South Africa's National Development Plan and New Growth Path : reflections on policy contradictions and implications for food security

Abstract

Almost two decades after South Africa’s political transformation, the country’s food security context demands serious attention amidst excessively high unemployment and depressed economic growth. Although food insecurity at household and individual levels is unacceptably high in South Africa, the nation has for decades reported its aggregate national position as “food secure”. This paper examines the purpose and proposals presented in the National Development Plan and New Growth Path Framework against the development requirements of sustainability, productivity and efficiency, reflects on the implications of the proposals on the right to food, and makes recommendations for the design of a comprehensive national food security policy.