Food Basket

On 9 March this year, based on Gini coefficients of consumption (or income) per capita, South Africa was again relegated to the most unequal country in the world, ranking first among 164 countries in the World Bank’s global poverty database. So how do we combat what has become a cyclical reality of poverty? While the World Bank and every other interested stakeholder have proffered numerous high-level policy changes, people on the ground need immediate action. Of course, we understand that structural challenges of unemployment and weak growth have undermined any inroads we may have had in reducing poverty before the COVID-19 pandemic. And of course, we want policy changes and equal access to opportunities enshrined within our Bill of Rights, but we also want to ensure we can feed our people now. That we provide the means to support families and communities today. It’s with this in mind that this issue of Food Basket profiles hunger relief programmes and innovative solutions that could potentially stop South Africa from transitioning from a food-secure to a food-insecure country.