The causes, experiences and consequences of food insecurity in South Africa: a

systematic review of community level research

SUMMARY OF PROJECT OBJECTIVES AS OUTLINED IN PROPOSAL
The aim of the review, as conceptualised in the project proposal, is to explore the reality of food insecurity in
South Africa over the last 20 years, drawing on the large body of hitherto un-synthesised peer-reviewed,
published and unpublished grey literature since 1994 that looks at individual, household and community food
insecurity in South Africa. The aims were outlined broadly, expecting the review to offer a synthesis of the
causes, experience and consequences of food insecurity at the local level. These aims and research questions
were to be refined during the scoping and peer-review process.
The revised research questions (following Step 2) are as follows:
What does case study evidence tell us about how food insecurity is experienced in South Africa, including:
i. Challenges to food access, food utilisation, food availability, and food nutrition?
ii. Its short and long term consequences (including coping, adapting, trade-offs)?
2. What are the implications of the above for decision makers and policy makers at all scales in South Africa?

SUMMARY OF WORKFLOW FROM PROPOSAL

2
Development
of a coding
framework
based on initial
research
questions

1
Initial
Scoping of
Literature

Development
inclusion and
exclusion
criteria

Peer
review

4
Base
literature
search from
same
sources and
developmen
t of primary
body

5
Apply
exclusion
and inclusion
criteria to
abstracts and
exec
summaries

6
Apply
exclusion
and
inclusion
criteria to
filtered
body

Data
extraction
and coding

Initial
analysis
and write
up

Peer
review

10
Final
write
up and
dissemi
nation

Development
key words on
search terms

Online academic and other

databases including Elsevier
Scopus, Web of Science, Google
Scholar, South African and global
NGO institutions

DEVELOPMENT OF A CODING FRAMEWORK

A best fit Coding Framework
A coding framework will be used to guide the coding. Importantly, however, since this is a blended approach
to systematic review, the data itself will necessarily determine final coding categories (see for example [1]),
and the framework will also be reviewed and revised following Step Seven in the original workflow, following
literature precedents (see for example [2]).
The coding framework (depicted below) reflects that applied policy research may be viewed as addressing
research questions that fall very broadly into four categories: contextual, diagnostic, evaluative and strategic
([3].

Contextual findings - the primary category in that the other three are dependent on its findings. Contextual
findings relate to the question of the state of food insecurity in South Africa and how food insecurity is
experienced, as evidenced in the case studies reviewed. Sub-categories here encompass measurable outcomes
of food insecurity, such as malnutrition, as well as attitudes, perceptions and needs. The additional elements
of the system of importance identified here are: food acquisition, storage, preparation and consumption;
internal responses (the actions of the food insecure themselves in the studies, including crisis choices, coping,
adaptation and trade-offs), and external responses (responses operating among the food insecure
originating from other actors i.e. interventions). These a priori categories will not, however, delimit what
emerges from the data and will be altered as the needed as the analysis progresses.
The remaining three categories are secondary in that they draw on the findings from the primary category.
Diagnostic findings speak to the causes or reasons for what is in terms of food security, and relate to failures
in the principle determinants of food security. These are grouped under the four pillars of food security: food
stability (variability over time of supply and access), food access (mediating factors of affordability, allocation,
power relations), food utilisation (nutritional value in terms of dietary quality, diversity and quantity, social
value, food preparation and safety); and food availability (production, distribution and exchange) [4, 5]. The
nutritional dimension is integral to the concept of food security.
Evaluative findings are those in the case studies reviewed that relate to the impacts and outcomes of what is.
Prior to data analysis these are defined very broadly in this framework to fall under the five key resources
people can draw on in their lives and livelihoods to survive, secure food and pursue their wellbeing. These are
borrowed from the livelihoods framework [6, 7], and include human capital, social capital, physical capital,
environmental capital and economic capital. Once again these possible broad sub categories are seen as useful
only as a point of departure in unpacking, coding and categorising the consequences of food insecurity found
in the case studies.
Finally, the strategic findings will report on case study findings for new theories, policies, responses, plans and
actions among all stakeholders. These findings will require drawing on literature and documentation additional
to the case studies included in the review. Government policies and programmes, as well as future food
system scenarios, will be considered as needed to allow for an analysis of possible policy implications into the
futures.
Since the starting point for this review is the
question of the state of food insecurity in South
Africa and how food insecurity is experienced, the
literature search will focus on case studies that
provide evidence related to the contextual findings
in the framework, and the key words in the next
section are representative of this.

DIAGNOSTIC
FINDINGS
The reasons and
causes for what is
CONTEXTUAL FINDINGS
Case studies examining
the experience and
reality of what is in
STRATEGIC
relation to food
EVALUATIVE
FINDINGS
insecurity in
FINDINGS
New theories,
South Africa
The impacts and
policies, plans
outcomes of
or actions
what is

INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA

Inclusion and exclusion criteria
1. Has to focus on one or more aspects of the state or lived experience of food insecurity (access, utilisation, availability
of food) or one or more aspects of nutrition (macro and micro-nutrition malnutrition, obesity)
2. Has to be primary empirical work undertaken at sub-national scale

3.
4.
5.
6.

Aims and objectives clearly stated

A clear description of methods used, including data collection, sampling, and analysis
Attempts made to determine the reliability or validity of the data analysis
Written or published between beginning of 1995 to the end of 2014 (20 years)

Sources:
1. Electronic database searching, UP
2. Searching specialist websites (including local and global NGOs such as IFPRI, WHO and others)
3. Using general search engines on the internet Google and Google Scholar
4. Personal contacts, authors and experts in the field to identify additional resources
A priori descriptive mapping classifications to apply to filtered papers:
1. Geographic focus
2. Aims of study
3. Peer reviewed / not
4. Type of report (journal article, book chapter, conference proceeding, unpublished work or report)
5. Key findings
6. Methods
7. Sample size

DEVELOPMENT OF KEY WORDS AND SEARCH TERMS

Key word and search terms
South Africa AND (Food Security OR Nutrition) AND:

Case study
Hung*
Malnutrition
Obesity
Food quality
Food safety
Food production
Food insecure*
Agriculture
Bush meat
Wild food
Traditional food
Food storage
Cooking
Preparation

Allocation
Consumption
Intra-household
allocation
Gender
Food preferences
Food choices
Coping
Adapting
Trade-offs
Climate change
Climate variability
HIV
AIDS
Food garden

Home garden
urban