Household food insecurity is widespread in South Africa, and it is most harshly felt in rural areas. Nearly 19% of households have poor diets, and a further 23% are on the borderline. Cheap, ultra-processed foods may temporarily blunt hunger, but they lack the protein, vitamins, and minerals people need to maintain good health.
To tackle this, we need to make fresh produce more accessible and affordable in poorer communities where it’s needed most. The problem is that smallholder farmers in these areas face a raft of challenges that include a lack of access to financial resources to fund their operations, few training and mentorship opportunities, and no-one to walk the journey with them from production to accessing local markets.
Civil society organisations are finding ways to overcome these barriers with an approach to farming that is good for people and the environment known as agroecology. And the results are positive.
New research on small-scale farming operations
To better understand the factors that have enabled successful agroecology projects, DGMT commissioned research into various small-scale farming initiatives spearheaded by NGOs.
The report looked at four areas: value chains for seeds and seedlings; how local markets work for smallholder farmers and what drives market access; how biodiversity practices can complement production; and whether the production of protein-rich foods like eggs and beans can be decentralised to improve the nutrition of households in poorer areas.
“What we have learnt from civil society organisations implementing agroecology practices is that with the right enabling factors, we can reduce hunger, create livelihoods and restore local ecosystems,” says Busisiwe Kabane-Bailey, Innovation Director at DGMT.
“The findings show that farmers succeed when they can reliably access seedlings and compost, receive regular mentoring, connect to trusted quality assurance and find markets close to home,” Kabane-Bailey explains.
Evidence from civil society organisations operating in KwaZulu-Natal shows what is possible when the enabling factors are in place. One of these organisations, Thanda, which works to improve nutrition at an individual, household and neighbourhood level, is plugged into a network of smallholder farmers able to retain 85% of their vegetable produce within the community. This is significant because fresh produce is available to local households and schools, and smallholders are able to sell locally. They do this through an Agri-Hub, a local support centre for smallholders, bringing together things they need in one place, like structured access to seedlings, compost, on-farm mentoring and simple planning tools, as well as access to markets.
Another civil society organisation, SaveAct, promotes saving in poorer communities across the country through savings groups with over 110 000 members, most of whom are women. These women use the money in the savings groups for their small-scale farming operations — to buy seeds, compost or tools. Their produce is then sold and consumed in their communities.
“These examples show that agroecology works when communities have the means to finance their operations, are supported with mentorship and can access local markets,” says Kabane-Bailey.
What needs to happen now
The core enablers are straightforward:
- Inputs such as seedlings, compost and bio-inputs need to be affordable and available locally.
- Mentorship must be practical and ongoing. This means that mentorship needs to include regular on-farm accompaniment, not just once-off training, that helps farms to plan their production for local buyers.
- Programmes like the National School Nutrition Programme can anchor demand for produce if they prioritise district-level supply chains, sourcing from smallholders close to schools and ECD centres.
- And, some form of community finance, like savings groups, is needed to fund farming operations.
Overall, we need the right regulatory environment. This is why the government must finalise the Agroecology Framework, protect farmers’ rights to save and exchange seeds, and make room for district-level food systems that link local growers to schools and ECD centres.
