The implementation of the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy in South Africa : strategies for multisectoral coordination

Abstract

In South Africa, the right to access to adequate food is entrenched in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The government of South Africa has committed itself to promote and protect the right to access to adequate food, and to directly afford this right to people who are unable to enjoy it for reasons they cannot control. Access to adequate food is one of the pillars of food security, interrelated with food availability, food utilisation and stability of food supply. The approval of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition Security and the Household Food and Nutrition Security Strategy in 2013 by the cabinet indicates a commitment by government to promote the eradication of hunger and the achievement of food security. There is however fragmentation in the current and proposed institutional arrangements applicable to food security in the Policy and the Strategy. This article advocates for a coordinated approach in the implementation of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition Security, as the guiding framework for maximising synergy between government departments and civil society. The article recommends strategies to promote the coordination and collaboration of the various government departments that are responsible for implementing programmes that have an impact on the four pillars of food security.