JOHANNESBURG - Despite easing food inflation, hunger remains a persistent problem in South Africa, with 12% of households experiencing food insecurity, according to the latest Food Security Index.
Rural female-headed households are among the hardest hit, highlighting the growing struggle for vulnerable communities to put food on the table.
Stellenbosch University professor Dieter von Fintel says the research is important, particularly in a country that produces enough food to feed everyone.
“On a national level, we are secure,” he said.
“The real issue is what happens to specific vulnerable groups,” he added.
Von Fintel said the trend had reversed since the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, hunger rates were lower, but the country had yet to recover.
“Since then, we’ve never recovered and just [got] worse,” he said.
He said a similar trend could be seen in unemployment, as people struggled to earn enough income to put food on the table.
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Rural women were particularly vulnerable because they were often more isolated and faced greater barriers to finding work. They also tended to carry a heavier caregiving burden, limiting their participation in economic activity, Von Fintel said.
One possible response would be for households to grow their own food in gardens to help address hunger.
“But they are already doing other things, which makes it more complicated,” he said.