NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 395
DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2011 [IQP No 29 -2011] SECOND
SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT
Question 395 for written reply: National Council of Provinces, Mr K A
Sinclair (COPE NC) to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries:
Whether her department has any (a) preventative measures and (b) early
warning systems in place to (i) ensure food security and (ii) prevent
famine that is being experienced in the Horn of Africa from affecting South
Africa; if not, why not; if so, (aa) what measures and (bb) what are the
relevant details? CW494E
(A) DOES THE DEPARTMENT HAVE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY
⢠The department has preventative measures to ensure food security
which include vulnerability information systems which are fundamental
for planning, decision making and monitoring food security
programmes. They are as follows:
(A A) MEASURES TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY:
1) The Food Security and Nutrition Programme
This programme is guided by the Integrated Food Security Strategy. The
stratergy was approved by cabinet in 2002. The vision of the Integrated
Food Security Strategy is to attain universal physical, social and economic
access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food by all South African at all
times to meet their dietary and food preferences for an active and healthy
life. This statement is also a definition of food security by the Food and
Agricultural Organisation of the United Nation (FAO).
Its goal is to eradicate hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity. And its
strategic objectives are to:
a) Increase household food production and trading;
b) Improve income generation and job creation opportunities;
c) Improve nutrition and food safety;
d) Increase safety nets and food emergency management systems;
e) Improve analysis and information management system;
f) Provide capacity building;
g) Hold stakeholder dialogue.
2) Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP)
Its objective is to enhance national and household food security through
the provision of a once off grant for operational and or maintenance of
food security projects.
3) Zero Hunger Campaign
The zero hunger programme is aimed to combat hunger and its structural
causes, which continues to perpetuate inequality and social exclusion. It
is aimed at more than just creating food secure for all in the country but
also put an end to hunger.
The zero hunger approach from a South African context is a strategy that is
aimed to guarantee the basic human right of access to adequate food.
Through this programme South Africa will contribute towards the Millennium
Development Goal (MDGs), impacting not only on hunger and poverty but also
on goals related to health and education.
The major programmes in terms of areas of investment, number of
beneficiaries and visibility, consist of:
- Programmes for Household (family) Agriculture: Programme aims to
support the small scale farming through utilising existing space in schools
and communities to create family cooperatives which will receive technical
support from department of agriculture and rural development. At the same
time link it to a food procurement programme.
- Food Procurement Programme: It promotes the purchase of food from
Household small-scale farmers for local distribution to institution
such as schools, hospitals, crèches, social institutions and Foodbank.
This will be part of income generation through preferential
procurement from cooperative facilitated by Department of Economic
Develoment. Ordinary household upon being profiled to determine their
poverty status shall qualify to receive discount vouchers to purchase
vegetables at a discounted price, thus ensuring healthy and nutritious
food for all.
- Community Nutrition Kitchens (popular restaurant): These are publicly
run operations that provide healthy meals to poor people and are run
with a high level of community involvement. They are implemented
primarily in development centers, which are mainly based in poor areas
and target poor families, undernourished children, children,
unemployed, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations. Most
unemployed beneficiaries will be profiled as and when they come to
have a discounted meal in the popular restaurant, link them to skills
development opportunities, as well exciting them to economic
opportunities.
B. WHETHER THE DEPARTMENT HAS EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO PREVENT
FAMINE
The department does have early warning systems in place which are:
A) Food Security Bulletin (Report)
B) South African Vulnerability Assessment Committee (SAVAC)
A). Food Security Bulletin
In collaboration with various institutions and organization within the
country, the Department uses agricultural economic and statistical analysis
as well as the crop estimates and monthly food price monitoring tools to
produce monthly Food Security Bulletin which provides early warning
systems.
These Institutions and organizations are: Grain South Africa (GrainSA) ,
The South African Grain Information Service (SAGIS) ,UT Grain Management
(Pty) Ltd ,Grain South Africa (GrainSA) ,National Agricultural Marketing
Council , National Chamber of Milling (NCM), South African Agricultural
Machinery Association (SAAMA) , South African National Seed Organisation
(SANSOR) to produce reports and updates on the Food Security situation .
B) South African Vulnerability Assessment Committee (SAVAC)
The Department in partnership with SADC has established a multi-sectoral
structure called the South African Vulnerability Assessment Committee
(SAVAC). Its objective is to strengthen vulnerability and livelihood
analysis in South Africa by addressing food security issues, facilitate
information gathering and analysis on food security and monitoring food
security programmes and interventions. Currently SAVAC is conducting a
South African livelihood zoning and mapping exercise which will be followed
by food security baseline. Livelihood Zoning helps improve the
understanding of populationsâ spatial options and constraints for peopleâs
livelihoods, thus improving the understanding of peopleâs risks and level
of their vulnerability to different hazards/shocks as a contribution to
food insecurity and vulnerability analysis in South Africa.
C). Agriculture disaster and risk management
The agriculture disaster risk management generates early warning
information on natural disasters in the agriculture sector. Through the
national agro-meteorological committee, monthly advisories on the crop and
livestock conditions warning farmers on any impending likely to cause
disaster are issued.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, South Africa, is not threatened by famine, however, the
challenge is the current climatic conditions, for an example, inadequate
rainfall may result in low yields in the country's maize, wheat, sunflower,
sorghum and soya crops which can have a serious impact beyond its borders,
since it is the main food exporter to the rest of the region.