Gauteng Agriculture invites media to a walkabout to showcase a climate smart and innovative way of producing food, 18 Oct

Gauteng concerned about hunger, monopolised and unhealthy food system

Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Lebogang Maile expressed concerns at the high levels of hunger, an overly concentrated and expensive food system. He urged Gauteng residents to take charge of their nutritional needs by engaging in subsistence farming and taking up government initiatives to curb hunger. This statement was made against the backdrop of this year’s World Food Day celebrations.  

According to different studies, nearly 70 million people were pushed into extreme poverty due to rising food prices in 2011. The UN Food Agency contends that inadequate household production, insufficient income and weak buying power results in one in eight people experiencing chronic hunger and not getting enough food to lead healthy lives on a global scale.

Maile said that hunger and food insecurity is a serious concern as it affects over 3 million people in Gauteng. The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy shows that from April 2014 to April 2015, the cost of a basic food basket in South Africa increased from R491 to R514 with the price of staples experiencing a 50% hike between 2013 and 2014, making basic food unaffordable to many poverty stricken households.

“When the price of staples increases at this level, it not only pushes many families to abject poverty but is also leads to a vicious cycle that sparks soaring prices for meat and poultry. The fact that the poor have to resort to skipping meals and or reducing rations to cope with hunger when 30% of the food produced in this country is lost through waste and dumping is an indictment to the food industry.”

Research suggests that R61 billion or an equivalent of 2% of GDP is lost in local food waste across the value chain.

Maile said the Gauteng Twenty-Year Food Security Plan, which aims to reduce the levels of food insecurity in the province to 5% by 2030, carries real solutions to end hunger in the province. The plan rests on several pillars such as auditing land assets, training communities and farmers in sustainable food production and climate smart agriculture and working with food companies to distribute nutritious food to needy communities whilst curbing excessive food waste by retailers and manufacturers.

It also aims to support community food gardens with inputs, training and equipment. Gauteng has supported over 60 000 community food gardens with technical and resources support since 2009. The province’s interventions to integrate black small holder farmers in the food production industry resulted in over 40% of the fresh produce supplied to public hospitals in Gauteng is sourced from this sector.

Media Walk-About 

As part of raising awareness about food and hunger in Gauteng, the media is invited to a walkabout to showcase a climate smart and innovative way of producing food using minimum water and land resources.