Agrotechnology

Agricultural policies and food system transformation: Has post apartheid South Africa done better?

5^th International Conference on Agriculture & Horticulture

June 27-29, 2016 Cape Town, South Africa

Hosu Y S

Walter Sisulu University, South Africa

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Agrotechnol

Abstract:

South Africa is unlikely to catch attention when the nations with food emergency are mentioned due to its well-developed commercial farming. There is no lack of well-intended policies to improve agriculture and food security of its citizens. However, with Human Development index ranking of 118 among 135 countries and Human Poverty of 13.4% and ranking of 85 amidst all policies and strategies of improving the agriculture and food security issues, it defies logic that South Africa has made a lot of motion but not necessarily movement in the right direction. The article from this study is aimed at reviewing the performance of key indicators: per capita land utilization, production and consumption of selected staple foods that cover basic household wellbeing such as maize, dry beans, potato, vegetables, sugar, citrus and apple in the pre and post-apartheid periods of South Africa. We found that there is a declining trend in per capita land cultivation, per capita food production and mixed results of per capita consumption of some major staple foods. The study revealed that population growth in South Africa has not been harnessed and there is possibility of worsening food security in the country. We also found the per capital consumption of maize in South Africa is below 160 kg/person/ year recommended by WHO/FAO while per capita consumption of potato and sugar are presently above required kg/person/year. We recommend per capita targeting policy strategies for the improvement of staple food production and dietary balancing to ensure sustainable food security.

Biography :

Hosu Y S holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics and Farm Management from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria in 2004. He obtained his Master’s degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2007 and PhD in Agricultural/Environmental Economics from the University of Fort Hare in 2013. His PhD thesis is a holistic attempt to know the determinants of food system among the poor households in the semi-arid region; the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. He focused on modelling small farms’ optimal productivity under stressed environmental conditions, resource utilization and effective institutional services provision. His study made insight on the necessary conditions to boost smallholder productivity and food security among the small-holder farmers in the Eastern Cape Province. He has authored and co-authored manuscripts and proposal with others. He is the Lead Researcher and Consultant, Sunclare Consults Limited, a-one- stop research outfit for solutions to agriculture and agribusinesses issues based in Nigeria. He is currently a Research Fellow at Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, Eastern Cape.

Email: yhosu@wsu.ac.za