The contributions of smallholder farmers toward household food security in Chabelane village, Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

Although South Africa is considered to be food secure at the country level, large numbers of households within the country remain food insecure (De Cock et al. 2013). Food inaccessibility in many rural areas of South Africa has manifested itself in many formats but has positioned poor households to struggle to meet their basic household requirements and be more vulnerable to food insecurity. Details of such food insecurity, however, may differ (De Cock et al. 2013; D’Haese et al. 2013). This study aimed to investigate the contributions of smallholder farmers toward household food security in Chabelane Village, in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A quota sampling method was used to select 20 smallholder farmers in Chabelane Village. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and the analysis of data was done using thematic analysis. This study has highlighted the prevalence of food security status among smallholder farmers. Household food security in rural areas is a significant matter, as it is necessary to have appropriate access to healthy foods that lead to active life. Furthermore, the study highlighted the smallholder farmers’ agricultural practices which are crop farming and livestock farming. Moreover, increased food supply, job opportunities, and income generation were highlighted as the contributions of the smallholder farmers toward household food security. However, the smallholder farmers in this study area experienced challenges such as lack of finances, water shortages, and lack of access to formal market. This study recommends access to financial aid through access to loans from the banks, raising awareness among smallholder farmers about the knowledge on how to access formal markets. Additionally, the Department of Agriculture or local municipality to provide water tanks or boreholes for smallholder farmers to have undisrupted access to water for productive farming practices. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the contributions of smallholder farmers towards household food security by providing valuable insights into the relationship between food security and smallholder farmers, particularly in Chabelane Village, Limpopo Province, South Africa.