New insights on food and nutrition security presented at research forum
DATE: 18 February 2020
United Nations photo gallery
A team of HSRC researchers recently presented emerging findings from an ongoing project titled, “A comprehensive status report on population, food and nutrition security and sustainable development in South Africa” at a Research Forum of the Department of Social Development (DSD). The event, which is a bi-annual meeting of researchers from the National Population Unit and Provincial Population Units of the DSD, took place on 29 – 31 January 2020 in Cape Town. The HSRC team comprised researchers from the Rural Socio-Economic Transitions (RSET) team in the EPD as well as researchers from RIA and SAPH.
This interim analysis provides new insights into the food and nutrition security (FNS) status of different demographic groups in South Africa. The final report will be the basis for a report of the South African delegation to the upcoming 53rd UN Commission on Population and Development (UN CPD) meeting in April 2020. The report will therefore provide a fundamental basis for South Africa’s Country Statement to the UN CPD, which will assist the latter in monitoring, reviewing and assessing global progress towards key issues like climate change, water and food security.
The HSRC presentation shed light on four overarching themes: Global and South African FNS policy landscapes, nutritional health, the interaction between climate change and FNS in South Africa, and the FNS indicators in South Africa across key demographic groups. A prominent crosscutter of this study examines the nutritional status of under-five children, children within the first 1,000 days of life and female-headed households.