The South African Constitution guarantees everyone the right to access sufficient food and basic nutrition, and the country has a highly productive agricultural sector. However, food insecurity remains a persistent reality for millions of South Africans. The country's agricultural sector is diverse and a net exporter, but many households struggle with food affordability. In 2022, South Africa was ranked the most food-secure country in sub-Saharan Africa.
The core issue of food insecurity in South Africa is not the availability of food, but rather access to it. Chronic unemployment and economic inequalities exacerbate this issue, which is also linked to historically skewed patterns of productive land ownership and the ailing land reform process. The Pan African Parliament adopted the Model Law on Food and Nutrition Security in Africa in 2022, which guides African states in developing legislative frameworks to safeguard food security.
South Africa has adopted various policies to ensure food security, including the National Food and Nutrition Security Plan 2018-2023. This plan recognizes that food security extends beyond agricultural production and includes nutrition, healthcare, social protection, and economic participation. The plan also identifies the land reform process as an issue that requires attention. However, the implementation of this plan has failed, and a new plan is currently being developed.
The South African Constitution commits the country to the process of land reform aimed at undoing past injustices of land dispossession. The land reform process presents an opportunity to safeguard the country's food systems by making available productive land to more people, who can use it for agricultural production. This can help diversify the currently concentrated sector. Existing government programs, such as the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme (Casp), provide agricultural support services and development targeted at land reform beneficiaries and other black producers.
However, the effectiveness of land reform programs has been hindered by issues plaguing land-holding entities such as Communal Property Associations (CPAs). CPAs are often plagued by governance disputes, administrative failures, inadequate institutional support, and capacity constraints, which have undermined the productive use of resituated land. Resolving CPA governance challenges, strengthening post-settlement support, and accelerating the finalization of land claims could contribute significantly towards a more equitable and resilient food system.
Another mechanism for land redistribution is the Expropriation Act, which permits expropriation of land for a public purpose or in the public interest. Food security and agrarian reform can be considered issues falling within the categories of "public purpose" or "public interest". The state could arguably expropriate unutilized or abandoned land for redistribution to willing and capable parties who can use it to support the country's food production.
Solving South Africa's food insecurity issue requires a multi-modal approach that combines effective and accelerated land reform, strengthened CPAs, and the strategic use of expropriation powers. This can provide a more effective pathway towards both food security and food sovereignty, which contemplates far-reaching control over the country's food systems. With the right approach, South Africa has the potential to move closer to fulfilling the constitutional promise that no person should go hungry in a country capable of feeding itself.
Key points
- The ailing land reform process and skewed land ownership patterns are major contributors to food insecurity in South Africa.
- Effective and accelerated land reform, strengthened CPAs, and strategic use of expropriation powers are necessary for a more equitable and resilient food system.
- A multi-modal approach is required to solve South Africa's food insecurity issue and move towards food sovereignty.
