Coe In The News

South Africa has enough food yet its people go hungry – Langa Learning Journey tackles our tragic paradox

Published September 23, 2022, by Neil Overy

Women at the Langa Taxi Rank selling Tshisa Nyama have been in the same business and location for many years and have a steady clientele. However, poor infrastructure makes it hard to operate during bad weather or road works. (Photo: Ashraf Hendricks)

“The fact that food price inflation in South Africa is the highest in six years made the recent deliberations around food and nutritional security, at a Food Learning Journey in Langa, Cape Town in early September, especially significant.

Despite South Africa producing more than enough food to healthily feed its population, it is characterised by high levels of food insecurity at the household level. One result of this is that more than a quarter of children under five suffer from stunting, which is impaired growth and development largely due to poor nutrition.

The Langa Food Learning Journey set out, over two days, to explore this paradox by bringing a broad range of participants together to directly “visit” the “food system” in Langa, before gathering to openly discuss challenges and collectively think through short- and long-term solutions.”

Read the full article, originally published by the Daily Maverick, here.

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