The Right to Food is enshrined within the South African Constitution. However, despit... more The Right to Food is enshrined within the South African Constitution. However, despite there being sufficient food available within the country, this right is not being met. Both nationally and within the City of Cape Town there are high levels of household food insecurity. The nature of food insecurity is changing. Food insecure households continue to be malnourished in terms of essential nutrients for health and development, but they are also now characterised by increasing obesity, diabetes and hypertension. This shifting pathology necessitates a shift in thinking about food security and its causes. It can no longer be viewed solely, or even primarily, simply as a manifestation of household poverty. It must be viewed in the context of the wider food system, and other interconnected systems.
The Terms of Reference for this study identify the challenge of food insecurity in the following manner: “Food security or the lack thereof is the outcome of complex and multi7dimensional factors comprising a food system. Therefore, food insecurity is the result of failures or inefficiencies in one or more dimensions of the food system. This necessitates a holistic analysis of the food system that than can provide insights into the various components of the system, especially in our context as a developing world city. That analysis must also take note of the constitutional mandates of the tiers of government in South Africa, such as the legal mandate for food security that rests with the national government, in conjunction with various provincial departments. Local government, however, needs to understand food systems so as to make evidence7based planning and policy decisions that will have long7 term impacts on their areas.” In order to generate the evidence base to enable the City to make planning and policy decisions that will impact food insecurity the following questions were asked,: (a) What are the components of Cape Town’s food system? How effective is it? What are the points of weakness in the systems? What interventions would be needed to achieve and sustain effective food systems in the city? What are the key threats to the system in the future and what mitigation strategies are needed? (b) What is the status of food security in the city? Which instruments should be used to measure food security and what are the appropriate indicators? Where are the food vulnerable residents located? What are their coping strategies? (c) What are the areas within the city’s boundaries that contribute towards the food systems and food security in Cape Town? How do you quantify their roles as production centres for food? How significant are they for food security in the city? (d) Who are all the role7players in the field of food security in Cape Town – whose roles are enshrined in official mandates and whose are more voluntary – to inform what role the Council would play, i.e. what should the Council’s response be to food insecurity? This report addresses these questions and provides a set of recommendations based on its findings and from applicable lessons from around the globe.
The Right to Food is enshrined within the South African Constitution. However, despit... more The Right to Food is enshrined within the South African Constitution. However, despite there being sufficient food available within the country, this right is not being met. Both nationally and within the City of Cape Town there are high levels of household food insecurity. The nature of food insecurity is changing. Food insecure households continue to be malnourished in terms of essential nutrients for health and development, but they are also now characterised by increasing obesity, diabetes and hypertension. This shifting pathology necessitates a shift in thinking about food security and its causes. It can no longer be viewed solely, or even primarily, simply as a manifestation of household poverty. It must be viewed in the context of the wider food system, and other interconnected systems.
The Terms of Reference for this study identify the challenge of food insecurity in the following manner: “Food security or the lack thereof is the outcome of complex and multi7dimensional factors comprising a food system. Therefore, food insecurity is the result of failures or inefficiencies in one or more dimensions of the food system. This necessitates a holistic analysis of the food system that than can provide insights into the various components of the system, especially in our context as a developing world city. That analysis must also take note of the constitutional mandates of the tiers of government in South Africa, such as the legal mandate for food security that rests with the national government, in conjunction with various provincial departments. Local government, however, needs to understand food systems so as to make evidence7based planning and policy decisions that will have long7 term impacts on their areas.” In order to generate the evidence base to enable the City to make planning and policy decisions that will impact food insecurity the following questions were asked,: (a) What are the components of Cape Town’s food system? How effective is it? What are the points of weakness in the systems? What interventions would be needed to achieve and sustain effective food systems in the city? What are the key threats to the system in the future and what mitigation strategies are needed? (b) What is the status of food security in the city? Which instruments should be used to measure food security and what are the appropriate indicators? Where are the food vulnerable residents located? What are their coping strategies? (c) What are the areas within the city’s boundaries that contribute towards the food systems and food security in Cape Town? How do you quantify their roles as production centres for food? How significant are they for food security in the city? (d) Who are all the role7players in the field of food security in Cape Town – whose roles are enshrined in official mandates and whose are more voluntary – to inform what role the Council would play, i.e. what should the Council’s response be to food insecurity? This report addresses these questions and provides a set of recommendations based on its findings and from applicable lessons from around the globe.
