Abstract:
This article discusses the impact of the Integrated Food and Nutrition
Programme (IFNP) in light of collaborative partnerships for poverty reduction in
a developing municipal area in South Africa. The programme aimed to develop
home, community and school food gardens to meet the daily nutritional needs
of poor households and the process was then to be broadened into marketing
surplus garden produce, providing employment and income-generating
opportunities. The programme thus aimed to address more than just basic food
and nutrition. The purpose of the research was to obtain data through
participant observation, focus group discussions and extended household
interviews. Drawing on the qualitative interviews conducted with the
beneficiaries of the IFNP, the article describes the manner in which poverty can
continue to entrench the social exclusion of the poor (despite a specific policy
intervention to improve their circumstances) when appropriate stakeholder
collaboration is not fully developed and harnessed. The research
recommendations include improving weak institutional environments, which may hinder effective service delivery, identifying appropriate skills development
for the poor, ensuring community involvement in policy processes, maintaining
efficient communication in collaborative partnerships, and maintaining
personnel training on policy development and in project management skills.
