs and include those into decisions about human welfare. The ecological economic response, heavily influenced by systems ecology, brought the concept of ecological scale or carrying capacity, as a limit to human choice. The divisions between these two theories are not merely cosmetic as illustrated by the high-stakes in the policy debates on the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change and following a publication by Rockström et al on planetary boundaries in the journal Ecology & Society as well as in Nature.
This paper concerns itself specifically with the question how Christian economists position themselves towards the unfolding ecological-economic crises. It is shown that the main positions taken in the policy debates on economy and ecology are closely mirrored in the broader Christian economic community, raising the question whether the Christian economic tradition does have anything particular to offer in response to the ecological-economic crises. We approach this question from two angles, first, reviewing the literature, and in particular an earlier debate by the Association of Christian Economists on what Christian economists should be doing and, second, reviewing the empirical literature on the relationships between Christianity and environmental beliefs and behaviour. A synthesized categorization of the wide range of Christian responses to economics and the environment is presented.
With reference to literature on the varying ontological views on the relationship between humanity and the rest of creation, and on different expectations of the eschaton, it is shown why such diverging positions are taken among Christian economists. Nevertheless, the reality of Jesus Christ demands a particular Christian ethics and –behaviour, which in turn, kindles fertile questions for Christian economists in their engagement with the economic and ecological sciences.
Integrated approaches to innovative climate change adaptation and resource us...Martin de Wit
Some of the greatest environmental challenges in the world today are climate change and resource depletion, both of which could have dire consequences for Africa if not handled innovatively. Africa is considered to be very vulnerable to climate change and the unsustainable depletion of resources. Innovative ways of response are, therefore, urgently needed in order to effectively cope with these challenges.
It cannot be assumed, as so often is done on a project level, that such responses or interventions are merely financial, technical or institutional. Social, institutional, political and cultural support systems in Africa are malfunctioning or under severe stress already, hence a systematic transdisciplinary approach that acknowledges complexity and takes account of the whole system transitioning is needed for effective climate change adaptation and efficient resource use.
The aim of the paper is to further explore the parameters of innovative approaches to climate change adaptation and resource use in African conditions. We present a short outline of the academic literature on complexity, transdisciplinarity and systems approaches and apply these to the fields of climate adaptation and resource use.
Suggested parameters for an integrated conceptual model are formulated. It is argued that innovative approaches to complex issues such as adapting to climate change and improving resource efficiency in Africa would require an integrated, systems and transdisciplinary approach that takes African contexts as a point of departure, and that explicitly include an analysis of human behaviour as a force of change. This integrated approach provides a basis for the development of sustainable innovations for climate change adaptation and resource use in Africa.
Economic risks and opportunities of new waste legislationMartin de Wit
Waste is valuable.
Waste is not for free.
Sustainable management of waste brings risks and opportunities for private business.
A reflection on the case of Cape Town.
How do we approach messy. practical problems? A reflection on how to respond ...Martin de Wit
The question how to approach practical, messy problems where problems are not well-defined remains actual. The recent financial and economic crisis, as well as an emerging ecological crisis, is an opportunity to reflect on deeper questions on how to approach and inform decisions in the real world.
Talk wfs 6 may 2010 presentation final notesMartin de Wit
Sustainability in its shortest definition is the capacity to endure. To endure one does not only need material goods, but also a mental and spiritual resilience and set of skills on how to cope. When the quality and quantity of our material goods and biophysical environment starts to change, when our fellow South Africans are sick and dying prematurely and when our economy does not deliver the needed health and wealth to all of us, our hope for a better future is severely tested. It is the integrity of our hope that could and should be playing a fundamental role in a possible transition towards sustainability.
In this talk ladies and gentleman, the question of South Africa’s sustainability is under scrutiny. I will first show you that from an ecological, from a human well-being, and even from an economic perspective there are several warning lights on the biophysical and material sustainability of this country. I will also show the remarkable optimism we have as South Africans and highlight the importance of hope. Third, and finally I will argue that we as humans have an ethical responsibility in the individual and collective choices we make. It is our attitudes and behaviours that sustain or destroy.
Sustainability in its shortest definition is the capacity to endure. To endure one does not only need material goods, but also a mental and spiritual resilience and set of skills on how to cope. When the quality and quantity of our material goods and biophysical environment starts to change, when our fellow South Africans are sick and dying prematurely and when our economy does not deliver the needed health and wealth to all of us, our hope for a better future is severely tested. It is the integrity of our hope that could and should be playing a fundamental role in a possible transition towards sustainability.
