Culture and food security: a case study of homestead food production in South Africa

Drawing on case study insights from a home gardening program in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, this study explores the relationship between culture and food security in a local context. Informed by an ideational and a process-oriented understanding of cultural analysis, our inductive approach to field research reveals several elements of culture that have direct impacts on local food production: power, gender, identity and cultural change. The study offers insights into the multi-level dimensions of power as it relates to individuals, households, and broader community dynamics that are central to understanding the local dynamics of food security. Also, the local gardening program played a critical role in maintaining a “culture of farming” at the village level while also navigating important changes to local culture, such as the career preferences of local youth. Research implications include an understanding of the adaptive role that local institutions can play in the food security challenges within South Africa.     

The impact of the homestead food garden programme on food security in South Africa

The South African government has implemented homestead food garden (HFG) programmes directed at enhancing food production in order to reduce food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty and hunger. The present paper evaluated the impact of this programme on household food insecurity using surveys of 500 households. Endogenous switching regression, propensity score matching and household food insecurity average scores were employed in our analysis. Our findings demonstrated that participation in an HFG programme could significantly enhance the food security status of participants by increasing household food supply and consumption as well as by income derived from selling any excess production from the garden. Specifically, our empirical findings showed that participation in the HFG programme significantly reduced food insecurity among rural households by as much as 41.5%. Therefore, we recommend that policy makers should encourage more rural households to participate in the programme in order to reduce their food insecurity. Facilitating easy access to credit, extension services, fertilizer, irrigation facilities and land are policy options needed to promote farmers participation in HFG programmes. Furthermore, the formation of farmer-based organizations and the building of positive perceptions about HFGs are some of the key policy options that can be employed to improve households’ participation in the programme. Promotion of education, participating in off-farm activities, access to market, irrigation, extension and credit, and adoption of fertiliser are some policy interventions that can reduce food insecurity among rural house holds whether or not they participate in the HFG programme.     

营养地瓜叶菜粉的研制

目的:将地瓜叶加工成粉末状的营养调料粉作为一种添加料。方法:采用单因素筛选、正交实验和工厂中试等方法,研究了地瓜叶的最佳干燥工艺。结果:地瓜叶以真空干燥方法所得的叶绿素保留率最高;但最终地瓜叶在无护色工艺情况下,以温度为60℃、真空度为0.09 MPa、装载量为75%的真空干燥方法最佳。结论:护色工艺无法改善地瓜叶菜粉的叶绿素含量及色泽,仅以真空干燥方法就可以获得叶绿素含量及色泽俱佳的地瓜叶菜粉。      

Water security and rural household food security: empirical evidence from the Mzinyathi district in South Africa

This paper aimed to investigate the determinants of water security in an irrigation scheme, and how this water security level subsequently affects the farmer’s household food security level. Water security refers to access by the irrigating households to sufficient and reliable water to meet the agricultural needs and their ability to assert the water rights against other parties. A random sample of 185 irrigating households was interviewed in Tugela Ferry Irrigation Scheme in Mzinyathi District, South Africa. Data were analysed using principal component analysis and ordinary least squares. The empirical results indicated that factors such as farmer’s age, off-farm income, farmer association membership, use of pumps, location on the upper-end of the canal and training increase household water security. Conversely, factors such as occurrence of conflicts and location at the tail-end of the canal were found to decrease household water security. This study highlights the importance of strengthening farmer organisational capacity and local institutions for enhancing the water security status of farmers in smallholder irrigation schemes. The results also indicated that perceived water security has a positive impact on household food consumption per adult equivalent. Therefore, for better impact on household food security, the study recommends that priority should be placed in ensuring household water security, not just investing in the physical irrigation scheme and irrigation participation. The human and social dimensions need to receive priority. Training farmers in collective water governance and water conservation techniques to improve water-use efficiency as well as introducing motorised pumps would take irrigators a long way in enhancing their water security.     

