Honourable Members of the House
Members of the Portfolio Committee
Ladies and gentlemen

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa proclaims that citizens have a right to access to sufficient food and water.  Since the adoption of the Constitution, our country has implemented a number of programmes aimed at achieving food security for all.  For a number of reasons, however, we still cannot claim to have achieved our goal as a large number of households have an insecure supply of food.

Ladies and gentlemen, you may ask yourselves why a debate on food production is necessary. This is because you cannot address food security without taking aim at food production, particularly in a country like ours where the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment confront us everyday.

While food prices have generally increased, it remains an anomaly that a basket of basic foodstuffs in rural areas is more expensive than in urban areas. This is despite the fact that the burden of joblessness, inequality and poverty is even more pronounced in rural areas.

South Africa, as a country, is food secure. In fact we are a net exporter of food – this situation is good, but it must also be protected and we cannot be complacent. Climate change and loss of agricultural land to other priorities makes us always vulnerable to sudden changes in the situation. We are also vulnerable to international fluctuations, as the drought in the US has shown us. We are okay for now, but we must be vigilant about our national food security.

Our real problem is what we call household food security, making sure that every individual, in every household, is food secure, and has a predictable supply of enough food. Up to 10 million South Africans are vulnerable to food insecurity – where a small change in circumstances can bring about hunger. Malnutrition and stunting of children is still prevalent, especially in the rural areas, where hunger is a daily experience.

This is where many of our systems have gone wrong: we are over-dependent on markets and retailers for our food needs, and when these fail us we see food insecurity. When food is dumped we must ask why, and be thankful that there are organisations like Foodbank SA who can rescue it for those who need it. When prices rocket because food is transported long distances, and even held hostage to violent labour action, we all suffer, but the poor suffer the most because they spend the highest proportion of their small income on basic foodstuffs.

We produce enough food, but it does not always get to where it is needed, or at a price that can be afforded by those who are unemployed or on social grants. And that is where government and communities need to come together to make a difference.

Food production schemes – from the smallest backyard lot, to school and community gardens, as well as co-operative production schemes, have to be our major response the challenges of household food security. And I am glad to say that we have seen some remarkable successes, with ample evidence of the effectiveness of such schemes. They are effective in terms of growing food, which is the first priority, but also effective in creating work and even local markets. Poverty and inequality are addressed through better nutrition and use of income, and the country gains as a result.

In fact we should not really need a debate on the effectiveness of such schemes, since they have been shown to work the world over, especially in the developing world. But I nevertheless thank the honourable chair of the portfolio committee for requesting it, which gives us an opportunity to share some of the successes of the department.

Hunger and malnutrition in South Africa stem from insufficient, unstable food supplies at the household level. The majority of producers in the former homelands are unable to feed their families from their narrow production base. They rely on non-farm income to meet most of their household needs. These producers are vulnerable to non-catastrophic events such as seasonal, climatic variation which may push them on the brink of a food crisis.

Government assistance is often a major source of income for many of these households, given the high level of rural unemployment and dwindling migrant income transfers. For smallholder farmers, the government and private retailers should implement a preferential procurement system. Access to land, finance and markets and entrepreneurial spirit are the cornerstone of every successful farming enterprise. Community led cooperatives with government and private sector support will create sustainable food production hubs.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not about theory or vague ideals. These interventions are happening, and they are being driven by our department. Cooperatives such as the “Masibuyele emasimini” scheme in Mpumalanga, the Massive food production scheme in the Eastern Cape and the “One home, one garden” scheme in KwaZulu-Natal are just some examples of our interventions. Ilima/Letsema has provided implements for food production through the supply of starter packs.

I thank you!