While there is not much evidence of widespread starvation and extreme undernutrition in
South Africa, national surveys provide evidence of multiple forms of deprivation related to
the experience of hunger, widespread manifestation of hidden hunger or micronutrient
deficiencies and increasing rates of overweight and obesity. Moreover, the co-existence of
adult (especially female) overweight and obesity with hidden hunger and child malnutrition
raises serious concerns over household food security. Despite a multitude of state, private
sector and non-governmental agency (NGO)-funded food security programmes, South Africa
is one of only 12 countries in the world where stunting has increased over the Millennium
Development Goal (MDG) period. It is also the only country in the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) region where child stunting has not decreased. The
increasing incidence of overweight among women and children raises alarm. This indicates
severe inadequacies related to the diets of South Africans and highlights the importance of
understanding the constraints faced by households in achieving food security to ensure
health, productivity and development.
A baseline and scoping study commissioned by the Water Research Commission (WRC)
(project K5/1954/4) has revealed numerous knowledge gaps with regard to smallholder
production and food security in South Africa. The study highlighted that there is limited
current and generalisable food security and nutrition research in South Africa. Very few
studies have investigated the year-round source(s) of food for the rural poor. In particular,
agricultural interventions to improve human nutrition and the (indirect) eventual outcomes of
health, education and economics are practically non-existent. The study identified two
specific knowledge gaps. Firstly, it identified that the contribution of home- or smallholdergrown
foods to total dietary intake and nutritional requirements (in the context of an in-depth
description of the food environment and its links to water) is not known. Secondly, the effect
of seasonality on home or smallholder production is not documented.