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The nature of food insecurity is changing. Food insecure households continue to be malnourished in terms of essential nutrients for health and development, but they are also now characterised by increasing obesity, diabetes and hypertension. This shifting pathology necessitates a shift in thinking about food security and its causes. It can no longer be viewed solely, or even primarily, simply as a manifestation of household poverty. It must be viewed in the context of the wider food system, and other interconnected systems.
The Terms of Reference for this study identify the challenge of food insecurity in the following manner:
“Food security or the lack thereof is the outcome of complex and multi7dimensional factors comprising a food system. Therefore, food insecurity is the result of failures or inefficiencies in one or more dimensions of the food system. This necessitates a holistic analysis of the food system that than can provide insights into the various components of the system, especially in our context as a developing world city. That analysis must also take note of the constitutional mandates of the tiers of government in South Africa, such as the legal mandate for food security that rests with the national government, in conjunction with various provincial departments. Local government, however, needs to understand food systems so as to make evidence7based planning and policy decisions that will have long7 term impacts on their areas.”
In order to generate the evidence base to enable the City to make planning and policy decisions that will impact food insecurity the following questions were asked,:
(a) What are the components of Cape Town’s food system? How effective is it? What are the points of weakness in the systems? What interventions would be needed to achieve and sustain effective food systems in the city? What are the key threats to the system in the future and what mitigation strategies are needed?
(b) What is the status of food security in the city? Which instruments should be used to measure food security and what are the appropriate indicators? Where are the food vulnerable residents located? What are their coping strategies?
(c) What are the areas within the city’s boundaries that contribute towards the food systems and food security in Cape Town? How do you quantify their roles as production centres for food? How significant are they for food security in the city?
(d) Who are all the role7players in the field of food security in Cape Town – whose roles are enshrined in official mandates and whose are more voluntary – to inform what role the Council would play, i.e. what should the Council’s response be to food insecurity?
This report addresses these questions and provides a set of recommendations based on its findings and from applicable lessons from around the globe.
The nature of food insecurity is changing. Food insecure households continue to be malnourished in terms of essential nutrients for health and development, but they are also now characterised by increasing obesity, diabetes and hypertension. This shifting pathology necessitates a shift in thinking about food security and its causes. It can no longer be viewed solely, or even primarily, simply as a manifestation of household poverty. It must be viewed in the context of the wider food system, and other interconnected systems.
The Terms of Reference for this study identify the challenge of food insecurity in the following manner:
“Food security or the lack thereof is the outcome of complex and multi7dimensional factors comprising a food system. Therefore, food insecurity is the result of failures or inefficiencies in one or more dimensions of the food system. This necessitates a holistic analysis of the food system that than can provide insights into the various components of the system, especially in our context as a developing world city. That analysis must also take note of the constitutional mandates of the tiers of government in South Africa, such as the legal mandate for food security that rests with the national government, in conjunction with various provincial departments. Local government, however, needs to understand food systems so as to make evidence7based planning and policy decisions that will have long7 term impacts on their areas.”
In order to generate the evidence base to enable the City to make planning and policy decisions that will impact food insecurity the following questions were asked,:
(a) What are the components of Cape Town’s food system? How effective is it? What are the points of weakness in the systems? What interventions would be needed to achieve and sustain effective food systems in the city? What are the key threats to the system in the future and what mitigation strategies are needed?
(b) What is the status of food security in the city? Which instruments should be used to measure food security and what are the appropriate indicators? Where are the food vulnerable residents located? What are their coping strategies?
(c) What are the areas within the city’s boundaries that contribute towards the food systems and food security in Cape Town? How do you quantify their roles as production centres for food? How significant are they for food security in the city?
(d) Who are all the role7players in the field of food security in Cape Town – whose roles are enshrined in official mandates and whose are more voluntary – to inform what role the Council would play, i.e. what should the Council’s response be to food insecurity?
This report addresses these questions and provides a set of recommendations based on its findings and from applicable lessons from around the globe.