In this talk ladies and gentleman, the question of South Africa’s sustainability is under scrutiny. I will first show you that from an ecological, from a human well-being, and even from an economic perspective there are several warning lights on the biophysical and material sustainability of this country. I will also show the remarkable optimism we have as South Africans and highlight the importance of hope. Third, and finally I will argue that we as humans have an ethical responsibility in the individual and collective choices we make. It is our attitudes and behaviours that sustain or destroy.
Combined Congress Horticulture 2012 Keynote presentation
1. Horticultural Research & Practice for
Improved Nutritional & Food Security
in Southern Africa
Stephanie Midgley & Martin de Wit
Combined Congress 22 January 2013 Durban
2. Structure
1. Dimensions and drivers of food & nutritional insecurity
2. Fruit consumption and food insecurity in Southern Africa
3. Growing cities – hungry cities
4. A flawed food system
5. Opportunities for horticultural science research & practice
6. Finding solutions: an integrated systems approach
2
3. Food % Nutritional Security and Undernourishment
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have
physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active and healthy life
World Food Summit, 1996
Undernourishment exists when caloric intake is below the
minimum dietary energy requirement.
FAO/World Food Programme, 2009
Nutritional security refers to adequate nutritional status in
terms of protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals for all
household members at all times.
Int Food Policy Res Inst, 1995
3
4. Dimensions of Food Security
• Availability
The availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality,
supplied through domestic production or imports.
• Access
Access by individuals to adequate resources for acquiring appropriate
food for a nutritious diet. (Covers legal, political, economic and social
arrangements of a community)
• Utilization
Utilization of food through adequate diet, clean water, sanitation and
health care to reach a state of nutritional well-being where all
physiological needs are met. (NB non-food inputs)
• Stability
To be food secure, a population, household or individual must have
access to adequate food at all times. They should not risk losing
access to food as a consequence of sudden shocks or cyclical events.
4
5. Drivers of Food Insecurity in Southern Africa
• Lack of own production
• Erratic local food prices
• Weak integration of food markets
• Poverty: national income growth does not benefit the poor
• Climatic hazards
• Competing land use
• Social instability: diseases incl. HIV/AIDS, population changes
• Political instability
• Deteriorating land resources and water quality
• Lack of investment and failure of agricultural policies
5
6. Drivers of Food Insecurity at different scales
• Food supply (production, reserves, import)
National • Nutritious food supply
• Climate, land degradation, land policy, oil price
• Location: access to food
• Culture/social norms: knowledge, attitude, practice
Community • Food preferences
• Income and education level
• Location & household size
• Stability: access at all times
Household • Food quality and variety
• Care practices
• Energy intake
Individual • Nutrient intake
• Health status
6
7. Dietary and nutritional transitions
• Global shifts in dietary and nutritional patterns
• Drivers: population growth, urbanization, women in employment,
changing food preferences, food industry (production and
marketing), agricultural & trade policies
• Quantity: “Expansion phase”: increased calories from cheaper foods
• Quality: “Substitution phase”: shift from cereals, pulses, roots &
tubers to vegetable oils, meat, dairy, sugar, salt
• Worldwide, fruit consumption per person is increasing, but not in
Southern Africa – WHY?
• Considerable health consequences: child development, obesity,
diabetes, non-communicable diseases, etc
• Considerable environmental consequences: carbon, water, etc
• Failure to identify and act on linkages between agriculture, human
health (and other social factors) and the environment
7
9. Fruit intake requirements
Fruits and vegetables: > 400 g/person/day
WHO Expert Committee,
Fruits: >200 g/person/day WHO/FAO 2003
Fruit defined as: plantains, bananas, orange, lemons and limes, grapefruit and pomelos, tangerines,
mandarins, clementines, satsumas, other citrus fruit, melons, watermelons, apples, apricots, avocados,
cherries, figs, grapes, mangoes, papaya, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapples, plums, quinces,
blueberries, cranberries, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, other fruits (fresh), dates, figs
(dried), prunes, currants, raisins, other dried fruit. (excl. tree nuts)
9
10. Fruit consumption patterns (g/person/day)
500
North America
450
400 Oceania
350
Latin America & Caribbean
300
Europe
250
200 Asia
Africa
150
100
50
0
1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 2025 2050
Adapted from: Kearney J Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 2010;365:2793-2807
10
11. Vegetable, fruit and pulse consumption patterns
Sub-Saharan Africa (g/person/day)
180
160
Vegetables
140
Fruits
120
Roots and Tubers
100
80
60
40
Sweet potatoes
20 Pulses
Potatoes
0
1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 2025 2050
Adapted from: Kearney J Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 2010;365:2793-2807
11
12. Where in Southern Africa are the most food
insecure populations?
