Contesting the food system in South Africa: Issues and opportunities
Abstract
Rising food prices have become a growing concern
globally and in southern Africa. In South
Africa, where food availability is not an issue
at present, the response has been to try to improve
access to food, mostly through the provision
of grants and food aid (e.g. school feeding
schemes). There is a lesser emphasis on widening
the base of food production, since the dominant
idea is that the existing system is able to meet
food needs. This report widens the debate about
food production and distribution in South Africa
to consider some of the entrenched power dynamics
that shape the way these happen, and to
consider whether a more radical transformation
of the agro-food system is required to ensure adequate
access to food for all.