bility to secure employment or to generate income. Poor households are also typically characterised by few income-earners and many dependents, and are particularly vulnerable to economic shocks.
Severe inadequate access to food is mostly found among households with more than eight household members. According to the report, just under a third (29,6%) of households that comprised more than three children reported that food access was inadequate. This proportion is almost twice the national average. Households with no children or fewer children were more likely to have adequate access to food than those with many children.
Child hunger was still a challenge in South Africa. More than half a million households with children aged five years or younger experienced hunger in 2017. Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal had the highest proportion of households that experienced hunger. According to the report, more than half of households with young children that experienced hunger were in urban areas.
The involvement of households in agricultural activities for subsistence farming can play an important role in reducing the vulnerability to hunger of rural and urban food-insecure households. The results show that out of 16,2 million households, about 2,5 million households (15,6%) were involved in agricultural activities in South Africa in 2017. Provinces that are predominantly rural and with high levels of poverty such as Limpopo (25%), Eastern Cape (20%) and KwaZulu-Natal (20%) had the highest proportions of households that relied on agricultural activities to supply their own food. Most households involved in agricultural activities were involved in the production of fruits and vegetables, grain and other food crops, as well as in livestock and poultry farming. Although the main source of income for these households was social grants, most households involved in agricultural activities indicated that the main reason for their involvement is to supplement food for the household.
While food inadequacy and hunger remain a challenge, South Africa has made significant progress towards reducing the number of South Africans and the proportion of households who experienced hunger in 2002.
For more information on food security in South Africa, download the full report here.