• Around 95 million people (40%) across SADC are undernourished
• Of these, almost 84% are found in only five countries (2004-2006):
– DRC (43.9 million)
– Tanzania (13.6 million)
– Mozambique (7.5 million)
– Angola (7.1 million)
– Madagascar (6.6 million)
• A further 15% are found in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi
• 1.5% in the rest of SADC
• BUT: The rate of increase has slowed significantly from 46% to 10%
between 1990-1997 and 2000-2006
De Wit and Midgley, 2009
12
13. Relationships between undernourishment and
food system indicators
Data: FAO, 14 SADC countries, 1990-2006
Variables: food consumption
food production
food imports
food exports
food aid
regional supply and demand
value of trade
prices
income
expenditure
relative size of agric sector
Statistical analysis: Correlation, covariance,
price and income elasticities of undernourishment
De Wit and Midgley, 2009
13
15. Vitamin A and Iron available for human consumption 2003-5
Country Vit A Vit A categories:
(category)
Namibia 3
Angola 3 1: <300 2: 300-600 3: >600
South Africa 2 Retinol Activity Equivalents per
Mauritius 2 person per day
Swaziland 2
Botswana 2
RDA: 300-600 under-13
Madagascar 2
Tanzania 2
700-900 over-13
Zimbabwe 1
Lesotho 1
Mozambique 1
Zambia 1
DRC 1
Malawi
15
1
17. Results
(excl. South Africa)
• Insufficient per person carbohydrate and protein intake, but
proportionally too much carbohydrate
• National per person food production has stagnated with declining
production since the early 1990s (with some exceptions)
• Insufficient per person intake of essential micronutrients
A decrease in undernourishment is most strongly related to an increase
in the consumption of fruits and starchy roots
De Wit and Midgley, 2009
17
18. Fruit supply quantity per SADC country
(g/person/day) – top 4
300
250
Tanzania
200
Swaziland
Malawi
150
Mauritius
100
50
0
1997
2004
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Data source: FAO (faostat.fao.org) 2012
18
19. Fruit supply quantity per SADC country
(g/person/day) – bottom 6
300
250
200
150
100
South Africa
50
Namibia
Lesotho
Mozambique
Zimbabwe
0 Zambia
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
Data source: FAO (faostat.fao.org) 2012
19
20. Summary of factors that influence fruit consumption
patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa
1. Income: consumption rises with income, although at a slower rate than
income; explains higher consumption among wealthier urban households
2. Price and availability: consumption rises with lower prices and across-
season availability
3. Consumer preferences: demand for calories/fat, cultural, household-
specific, individual-specific (awareness and knowledge)
4. Education: mixed trends; often related to women’s work outside the home
5. Home production: can increase consumption but needs to be
complemented with behaviour change
6. Intra-household decision-making: link between status of women (relative to
men) and child nutritional and health outcomes; female-headed households
spend more on fruit/vegetables
Adapted from: Ruel et al. 2005 Patterns and determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption in Sub-Saharan
Africa: a multi-country comparison. WHO.
20
21. The role of food markets in Southern Africa
1. National food production may be rising in some cases, but it is not resulting
in broad-based income growth or poverty reduction
2. On a national level, rising average income is dissipating to other goals
rather than addressing undernourishment
3. An average household spends approx half its income on food; volatile and
rising food prices make them vulnerable; less spent on healthy foods
4. Approx 70% of rural populations are not participating meaningfully in food
markets
5. Rapid urbanization and changing food preferences are raising food import
demand
6. Consumer demand for supermarket services rising, but not as fast as
previously imagined
7. How are we going to meet the unmet need for fruit?
Jayne 2011 Forces shaping food markets in East and Southern Africa. BFAP Agricultural Baseline 2011
De Wit and Midgley 2009 Hunger in SADC with specific reference to climate change: A longer-term regional
analysis. OneWorld.