紫薯冲调营养粉配方优化研究

为了考察并优选紫薯冲调营养粉的最佳配方,在单因素实验的基础上,选定脱脂奶粉、大豆磷脂、羧甲基纤维素钠、植脂末为影响因子,根据Box-Behnken中心组合原理设计4因素3水平实验,以紫薯营养粉的感官评分为响应值进行响应曲面分析得到紫薯冲调营养粉各组分的最佳配方。综合响应面和单因素实验结果,紫薯冲调营养粉各组分的最佳配方为:脱脂奶粉16%、大豆磷脂0.25%、羧甲基纤维素钠0.30%、植脂末8%、阿斯巴甜0.17%、稀释香精15%、麦芽糊精13%,此时实测感官评分为89.4与其模型预测值88.4基本符合。      

红薯营养面包的研制

在传统的面包加工工艺中加不同量的红薯泥,采取二次发酵法设计制作工艺,并对面包成品进行品质评分,结果表明红薯泥的加入量为原料总量15%时,面包的品质最优,不仅具有普通面包的色、香、味,而且更具有营养保健功能.     

A simple model to evaluate integrated vegetable production for food security in KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa

The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of combining agricultural science with local knowledge in developing a simple model to evaluate vegetable production for food security and small-scale economic development. Four sites were selected for a preliminary survey to determine local knowledge about vegetable production using semi-structured interviews. Then, agronomic trials were conducted with a reduced number of participants representing an average household to grow popular vegetables identified in the surveys with the aim of testing the hypothesis of year-round organic production under virtual dryland conditions. A food security evaluation model based on farmer crop yield, home consumption and local market value was developed. The situation analysis showed that on average the farmers used their crops mainly for home consumption (~ 76%) compared to local market (~ 24%). Crop yields from 0.1 ha were found to be adequate for food security needs of an average household in the rural areas of South Africa. The food security values of maize (the staple crop) and cabbage (a popular vegetable) were found to be about 52%. The study revealed clearly that for a household of five persons, an average fresh vegetable crop yield of 19 to 27 t ha^- 1 can be produced per annum if production occurs all year round. The study proposes the first simple linear food security value model based on crop yield and utilisation with farmer participation.     

The role of wild vegetables in household food security in South Africa: A review

Wild vegetables are a common and important source of food and nutrition in the rural areas where they can be harvested from backyard gardens, animal houses or agricultural fields. These plant species which were initially primary sources of food in many societies have been marginalised in favour of exotic vegetables. Micronutrient deficiencies, especially in children, continue to be a global cause for concern and yet numerous reports have revealed the high nutritional value of wild vegetables. If they are incorporated into the diet, wild vegetables can alleviate some of the micronutrient deficiency concerns. In this paper, literature on ethnobotanical knowledge of wild vegetables in South Africa is reviewed with a view to reveal their potential role in household food security. The outcome of the literature search revealed only 103 plant species from a total of 33 families in five out of nine provinces. In South Africa the cultivation of these wild vegetables has so far been limited to only two provinces. These important plant foods are clearly underutilised although they potentially have a big role to play in food security. Wild vegetables need to be revitalised and brought back into the mainstream diet so that they can play their role in food security. More work needs to be done to document these important food plants in all the provinces of South Africa to create an updated inventory. If these species continue to be neglected and underappreciated, knowledge about them may soon be lost in time and never be recovered.     

Exploring the impact of the 2008 global food crisis on food security among vulnerable households in rural South Africa

Recurring food crises endanger the livelihoods of millions of households in developing countries around the globe. Owing to the importance of this issue, we explored recent changes in food security between the years 2004 and 2010 in a rural district in Northeastern South Africa. Our study window spans the time of the 2008 global food crisis and allows the investigation of its impacts on rural South African populations. Grounded in the sustainable livelihood framework, we examined differences in food security trajectories among vulnerable sub populations. A unique panel data set of 8,147 households, provided by the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System (Agincourt HDSS), allowed us to employ a longitudinal multilevel modeling approach to estimate adjusted growth curves for the differential changes in food security across time. We observed an overall improvement in food security that leveled off after 2008, most likely resulting from the global food crisis. In addition, we discovered significant differences in food security trajectories for various sub populations. For example, female-headed households and those living in areas with better access to natural resources differentially improved their food security situation, compared to male-headed households and those households with lower levels of natural resource access. However, former Mozambican refugees witnessed a decline in food security. Therefore, poverty alleviation programs for the Agincourt region should work to improve the food security of vulnerable households, such as former Mozambican refugees.     

