FREE TO READ | Sunday Times Food Basket magazine
SA's unenviable position as the world's most unequal country in terms of income makes it crucial to ensure everyone can feed themselves
In March 2022, based on Gini coefficients of consumption (or income) per capita, SA was again relegated to the position of 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. It is understood that structural challenges of unemployment and weak growth have undermined any inroads we may have made in reducing poverty before the Covid-19 pandemic. While we want policy changes and equal access to opportunities enshrined within the bill of rights, we also want to ensure the country can feed its people now and provide the means to support families and communities.
It’s with this in mind that this issue of Food Basket profiles hunger relief programmes and innovative solutions that could potentially stop SA from transitioning from a food-secure to a food-insecure country.