South Africa

Food shortage warning in South Africa

Although South Africa has been able to improve food insecurity in the past, the situation could worsen over the next decade if immediate interventions are not implemented.

This was revealed in Shoprite’s newly released South African Food Security Index for 2024, which showed that the country achieved its lowest food security level in 2023 since 2012. 

The index decreased from a peak value of 64.6 in 2019 to 45.3 in 2023. South Africa was at its lowest level of food security in 2023 over the Index period.

The index’s values range from zero, indicating severe food insecurity, to 100, which indicates excellent food security.

It was developed by two economists from Stellenbosch University and was started after the Global Financial Crisis when food security was near an average value of 52.4. 

The series shows a brief recovery after this difficult economic period. Following the 2012 global food price crisis, food security values dropped slightly before returning to their mean value in 2015. 

However, the drought of 2015/6 had a sudden and sharp downward impact on the South African Food Security Index before recovering dramatically. 

The start of the Covid-19 lockdowns took the index down from its peak value of 64.6 in 2019. 

In addition, inflationary pressures during the Ukraine war and tough economic circumstances in South Africa contributed to further drops in index values, which reached their lowest food security levels in 2023, at 45.3.

The report said South Africa is in a similar situation due to the 2023/24 El Niño-induced drought in Southern Africa. 

It explained that the food stocks of many Southern African countries have been depleted, and they are now reliant on imports from South Africa. 

The South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development reported in June 2024 that reductions in the yield of staple crops such as maize and wheat occurred in 2023. 

Given below-average rainfall in South Africa in 2024, the expected commercial maize crop for the year is 13,405 million tonnes, 18.4% less than the 16,430 tonnes of maize harvested in the 2023 season.

The graph below shows how food insecurity has changed in South Africa since 2010.

Other findings

The Index evaluates four dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilisation, and overall stability, and it creates a baseline to measure food security in South Africa.

“One of the most concerning observations drawn from the index is that child hunger remains a major issue,” said Shoprite’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Sanjeev Raghubir.

“As many as one in four children are growth stunted – a number which is especially alarming given the country’s overall level of economic development.”

Additional takeouts from the Index include: 

  • One in four of the poorest households reported that children in their homes went hungry in 2023
  • Male-headed households have lower risks of hunger (12.5% in rural areas and 8.7% in urban areas) than female-headed households (16.7% in rural areas and 11.9% in urban areas).
  • By 2023, 11.8% of households said they were consuming a lower variety of food than usual, given economic constraints.
  • Food security varies significantly across the country. While Limpopo performs surprisingly well, the Eastern Cape had moved into “poor” territory by 2023
  • At a national level, food availability declined from a peak of 2.8 tons of raw food per person per year in 2017 to 2.6 tons in 2022. 

“Although South Africa has been able to improve food insecurity in the past, the Index indicates that the situation could worsen over the next decade if immediate interventions are not implemented with speed,” the report said.

“South Africa has drastically reduced hunger levels in the past. It is possible to do this again.”

The report also provided recommendations to combat food insecurity in South Africa.

These recommendations range from the more centralised, national actions by policymakers and relevant stakeholders to more localised actions like supporting the establishment of food gardens and caregivers in feeding young children a range of specific nutritious food.

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