1. Horticultural Research & Practice for
Improved Nutritional & Food Security
in Southern Africa
Stephanie Midgley & Martin de Wit
Combined Congress 22 January 2013 Durban

2. Structure
1. Dimensions and drivers of food & nutritional insecurity
2. Fruit consumption and food insecurity in Southern Africa
3. Growing cities – hungry cities
4. A flawed food system
5. Opportunities for horticultural science research & practice
6. Finding solutions: an integrated systems approach
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3. Food % Nutritional Security and Undernourishment
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have
physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active and healthy life
World Food Summit, 1996
Undernourishment exists when caloric intake is below the
minimum dietary energy requirement.
FAO/World Food Programme, 2009
Nutritional security refers to adequate nutritional status in
terms of protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals for all
household members at all times.
Int Food Policy Res Inst, 1995
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4. Dimensions of Food Security
• Availability
 The availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality,
supplied through domestic production or imports.
• Access
 Access by individuals to adequate resources for acquiring appropriate
food for a nutritious diet. (Covers legal, political, economic and social
arrangements of a community)
• Utilization
 Utilization of food through adequate diet, clean water, sanitation and
health care to reach a state of nutritional well-being where all
physiological needs are met. (NB non-food inputs)
• Stability
 To be food secure, a population, household or individual must have
access to adequate food at all times. They should not risk losing
access to food as a consequence of sudden shocks or cyclical events.
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5. Drivers of Food Insecurity in Southern Africa
• Lack of own production
• Erratic local food prices
• Weak integration of food markets
• Poverty: national income growth does not benefit the poor
• Climatic hazards
• Competing land use
• Social instability: diseases incl. HIV/AIDS, population changes
• Political instability
• Deteriorating land resources and water quality
• Lack of investment and failure of agricultural policies
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6. Drivers of Food Insecurity at different scales
• Food supply (production, reserves, import)
National • Nutritious food supply
• Climate, land degradation, land policy, oil price
• Location: access to food
• Culture/social norms: knowledge, attitude, practice
Community • Food preferences
• Income and education level
• Location & household size
• Stability: access at all times
Household • Food quality and variety
• Care practices
• Energy intake
Individual • Nutrient intake
• Health status
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7. Dietary and nutritional transitions
• Global shifts in dietary and nutritional patterns
• Drivers: population growth, urbanization, women in employment,
changing food preferences, food industry (production and
marketing), agricultural & trade policies
• Quantity: “Expansion phase”: increased calories from cheaper foods
• Quality: “Substitution phase”: shift from cereals, pulses, roots &
tubers to vegetable oils, meat, dairy, sugar, salt
• Worldwide, fruit consumption per person is increasing, but not in
Southern Africa – WHY?
• Considerable health consequences: child development, obesity,
diabetes, non-communicable diseases, etc
• Considerable environmental consequences: carbon, water, etc
• Failure to identify and act on linkages between agriculture, human
health (and other social factors) and the environment
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8. Dietary deficiencies…
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9. Fruit intake requirements
Fruits and vegetables: > 400 g/person/day
WHO Expert Committee,
Fruits: >200 g/person/day WHO/FAO 2003
Fruit defined as: plantains, bananas, orange, lemons and limes, grapefruit and pomelos, tangerines,
mandarins, clementines, satsumas, other citrus fruit, melons, watermelons, apples, apricots, avocados,
cherries, figs, grapes, mangoes, papaya, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapples, plums, quinces,
blueberries, cranberries, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, other fruits (fresh), dates, figs
(dried), prunes, currants, raisins, other dried fruit. (excl. tree nuts)
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10. Fruit consumption patterns (g/person/day)
500
North America
450
400 Oceania
350
Latin America & Caribbean
300
Europe
250
200 Asia
Africa
150
100
50
0
1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 2025 2050
Adapted from: Kearney J Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 2010;365:2793-2807
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11. Vegetable, fruit and pulse consumption patterns
Sub-Saharan Africa (g/person/day)
180
160
Vegetables
140
Fruits
120
Roots and Tubers
100
80
60
40
Sweet potatoes
20 Pulses
Potatoes
0
1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 2025 2050
Adapted from: Kearney J Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 2010;365:2793-2807
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12. Where in Southern Africa are the most food
insecure populations?
