Briefing Paper

Integrating Food Security with Land Reform: A More Effective Policy for South Africa

“Food security is broadly defined as households’ access at all times to adequate, safe and nutritious food for a healthy and productive life. This policy brief draws on a case study of the South African government’s attempt to revitalize the rural
economy, particularly in the Eastern Cape province, through smallholder agriculture. It discusses how food security policies among the poor have historically
been incompatible with land use activities and land rights in South Africa’s Bantustans, and closes with policy recommendations that deal with the relationship between land reform and food security, the need to understand broader land use plans of the rural poor and
the need to pay attention to the vulnerability of villagers when they enter deals with outside business interests.”