The city-region food system approach: lessons for food governance in South Africa.
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Date
2023
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Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Food insecurity is a global challenge, so significant that its elimination ranks second on the list of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Global estimates are that between 720 and 811 million people were affected by hunger in 2020. In Sub-Saharan Africa the number of severely and moderately food insecure people rose from 572.5 million in 2018, to 605.4 million in 2019. In South Africa, the combination of internal and external structural mechanisms, like apartheid’s racial-spatial segregation and the globalization of the neoliberal corporate food system, have had reprehensible consequences for the poor in their ability to access affordable, nutritious food. The South African food system is a paradox, in that the country is nationally food secure, is categorised as an upper-middle income country, has a highly developed social welfare programme and is globally competitive in science and innovation research, yet, it continues to experience very poor food system outcomes. As a response, the state has designed many strategies and public policies to improve the outcomes of the food system, but with limited success. Because of these poor food system results from existing food and nutrition security policies in South Africa and the recurring food system governance problems, it is essential to look for alternative approaches to food system governance.
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Keywords
Adaptive governance, City-Region food systems, Collaborative governance, Place-based policy, Territorial development