Promoting food security through indigenous and traditional food crops

South Africa - 21 November 2017

Despite many factors weighing in South Africa’s favour on the agricultural front, including having official ‘food secure’ status, millions of households have insufficient access to nutritionally safe food. This is largely a function of poverty, which is particularly pervasive in the rural areas. While the government’s largely unsuccessful agricultural development programmes have focused on large-scale commercial crops, such as wheat and maize, indigenous and traditional food crops could also play a significant role. In this paper, multiple criteria analysis was used to identify indigenous and traditional food crops that have the greatest potential to enhance food security in South Africa. The different indigenous and traditional food crop options were ranked according to set criteria which were derived from the definition of food security, as adopted in the paper. Accessibility, affordability and nutrition formed the basis of the definition and subsequently the criteria used to rank the alternatives. Results from the analysis revealed that sorghum, sweet potatoes and amaranth are among the indigenous and traditional food crops with the greatest potential.

Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21683565.2016.1159642

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