The HIV and urban food security nexus in Africa

The relationship between HIV and food security has been characterized by a tendency to view both as primarily rural phenomena. The urban literature, in turn, has been dominated by a biomedical focus on the nutritional implications of HIV infection on people living with HIV (PLHIV). Recently, attention has turned to related issues such as the value of nutrition supplementation, the nutritional implications of anti-retroviral therapy and the impact on both of rising food prices. This paper argues that the focus on rural food insecurity, the individual PLHIV and the nutritional aspects of food security, while valuable and necessary, are limiting our ability to understand the social and economic relationships that are central to the HIV-food security nexus in urban contexts. Rapid urbanization makes food security in the urban context a complex issue with a number of different and overlapping dimensions. Understanding the reciprocal relationship between HIV and urban food security requires a new social framework which incorporates, but is not constrained by, a focus on the nutritional impacts of the epidemic.     

豆渣、甘薯方便食品的研制

介绍了以豆渣、甘薯为原料研制富含膳食纤维的方便食品的过程 ,以及工艺与配方的确定。结果表明 ,其最佳配方为豆渣 10 0 g、甘薯 5 0g、面粉15 0 g、鸡蛋 2 0 g、酵母 5 % (以干面粉计 ) ,在 2 8℃下发酵 1h ,而且产品口感香甜酥脆 ,老少皆宜     

Food and cash: understanding the role of the retail sector in rural food security in South Africa

A decline in subsistence agriculture across sub-Saharan Africa has meant an increased role for the private sector in food security strategies, but this role remains a relatively blind spot in food policy. We address this gap by analyzing retailers and consumers in a rural region of South Africa. Our results show that purchasing food is an important food security strategy for the rural poor, but is constrained by a lack of access to income. Furthermore, a reliance on specific non-perishable foodstuffs impacts the micronutrients that the poorest can access if they are unable to grow their own fresh produce. Adaptive food policy thus requires a holistic appreciation of the food system - emphasizing production as well as building livelihoods outside of agriculture.     

我国甘薯食品开发现状及发展趋势

概述了甘薯的营养保健价值、目前国内对甘薯食品的研究开发、市场现状以及今后的发展趋势。     

Addressing the challenges of climate change and biofuel production for food and nutrition security

More than one billion people are suffering hunger and malnutrition in 2009. Food security has deteriorated since 1995 and reductions in child malnutrition are proceeding too slowly to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving hunger by 2015. Three major challenges threaten current and future efforts to overcome food insecurity and malnutrition: climate and global environmental change and the consequent loss of ecosystems’ services, the growing use of food crops as a source of fuel and the food and financial crises. This paper reviews and analyses the current and projected effects of climate change and bioenergy on nutrition and proposes policy recommendations to address these challenges. The first section of the review lays out the public health and socio-economic consequences of malnutrition and explores causes and costs. The paper then analyses the implications of climate and global environmental change and biofuel production for food security and nutrition, addressing strategies for adaptation and mitigation. This analysis includes a number of important socio-economic factors, besides climate change and biofuel production, that are currently impacting food and nutrition security, and that will likely contribute to future effects. The paper concludes with a series of policy proposals and recommendations to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate and global environmental change placing human rights in the centre of decision making. These proposals include a number of options for improving sustainability and food and nutrition security while addressing the links between climate change and bioenergy demand.     

