A stark new national survey has exposed a severe and growing food insecurity crisis in South Africa, with more than 16 million people—over a quarter of the population—struggling to access sufficient and nutritious food. The crisis is hitting female-headed households the hardest.
The findings reveal that 63.5% of households are experiencing some level of food insecurity, with 17.5% facing severe food insecurity. This forces families to make impossible choices between food and other basic needs, compromising health and overall wellbeing.
This persistent hunger exists alongside a painful paradox: South Africa remains an agricultural powerhouse, producing substantial food surpluses. The study identifies poverty, unemployment, and soaring food prices as the primary drivers of the crisis, raising urgent questions about systemic barriers between production and plates.
Farmers and trainees outlined a multi-pronged approach focused on education and community access. A farm spokesperson explained their model: “We have a training program where we’ve brought students into the farm… and we have thus through those students been able to help the communities that they live in.” The farm provides low-cost, fresh produce directly to the local community through on-site purchases, markets, and a small shop, bypassing more expensive retail centers.
Trainees highlighted how the programs foster personal and community sustainability. One trainee, who also works as a content creator for the farm, said she shares daily farming skills online, teaching others “how to harvest eggs, how to plant, how to do seed beds.” Another trainee described how the training inspired self-sufficiency: “I am now able to sustain myself because I can plant from home and sell it.”
However, significant systemic challenges were also emphasized. A farm representative pointed to a critical skills gap, stating that many “farmers are not well trained and capacitated to know which type of seeds to plant when and all the daily maintenance.” The spokesperson identified the “biggest challenge is lack of opportunities and exposure,” arguing that the current commercial farming system is not adequately reaching millions of food-insecure people.
“The so-called commercial farmers who are producing the food is not able to get [it] to the millions of people in our community,” the spokesperson said, referencing the nearly 17.5 million people going hungry. The human cost was underscored as a national emergency: “These are kids who must go and deliver and perform at school and then tomorrow expect better people who have to be part of the economy.”
The report concludes that while local initiatives are providing vital relief and skills, the scale of the national crisis demands broader systemic solutions to bridge the gap between South Africa’s abundant agricultural output and the dinner tables of its hungry citizens.