• Around 95 million people (40%) across SADC are undernourished
• Of these, almost 84% are found in only five countries (2004-2006):
– DRC (43.9 million)
– Tanzania (13.6 million)
– Mozambique (7.5 million)
– Angola (7.1 million)
– Madagascar (6.6 million)
• A further 15% are found in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi
• 1.5% in the rest of SADC
• BUT: The rate of increase has slowed significantly from 46% to 10%
between 1990-1997 and 2000-2006
De Wit and Midgley, 2009
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13. Relationships between undernourishment and
food system indicators
Data: FAO, 14 SADC countries, 1990-2006
Variables: food consumption
food production
food imports
food exports
food aid
regional supply and demand
value of trade
prices
income
expenditure
relative size of agric sector
Statistical analysis: Correlation, covariance,
price and income elasticities of undernourishment
De Wit and Midgley, 2009
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14. Change in food consumption per food category in relation to undernourishment
(1990-2 to 2003-5)
Country Food Cereal Starchy Protein Fruit Undernou-
%change %change roots %change %change rishment
%change %change
Angola +140 +36 +10 +20 -31 -1
Botswana -132 +4 +15 -6 -94 +67
DRC -543 -9 -47 -28 -166 +285
Lesotho -12 +6 +29 +2 -67 +50
Madagascar -162 +9 -19 -6 -25 +69
Malawi +460 -8 +80 +6 +28 -12
Mauritius +254 +3 -13 +11 +45 0
Mozambique +75 +35 -2 +28 -26 -9
Namibia +251 +8 +13 +10 -8 0
Swaziland +58 -26 -5 +10 -1 +100
Tanzania -313 +8 -50 -6 -37 +84
Zambia -54 -8 +8 -4 -7 +58
Zimbabwe -26 -9 +29 -2 -3 +19
SADC avg +1 +3 -2 -19 +85

15. Vitamin A and Iron available for human consumption 2003-5
Country Vit A Vit A categories:
(category)
Namibia 3
Angola 3 1: <300 2: 300-600 3: >600
South Africa 2 Retinol Activity Equivalents per
Mauritius 2 person per day
Swaziland 2
Botswana 2
RDA: 300-600 under-13
Madagascar 2
Tanzania 2
700-900 over-13
Zimbabwe 1
Lesotho 1
Mozambique 1
Zambia 1
DRC 1
Malawi
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1

16. Food production has stagnated, fruit production is declining
g/person/day (excl. South Africa)
1990-2 1995-7 2003-5 % change 1990-2
to 2003-5
Alcoholic beverages 24 29 34 42%
Eggs 1 1 2 35%
Fish, Seafood 25 29 29 16%
Starchy roots 152 141 174 15%
Pulses 7 8 8 7%
Meat 17 16 16 -5%
Vegetables 22 22 20 -7%
Cereals - excl Beer) 81 95 75 -8%
Sugar & Sweeteners 97 83 85 -12%
Offals 2 2 1 -18%
Milk – excl Butter 26 21 21 -20%
Fruits – excl Wine 41 32 33 -22%
Vegetable oils 3 2 2 -26%
Oilcrops 14 13 10 -27%
Animal fats 1 1 1 -44%
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17. Results
(excl. South Africa)
• Insufficient per person carbohydrate and protein intake, but
proportionally too much carbohydrate
• National per person food production has stagnated with declining
production since the early 1990s (with some exceptions)
• Insufficient per person intake of essential micronutrients
A decrease in undernourishment is most strongly related to an increase
in the consumption of fruits and starchy roots
De Wit and Midgley, 2009
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18. Fruit supply quantity per SADC country
(g/person/day) – top 4
300
250
Tanzania
200
Swaziland
Malawi
150
Mauritius
100
50
0
1997
2004
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Data source: FAO (faostat.fao.org) 2012
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19. Fruit supply quantity per SADC country
(g/person/day) – bottom 6
300
250
200
150
100
South Africa
50
Namibia
Lesotho
Mozambique
Zimbabwe
0 Zambia
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
19…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
20…
Data source: FAO (faostat.fao.org) 2012
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20. Summary of factors that influence fruit consumption
patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa
1. Income: consumption rises with income, although at a slower rate than
income; explains higher consumption among wealthier urban households
2. Price and availability: consumption rises with lower prices and across-
season availability
3. Consumer preferences: demand for calories/fat, cultural, household-
specific, individual-specific (awareness and knowledge)
4. Education: mixed trends; often related to women’s work outside the home
5. Home production: can increase consumption but needs to be
complemented with behaviour change
6. Intra-household decision-making: link between status of women (relative to
men) and child nutritional and health outcomes; female-headed households
spend more on fruit/vegetables
Adapted from: Ruel et al. 2005 Patterns and determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption in Sub-Saharan
Africa: a multi-country comparison. WHO.
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21. The role of food markets in Southern Africa
1. National food production may be rising in some cases, but it is not resulting
in broad-based income growth or poverty reduction
2. On a national level, rising average income is dissipating to other goals
rather than addressing undernourishment
3. An average household spends approx half its income on food; volatile and
rising food prices make them vulnerable; less spent on healthy foods
4. Approx 70% of rural populations are not participating meaningfully in food
markets
5. Rapid urbanization and changing food preferences are raising food import
demand
6. Consumer demand for supermarket services rising, but not as fast as
previously imagined
7. How are we going to meet the unmet need for fruit?
Jayne 2011 Forces shaping food markets in East and Southern Africa. BFAP Agricultural Baseline 2011
De Wit and Midgley 2009 Hunger in SADC with specific reference to climate change: A longer-term regional
analysis. OneWorld.
