Table 6 Selected national food and agriculture policies in South Africa
Policy | Year | Goal(s)/objectives | Key considerations to FAO recommendations | Â |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The White Paper on Agriculture | 1995 | Develop a new order of economically viable, market-directed commercial farmers, with the family farm as the basis The broadening of access to agriculture via land reform should be enhanced by adequate agricultural policy instruments and supported by means of the provision of appropriate services Financial systems should focus on the resource-poor and beginner farmers, enabling them to purchase land and agricultural inputs Trade-in and the marketing of agricultural products should reflect market tendencies Agricultural production should be based on the sustainable use of the natural agricultural and water resources Developing agriculture's important role in the regional development of Southern Africa and other countries | The policy recognizes the importance of addressing national and household food security, but lacks nutrition-related objectives Focus on improving farmer access to land, markets, and services for agricultural production | Explicit nutrition objectives are missing from the policy document |
Discussion Document on Agricultural Policy in South Africa | 1998 | To build an efficient and internationally competitive agricultural sector To support the emergence of a more diverse structure of production with a large increase in the numbers of successful smallholder farming enterprises To conserve our agricultural natural resources and put in place policies and institutions for sustainable resource use | Implicit focus on food security and increasing food production | No attention on the nutritional quality of foods being produced The aim of agricultural production is to increase market competitiveness, rather than on improving nutrition |
Integrated Food Strategy of South Africa | 2002 | To attain physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food by all South African at all times to meet their dietary and food preferences for an active and healthy life To eradicate hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity over 2015 | Contains nutrition-related objectives Includes mention of promoting nutrition education Includes multi-sectoral partnerships to improve nutrition Promotes market access among smallholder farmers | Weak institutional framework led to ineffective implementation [71, 72] Poor coordination led to an overemphasis on agricultural production [70] Attention to increasing nutrient-rich food production, and strategies to improve post-harvesting, storage, and processing is missing Lacks initiatives to improve women’s empowerment |
Integrated Growth and Development Plan | 2012 | To achieve the transformation and restructuring of the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors, which are currently dominated by a small number of large companies, and to ensure that constraints experienced in the areas of input supply, production, and marketing are addressed cost-effectively and in a timely manner | Aims to improve smallholder farmer market access and secondary cooperatives (i.e., marketing) Focus on maintaining biodiversity Contains a focus on increasing equity in terms of market access, gender, information and support | Does not include nutrition-related objectives and indicators Does not contain objectives related to production diversification |
National Policy on Food and Nutrition | 2014 | To ensure the availability, accessibility, and affordability of safe and nutritious food at national and household levels | Focus on improving nutrition education to assist in monitoring nutrition indices, improving consumer literacy and assisting with better food management and meal planning Focus on improving market participation among smallholder farmers Increased investment in agriculture including increased provision of inputs and services for increased food production and more effective food storage | Policy does not mention the promotion of diverse agricultural production for better nutrition outcomes Lacks attention on retainment of nutrients in food processing, and improved storage strategies [30] |
Agricultural Policy Action Plan (2015–2019) | 2014 | Equitable growth and competitiveness Equity and transformation Environmental sustainability Governance | Eleven interventions including several value chains were proposed to increase production, employment opportunities, exports, and improve smallholder farmer opportunities for income and market access Several transversal interventions were proposed including Fetsa Tlala which focuses on supporting the production of subsistence and smallholder and includes a focus on micronutrient content of crops | Does not contain explicit nutrition objectives and initiatives to diversify food production Does not target vulnerable groups and lacks initiatives to improve women’s empowerment |