Patterns and trends in household food security in rural Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Date
2024-02-05
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Abstract
This study examines patterns and trends in household food security in Bushbuckridge,
Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, from 2010 to 2019. We use data from a household panel
nested in the Agincourt Health and Socio- Demographic Surveillance System. Findings indicate
that there have been improvements in household food security in this rural setting over the
last decade. By polychoric principal component analysis, an aggregate food security index
was constructed and we observed a small, yet important, proportion of households (7.8 %)
that remained chronically food insecure. An ordered probit model was used to estimate the
determinants of food security. Findings reveal that the observed differences in household food
security status are as a result of differences in socioeconomic status. We therefore recommend that
focus must be placed on identifying economic opportunities and empowering the chronically food
insecure households if universal household food security is to be attained in rural South Africa and
beyond.
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Keywords
Food availability; Dietary diversity; Food access; Food security; Rural households