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The Food Commons thematic cluster focuses on social justice projects that consider access to nutritional food. This thematic cluster includes current and also recently finalised projects that were led by the Environmental Learning Research Centre (ELRC).
Projects include:
AMANZI FOR FOOD
Amanzi for Food is a Water Research Commission (WRC) funded project lead by the Environmental Learning Research Centre at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网.
South Africa is a water scare country with all the available water resources already being used. This situation is likely to become even more serious as climate change leads to less rainfall, especially in the central and western areas of the country.
A reliable supply of good quality water is essential to growing food. ‘Water is Life’, and as the user of 50% of South Africa’s available water, agriculture has a major responsibility to ensure the most efficient use of this most precious of resources.
The Amanzi for Food project brings together stakeholders in the agricultural sector including farmers, extension services, agricultural training institutions and agricultural NGOs and CBOs to engage in collaborative learning. The programme facilitates co-engaged learning about different ways of harvesting, storing and using rainwater, while working to accommodate a range of stakeholder needs, and to ultimately improve sustainable and water conscious food production.
The Water Research Commission has worked with many people to gather information and develop materials on different methods of using rainwater for food production. The Amanzi for Food project takes this body of work further by working with these information resources and materials with a range of partners to encourage much wider use of these methods.
Amanzi for Food Executive Summary
MAKANDA FOOD SYSTEMS
Food security is achieved when everyone can sustainably access enough safe, nutritiou
s and affordable food to meet their dietary needs and their cultural or religious food preferences. This modest and necessary goal has never been fully achieved in Makhanda; historical records show that drought, food insecurity and poverty have been challenges since Grahamstown was established as a British military town in the early 1800s. More than two centuries of distorted political, socio-cultural, economic and socialecological relationships have profoundly affected how, why, where and for whom food is produced and consumed. The sharp decline in food security in Makhanda since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 has foregrounded a crisis that has been in the background for generations.
Partners across all sectors are urgently looking for ways to respond to rising levels of hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity. However, it seems that no organisation or individual has an integrated ‘big picture’ understanding of food security in Makhanda. Local projects and initiatives are generally fragmented, under-funded and poorly documented, and little is known about Makhanda residents’ knowledge, strategies and aspirations regarding food, nutrition and hunger.
This research is a partial attempt to fill that gap, noting that it remains only a ‘snapshot’ within a much wider and constantly changing context. It is the first report of its kind in Makhanda and seeks to provide a baseline for future public dialogues, research projects and strategic interventions.
See the downloadable report: Makhanda Food Systems
One pager project information sheet: 1st We Eat Executive Summary
FOOD FOR US
Food for Us is funded through the 10YFP Trust Fund established by UNEP. The project was selected through an open 10YFP Trust Fund Call for Proposals for Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme with the financial support of the Government of Japan.
In a country that produces more than enough food to feed everybody how is it that just under 50% are nutritionally poor. Two key factors in this crisis are challenges related to finding markets for produce and accessing affordable nutritious food. Food for Us provided an innovative mobile phone application that brought together producers and consumers of food. The vision is to reduce food waste and enhance food security be providing a convenient platform for connecting interested people.
The aim of the project was to develop and trial a mobile phone application in South Africa which contributes towards the alleviation of food insecurity and aids access to nutritious food in a country where significant food loss occurs on-farm.
The project ran from May 2017 until June 2018, and was conducted in two sites, Greater Cape Town and the rural Eastern Cape. A range of fresh produce growers (both small and large) within these regions made available surplus fresh produce for trade to buyers. A buyer focus is on entities that distribute food or feed those in need, for example feeding schemes, schools, charities, hospitals and other public entities (but not limited to). The application requirements were defined by the users to ensure it is fit for purpose and has longevity.
The trial sits within a broader transformative learning framework. Research was undertaken to add to the growing body of research being undertaken on social learning, sustainable food systems and food loss and waste in South Africa. Social learning and networking drivers, opportunities and outcomes were monitored throughout the project to ascertain how learning takes place around the use of the application, and other affiliated project activities to better inform users of the issues of sustainable food systems and food loss and waste. The outcomes of this research will inform a global body of work on transformative learning, and food systems research.
Last Modified: Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:09:54 SAST