Grain reserves and food security in the Middle East and North Africa

Aggregate stocks of major grains declined to minimal feasible levels in 2007–2008, due to high global income growth and biofuel mandates. Given these minimal stocks, prices were very sensitive to shocks, such as the Australian drought, and biofuel demand boosts due to the oil price spike. The effects of these shocks were magnified by a sequence of trade restrictions by key exporters to protect vulnerable consumers. Beginning in the ‘thin’ global rice market in the fall of 2007, these turned market anxiety into panic. Recognizing the unreliability of imports, vulnerable countries, including some in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), are now considering investing in strategic reserves, pursuing self sufficiency and acquiring foreign land to ensure grain supplies for domestic consumption. The associated expense and negative incentive effects on national reserves may be acceptable if they have quantitative targets related to the needs of the most vulnerable, for distribution only in emergencies. In many MENA countries, heavy subsidies on grain consumption for both rich and poor reduce the stabilizing response of consumption to price, and increase reserves needed to ensure food security. Accumulation of stocks is a more efficient strategy than pursuit of self-sufficiency in most MENA countries, as they have no comparative advantage in expanding agriculture, given restricted water supplies. Acquisition of foreign lands leaves food supplies exposed to sovereign risk and other supply chain problems beyond importers’ control. MENA countries could cooperate and so smooth much of the risk posed by fluctuations in their own harvests.     

Construction of a solar drying unit suitable for conservation of food and enhancement of food security in West Africa

Drying is a widely used technique in sub-Saharan Africa which allows food conservation, weight reduction and added value for some products. However, the technique is quite complex, making the rational concept of drying devices challenging. A rational method for the design and the construction of a fruit and vegetable solar dryer is presented. A prototype was designed and constructed at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium) to test the concept and was found to be capable of drying more than 40 kg of fresh tomatoes in 10 h. A second prototype was constructed in Bandiagara (Mali) by both local craftsmen and students from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, using local materials. Speed of drying and prevention of food spoilage was far superior to that of traditional solar dryers. Based on these prototypes, a dryer industry is being constructed in Bandiagara in order to increase food self-sufficiency.     

Moving from traditional government to new adaptive governance: the changing face of food security responses in South Africa

The food system faces increasing pressure from dynamic and interactive, environmental, political and socio-economic stressors. Tackling the complexity that arises from such interactions requires a new form of 'adaptive governance'. This paper provides a review of various conceptions of governance from a monocentric or politicotechnical understanding of governance through to adaptive governance that is based in complex adaptive systems theory. The review is grounded by a critique of the existing institutional structures responsible for food security in South Africa. The current Integrated Food Security Strategy and tasked governmental departments are not sufficiently flexible or coordinated to deal with an issue as multi-scalar and multidisciplinary as food security. However, actions taken in the non-governmental sector signal the emergence of a new type of governance. Apart from an increasing recognition of food security as an issue of concern in the country, there is also evidence of a changing governance structure including collaboration between diverse stakeholders. We review these governance trends with an understanding of the food system as a complex adaptive socio-ecological system where actors in the food system self-organize into more flexible networks that can better adapt to uncertain pressures.     

Genomic technologies for food security: A review of challenges and opportunities in Southern Africa

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region includes 15 member states which all face growing population numbers and a possible protein shortage within the next 20 years. Although these countries have a wealth of livestock genetic resources and mostly are quite agriculturally dependent, there exist clear limitations and challenges regarding animal recording, genetic improvement, production efficiency and the implementation of new technologies, such as genomic selection (GS). Genomic selection incorporates genomic information with phenotypic information (breeding values) to derive genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) and leads to an increased rate of genetic improvement. The countries within the SADC region are in several stages of development with regard to agriculture and infrastructural development and this limits the implementation of advanced technologies. The establishing of reference populations seems beyond the capacity of most of these countries at present, mainly in terms of financial viability, infrastructural support and national cohesion. Genomic technology however holds potential for the introgression of favourable genes in resource-poor livestock production systems and traceability of livestock products. Furthermore, identification of traits associated with adaptability and disease resistance and unique products would contribute to food security on various levels. This review discusses interventions that may mitigate constraints, and proposes key research areas needed for addressing the limitations mentioned.     

Antifungal activities of anthocyanins from purple sweet potato in the presence of food preservatives

Food Science and Biotechnology - Effects of anthocyanins from purple sweet potato (APSP) against the fungal growth of Geotrichum candidum and Candida albicans were assessed. Response surface...