Spatial inequities in the City of Cape Town are compounding the alarmingly high levels of food insecurity.
This is according to the State of the City Food System Report by the University of Cape Town (UCT) released yesterday by the institution’s researchers Gareth Haysom and Associate Professor Jane Battersby.
The report studied Cape Town’s food system and whether Capetonians have suitable access to good, nutritious food.
It found that accessing food was a constant uphill battle, especially for those who did not have nearly enough to feed themselves and their families.
Haysom said the report argued that there was more than enough healthy food in the food system, but food was inaccessible to those who needed it most.
The report was one of 15 that aimed to analyse and engage with urban food systems across various cities. According to Haysom, the research was conducted in northern, western, eastern, and southern Africa, making it the first time these reports have collectively contributed to a review of this magnitude.
Focusing on Cape Town, Haysom explained that the report aimed to understand the city’s food supply, availability, and residents’ immediate access to food.
He further said the report also intended to explore key issues related to food utilisation and nutrition challenges, as well as the stability and sustainability of the urban food system.
“The report worked from the premise that each city’s food system has a history, and that history is linked not only to food histories, but the successes and viabilities of the city, changes in governance, politics and so much more,” Haysom said.
“So, to understand the current food system, we also needed to understand and acknowledge the historical trends in the system of that particular city.”
The General House Survey published by Statistics South Africa in 2021 revealed that almost 250 000 households in Cape Town experienced hunger at the the highest level among the country’s metros.
To make matters worse, Haysom said, dietary diversity remained very limited in the city. As a result, many Capetonians may not be experiencing hunger, but their diets lacked balance and nutrition.
However, Haysom said this did not mean that there was an insufficient food supply in the Cape Town food system.
He said there was actually an abundance of healthy food available, but it remained inaccessible to most Capetonians. One of the main reasons for this was the exorbitant cost of essentials like transport and electricity, he said.
“Not only are monthly incomes constrained, the cost of transport, data, rent and other infrastructure services and their constant price increases mean that households’ food budgets are under increasing pressure,” Haysom said.
“Limited access to infrastructure affects food security outcomes and drives residents to opt for food choices that are far from nutritious. This means these households are in a constant state of stress because they always need to make a plan. This is where the city does have a direct mandate and can shift costs associated with all these aspects,” he said.
In summary, food insecurity existed at high levels in all African cities covered during this research study. Similarly, Haysom said, residents in all these cities also reported that while they would love to follow a nutritious diet, they simply could not afford it. What was high on the priority list was balancing the budget to cover rent, transport, and electricity, and getting food into their tummies.
Therefore, to ensure thriving cities, the researcher said municipalities needed to start playing a much bigger role in food systems governance and lose the notion that they were not responsible for the city’s food mandate. He said what was needed were food governance approaches that embrace multi-level and multi-sectoral governance.