21
23. Situation in South Africa
• Access to food: 24% of households have inadequate or severely
inadequate access to food ; most serious in the North-West
(35.7%), also serious in Northern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and Free
State
• Own production: 87.6% of households cultivate backyard
gardens, of these 30.1% cultivate fruit/vegetables
• Consumption expenditure on fruit/vegetables on average 14%;
good growth from 2011-2012 (6.3%) but not nearly as high as for
oils/fats (34.8%), meat (12%), bread/grain products (16.4%), sugar
(16.5%)
South Africa General Household Survey 2010
Economic Review of South African Agriculture 2011/12
23
24. South Africa: children
Stunting: median height for age
Underweight: median weight for age
Combating Malnutrition in South Africa.
Input paper for health roadmap, 2008
24
25. Fruit/vegetable consumption by South African children
aged 1-9 years
• Celeste Naude, MSc (Nutrition) thesis, US 2007
• Data: 1999 National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS)
• Mean daily fruit/veg consumption per capita 110.1 grams
• Underweight and wasted children ate significantly less fruit and
vegetables
• Procured by purchase (90% of households)
• Low dietary diversity, poor nutrient intake
• Differences between provinces: socio-economic, climatic, access to
water, cultural
25
28. Urban food insecurity – the invisible crisis
• Rapid urbanization – rising numbers of urban poor – as vulnerable to food
insecurity as rural people, if not more (77%)
• By 2025 half of southern African population will be urbanized
• But cities also offer opportunities for a better life and better food security
and nutrition, huge market
• Complex urban food supply chains
• Rural and smallholder bias in food policies and public research support
• Focus on rural agricultural growth and production rather than on “ensuring
food security for all” including the urban population
• Increasing proportion of the rural poor depend on social grants and
remittances – purchase their food
• Production is important, but the biggest challenge lies in getting healthy
affordable food to everyone
We must re-think our production and distribution systems and policies
Resource: AFSUN (African Food Security Urban Network), Cape Town
28
29. Levels of household food insecurity in SADC cities
Frayne et al 2010 The State of Urban Food Insecurity in Southern Africa. AFSUN.
29
30. A flawed food system
• On a per calorie basis, fruits and vegetables are significantly more
expensive than cereals, fats and sweets
• Sufficient food is often available, in the face of chronic and acute
hunger – gross failure of food flow
• Emphasis on production needs to be extended to access, safety and
nutrition, and especially affordability
• Insufficient data and analysis of food systems and food flows
• High risks: climate change, oil and food price spikes, population
growth
• Creating a better food system:
– Health-based agriculture
– Dealing with both undernutrition and overnutrition
– Environmental sustainability
– Price stability
Where does Horticultural Science see its role in this crisis?
30
31. Opportunities for HortSci (1)
(in addition to commercial/export focus)
• Supply
– Post-harvest technology for multiple complex agri-food systems
and supply chains
– Household fresh produce storage and preservation technologies
– Reduce losses/waste across all systems
– Rainfed production technologies for water-scarce/poor areas
– School orchards/gardens
– Affordable and accessible plant material and fertiliser
31
32. Opportunities for HortSci (2)
• Local consumer preferences and choices
– Understand the needs and market
– Adapt breeding programmes and planting decisions
– Breed and grow for nutritional value
• Access, distribution and price
– Support for smaller markets (rural, farmers’, urban)
– Reduce cost of distribution and “shelf”
32
33. Opportunities for HortSci (3)
• Education
– Child and parent (especially women) nutritional and agricultural
education
– Industry-wide lobbying for healthy food choices
– Knowledge transfer to consultants, extension officers, farmer
organisations, students
• Data and analysis
– Generate and analyse reliable system-wide data for all agri-food
systems in the region
– Apply GIS for systems analysis of food flows
– Study linkages with human and environmental health factors
33
34. A multi- and trans-disciplinary systems approach
• Work within a larger CONTEXT
• Work with consumer, food security, nutritional and health scientists to
identify needs and strategies
• Work with agricultural economists and environmental scientists to
develop a more efficient and sustainable agri-food system
• Big funding: emphasisemultiple benefits of horticultural research in
this context, and how this addresses national development goals
• Set up contextualised longer-term research programmes within which
students/researchers can work towards a larger goal and achieve
combined impact
• Link with other programmes (e.g. food security at US, UKZN, UP)
• Harness science for the benefit of all
• Opportunity to attract students to agricultural science – interesting and
highly rewarding work with a strong “people component”
See: Hammond and Dube2011 A systems science perspective and
transdisciplinary models for food and nutrition security. PNAS 109(31).
34
35. The challenge: to support economic
growth while driving human and social
development and ecological
sustainability
THANK YOU
35