Food and Nutrition Insecurity in Selected Rural Communities of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa—Linking Human Nutrition and Agriculture
Open Access
- 26 December 2016
- journal article
- review article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 14 (1), 17
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14010017
Abstract
Lack of access to nutritious and balanced diets remains a major impediment to the health and well-being of people living in rural areas. The study utilizes a qualitative systematic approach to conduct an environmental scan and review of scientific literature of studies conducted in South Africa, specifically KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Availability and access to nutritious, diverse and balanced diets were identified as key constraints for achieving food and nutrition security as well as for human health and well-being. This has led to both under- and over-nutrition, with the former, in particular stunting, affecting children under 5 years. A high incidence of over-nutrition, both overweight and obesity, was observed among black African females. In South Africa, poor people rely mostly on social grants and cannot afford a balanced diet. Under these circumstances, agriculture could be used to increase availability and access to diverse and nutritious foods for the attainment of a balanced diet. The wider use of traditional vegetable crops and pulses could improve availability and access to healthy and locally available alternatives. The promotion of household and community food gardens, and the use of nutrient dense crops with low levels of water use, i.e., high nutritional water productivity, offers prospects for addressing malnutrition in poor rural areas.Keywords
Funding Information
- Water Research Commission of South Africa (WRC K5/2493//4)
This publication has 63 references indexed in Scilit:
- Dietary Adequacies among South African Adults in Rural KwaZulu-NatalPLOS ONE, 2013
- Overweight and obesity amongst Black women in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal: A ‘disease’ of perception in an area of high HIV prevalenceAfrican Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2013
- Malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa: burden, causes and prospectsPan African Medical Journal, 2013
- From Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development GoalsThe Lancet, 2012
- Undernutrition, Poor Feeding Practices, and Low Coverage of Key Nutrition InterventionsPublished by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) ,2011
- The prevalence of stunting, overweight and obesity, and metabolic disease risk in rural South African childrenBMC Public Health, 2010
- Overweight and obesity in urban Africa: A problem of the rich or the poor?BMC Public Health, 2009
- Recent advances in technologies for vitamin A protection in foodsTrends in Food Science & Technology, 2008
- Maternal and child undernutrition: global and regional exposures and health consequencesThe Lancet, 2008
- Potential role for wild vegetables in household food security: a preliminary case study in Kwazulu-Natal, South AfricaAfrican Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, 2006