The analysis, which collects indicators of 43,000 households from all districts of the country since 2019 shows a worrying picture about the national food welfare.

The HSRC research was conducted at the request of the government, in particular by the Ministry of Agriculture, to assess the impact of its various central interventions on the issue.

In this regard, HSRC’s Thokozani Simelane highlighted that people in urban areas are more affected by food insecurity than those in rural areas, contrary to established belief.

In fact, urban areas are highly affected by food insecurity because available land is limited and they have little means to produce their own food, he explained.

On the other hand, Simelane continued, there is relatively much land available in rural areas.

Despite this fact, she said, agricultural production activities have been neglected, contributing to national food insecurity.

The HSRC research is expected to be officially handed over to the provincial government of southeastern KwaZulu-Natal today at an agricultural conference being held in the regional capital city of Durban.

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