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22. 22

23. Situation in South Africa
• Access to food: 24% of households have inadequate or severely
inadequate access to food ; most serious in the North-West
(35.7%), also serious in Northern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and Free
State
• Own production: 87.6% of households cultivate backyard
gardens, of these 30.1% cultivate fruit/vegetables
• Consumption expenditure on fruit/vegetables on average 14%;
good growth from 2011-2012 (6.3%) but not nearly as high as for
oils/fats (34.8%), meat (12%), bread/grain products (16.4%), sugar
(16.5%)
South Africa General Household Survey 2010
Economic Review of South African Agriculture 2011/12
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24. South Africa: children
Stunting: median height for age
Underweight: median weight for age
Combating Malnutrition in South Africa.
Input paper for health roadmap, 2008
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25. Fruit/vegetable consumption by South African children
aged 1-9 years
• Celeste Naude, MSc (Nutrition) thesis, US 2007
• Data: 1999 National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS)
• Mean daily fruit/veg consumption per capita 110.1 grams
• Underweight and wasted children ate significantly less fruit and
vegetables
• Procured by purchase (90% of households)
• Low dietary diversity, poor nutrient intake
• Differences between provinces: socio-economic, climatic, access to
water, cultural
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26. Mean daily intake per capita of fruit in children
Naude, 2007
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27. Mean percentages of children consuming fruit
Naude, 2007
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28. Urban food insecurity – the invisible crisis
• Rapid urbanization – rising numbers of urban poor – as vulnerable to food
insecurity as rural people, if not more (77%)
• By 2025 half of southern African population will be urbanized
• But cities also offer opportunities for a better life and better food security
and nutrition, huge market
• Complex urban food supply chains
• Rural and smallholder bias in food policies and public research support
• Focus on rural agricultural growth and production rather than on “ensuring
food security for all” including the urban population
• Increasing proportion of the rural poor depend on social grants and
remittances – purchase their food
• Production is important, but the biggest challenge lies in getting healthy
affordable food to everyone
We must re-think our production and distribution systems and policies
Resource: AFSUN (African Food Security Urban Network), Cape Town
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29. Levels of household food insecurity in SADC cities
Frayne et al 2010 The State of Urban Food Insecurity in Southern Africa. AFSUN.
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30. A flawed food system
• On a per calorie basis, fruits and vegetables are significantly more
expensive than cereals, fats and sweets
• Sufficient food is often available, in the face of chronic and acute
hunger – gross failure of food flow
• Emphasis on production needs to be extended to access, safety and
nutrition, and especially affordability
• Insufficient data and analysis of food systems and food flows
• High risks: climate change, oil and food price spikes, population
growth
• Creating a better food system:
– Health-based agriculture
– Dealing with both undernutrition and overnutrition
– Environmental sustainability
– Price stability
Where does Horticultural Science see its role in this crisis?
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31. Opportunities for HortSci (1)
(in addition to commercial/export focus)
• Supply
– Post-harvest technology for multiple complex agri-food systems
and supply chains
– Household fresh produce storage and preservation technologies
– Reduce losses/waste across all systems
– Rainfed production technologies for water-scarce/poor areas
– School orchards/gardens
– Affordable and accessible plant material and fertiliser
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32. Opportunities for HortSci (2)
• Local consumer preferences and choices
– Understand the needs and market
– Adapt breeding programmes and planting decisions
– Breed and grow for nutritional value
• Access, distribution and price
– Support for smaller markets (rural, farmers’, urban)
– Reduce cost of distribution and “shelf”
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33. Opportunities for HortSci (3)
• Education
– Child and parent (especially women) nutritional and agricultural
education
– Industry-wide lobbying for healthy food choices
– Knowledge transfer to consultants, extension officers, farmer
organisations, students
• Data and analysis
– Generate and analyse reliable system-wide data for all agri-food
systems in the region
– Apply GIS for systems analysis of food flows
– Study linkages with human and environmental health factors
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34. A multi- and trans-disciplinary systems approach
• Work within a larger CONTEXT
• Work with consumer, food security, nutritional and health scientists to
identify needs and strategies
• Work with agricultural economists and environmental scientists to
develop a more efficient and sustainable agri-food system
• Big funding: emphasisemultiple benefits of horticultural research in
this context, and how this addresses national development goals
• Set up contextualised longer-term research programmes within which
students/researchers can work towards a larger goal and achieve
combined impact
• Link with other programmes (e.g. food security at US, UKZN, UP)
• Harness science for the benefit of all
• Opportunity to attract students to agricultural science – interesting and
highly rewarding work with a strong “people component”
See: Hammond and Dube2011 A systems science perspective and
transdisciplinary models for food and nutrition security. PNAS 109(31).
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35. The challenge: to support economic
growth while driving human and social
development and ecological
sustainability
THANK YOU
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