One hundred years after the implementation of the 1913 Land Act, the subject of
land reform and rural development are still at the forefront of public discourse
within South Africa. Much of the literature suggests that post-apartheid
interventions have not been successful at improving small-scale agriculture,
which is seen as an important vehicle for improving rural food security.
Nevertheless, data from the General Household Survey indicate that household
food security has improved in the post-2000 decade. In particular, this paper
demonstrates that hunger levels have declined substantially since 2002 (as other
estimates of poverty have also indicated), but more importantly that they have
done so faster in former homelands regions. Using linear probability models, this
paper seeks to isolate which factors have led to the convergence of homeland
regions’ hunger levels to the rest of the country. The historical context that is
sketched here highlights the severe challenges faced by farmers in these areas;
this raises the question how convergence in food security occurred, given that
many agricultural interventions have not attained the success that was hoped for.
In particular, the large reliance on social grants in homelands regions accounts
for a part of the reduction in hunger levels. Communal gardens and connections
to the agricultural market have reduced hunger within former homelands regions.
The long-term sustainability of grants in bolstering food security is of concern,
highlighting the need for greater market integration of small scale farmers in
homeland regions.