The purpose of the research was to investigate the food security system and how resources of a
household determine its access to food and nutrition. The focus was to assess the role of civil society
organisations participation in improving household food security in South Africa. The outcomes of the
research would contribute to the National Development Agency (NDA)’s food security strategy focused
on supporting civil society organisations to enable them to help the food security status of poor
households in South Africa. Furthermore, the outcomes would encourage policy debates on food
security and identify areas for more research in order to have holistic understanding of household food
security in the country.
The scope of the research as agreed with the NDA Research Unit was to explore the following areas:
1. Government role in ensuring and improving access to food security – programmes, policies and
coordination
2. Food security definitions, measurements and recent initiatives in South Africa
3. Models of food security interventions for the poor people and communities
4. Gendered dimension of food security including the impact of food security on marginalized
groups such as women, children, youth, people living with HIV and people with disabilities.
5. Households’ ability and access to secure nutritious food
6. Role of private sector and business in ensuring household food security