Food security remains big problem in South Africa: statistics

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Food security remains big problem in South Africa: statistics

CAPE TOWN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Although South Africa is maintaining its ability to meet national food requirements, large scale inequality and poverty mean that many households do not enjoy food security or adequate access to food, Statistics South Africa said on Thursday.

The bureau pointed to large declines in the vulnerability to hunger of South African households over the past decade, from 23.8 percent in 2002 to 11.5 percent in 2011.

However, a large percentage of households -- 21.1 percent -- continued to experience difficulty to access food, the bureau said in its latest General Household Survey.

Inadequate access to food is particularly high in North West Province (32.9 percent) and Northern Cape (29.7 percent).

"A number of households live in a state of chronic poverty thus increasing their vulnerability to hunger and food insecurity, " the bureau said.

Part of the problem can be attributed to urbanization and declining agrarian activities in significant parts of the country, including the subsistence sector, which has transformed the South African economy into a wage economy in which most households are net consumers of purchased food, rather than producers thereof, said the bureau.

"Access to food has thus become a function of household cash income and thus cash deficit households are more likely to experience inadequate access to food," the bureau said.

While almost two thirds (62.6 percent) of South African households receive salaries or wages, it is disconcerting to note that 44.8 percent of households are poor enough to receive social grants, the survey found.

"Households headed by black Africans and those headed by females remain most vulnerable to hunger and inadequate access to food," the bureau said.

As signatory to the UN Millennium Development Goals, South Africa has committed itself to achieve the goals and targets set out in the document, including halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015.

The eradication of hunger and poverty is a particularly important development objective as good nutrition is vital for improved health and human capital outcomes, the bureau noted. Enditem

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