Economic Growth Key to Stabilising Food Security

Forestry and Fisheries Minister Senzeni Zokwana says the economic growth remains the main vehicle for reducing poverty, food security and job creation.

Speaking at the National Assembly on Tuesday on job creation in agriculture, Minister Zokwana said over the last 20 years, the dominant policy approaches to alleviating food insecurity or addressing agrarian transformation have been mainly based on increasing production in order to increase the availability of food in the market.

“Economic growth is the main vehicle for reducing poverty, food insecurity and job creation. But for this to work, income distribution becomes equally important.

“In many circumstances, growth in the agricultural sector has been an important ingredient in the formula that connects economic growth to the poor,” said the Minister.

About 13.8 million South Africans go to bed hungry every day, according to an Oxfam report entitled ‘Hidden Hunger in South Africa: the faces of hunger and malnutrition in a food secure nation’.

The State of Food Insecurity (SOFI) report indicates that over 226 million Africans are undernourished and that approximately 24.6 percent of the undernourished citizens in the world are found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Rural households are generally more vulnerable and South Africa is no different. About 40 percent of South Africa’s underprivileged population reside in rural areas and are dependent, either directly or indirectly, on land for their livelihood.

However, Minister Zokwana said vulnerability to food insecurity was not exclusive to rural communities as it has become very pronounced in urban areas due to high levels of rural-urban...