Food insecurity addressed in Uniondale on World Food Day

Gallery

GEORGE NEWS - A delegation from the Western Cape Government and members of ProVeg South Africa visited Uniondale on Friday 11 October to address vital food security problems and nutritional deficits within that area.

It was part of World Food Day that is celebrated annually on 16 October to commemorate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945. The “Right to foods for a better life and a better future” is the theme for 2024.

Uniondale is located in a region which is heavily reliant on agriculture, yet chronically susceptible to droughts.

Dignitaries performed school site visits, including to local community food gardens, Dirk Boshoff Primary School, Avontuur Primary and Haarlem Secondary School.

Representatives from ProVeg distributed 2000 educational booklets concerning healthy nutrition to young learners. Hundreds of local residents attended the main event at the Uniondale sports grounds and were formally addressed by Dr Ivan Meyer (Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape), Dr Mogale Sebopetsa (Head of Department: Agriculture at Western Cape Government), Andrew Stroebel (Executive Mayor Garden Route Municipality), Jackie von Brandis (Executive Mayor George Municipality) and Donovan Will (Country Director, ProVeg South Africa).

During the day’s talks, government representatives committed themselves to eliminating food insecurity and hunger in needy communities, stressing that food security is not just about having any food whatsoever on the plate, but about the health-giving benefits of proper nutrition.

Minister Meyer emphasised that access to food is part of human dignity, which leads to healthy and qualitative lives.

It was reported that currently there are 117 community nutrition centres in George and six in Uniondale, with plans to expand services and support the development of more community vegetable gardens.

It was further disclosed that 26% of South Africans (approximately 14 million people), including 30% of residents in the George municipality, suffer from hunger and food insecurity.

Regional non-profit agencies involved with feeding programmes expressed their renewed interest in working with the government on this pressing matter.

ProVeg handed out approximately 2 500 plant-based nuggets sponsored by The Fry Family Food Co, both to Uniondale residents and dignitaries to start a conversation about the role of plant-rich consumption in a healthy diet.

Minister Ivan Meyer with representatives of ProVeg.

Stunting in children

According to ProVeg communications manager Wikus Engelbrecht, one in four South African children under five years old are affected by stunting, a medical condition that robs them of reaching their full potential and makes them more vulnerable to developing Type 2 diabetes and other nutrition-related diseases as adults.

“It’s not just the youth who need more awareness of the South African guidelines for healthy eating. Parents, educators and employers will all benefit from focusing on these healthy eating principles; particularly in rural communities.”

The Physicians Association for Nutrition in South Africa has called for comprehensive reforms on nutrition education for National Nutrition Week.

There was also an outreach to schools.

Engelbrecht said food systems that provide the world population with food are under increasing pressure to meet the requirements of a growing population in the tumult of climate change. In 2022, 738.9 million people faced hunger, 2.4 billion were moderately or severely food insecure and over 3.1 billion lacked access to healthy diets.

“Currently, we are off track to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, ‘Zero Hunger’. In six years, instead of reaching this goal, it is estimated that over 590 million people around the globe will still suffer from hunger.

“At the same time, our planet faces multiple crises that are directly linked to our food systems - specifically animal-based food products - including climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation and soil degradation. Governments are failing to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and our food systems continue to be responsible for 30% of global, human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, 90% of global deforestation, 70% of water use and are the single greatest cause of terrestrial biodiversity loss.”

African nations are losing up to 5% of their GDP every year as they bear a heavier burden than the rest of the world from climate change, according to a new report.

Extreme drought in Southern Africa is leaving millions hungry. In rural Zimbabwe 2.7 million people are threatened with famine because of the drought that has enveloped large parts of southern Africa since late 2023, says Engelbrecht.

GALLERY: Food security in the spotlight in Uniondale

Various talks were held for Uniondale residents.