Investigating the contribution of social cash transfers to the food security situation of agricultural-based rural households of Nhlazuka, Richmond Municipality, South Africa.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
It is estimated that over 690 million people around the world went hungry in 2019 and the
COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of global food
systems. Food insecurity in South Africa is due to insufficient access to food because of
structural poverty and inequality dynamics with a strong racial footprint rather than a shortage
of food. Moreover, scarce employment opportunities (especially in rural areas), rising cost of
living, limited investment in agricultural development, increase in informal 6settlements and
high dependency ratios especially in low-income households are some of the factors
contributing to food insecurity in the country. Thus household-level food security is a major
challenge to the South African government and policymakers. Globally, social protection
interventions remain essential for addressing the multidimensional aspects of poverty and
vulnerability to food insecurity. Social protection plays a considerable role in improving the
lives of rural communities that are dependent on agriculture as a source of livelihood. The study
examined the contribution of social cash transfers (SCTs) to the livelihood of rural
communities of Nhlazuka in Richmond Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South
Africa and assessed the factors influencing access to the SCTs. A sample of 108 respondents
was randomly selected and several household-level variables were used to determine factors
that influenced access to SCTs. Household food security status was determined through
Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). An Endogenous Switching Poisson model
was used to analyse the contribution of access to cash transfers to household food security,
while also accounting for both endogeneity and sample selection issues. In addition, a logistic
regression model was used to examine the influence of various socio-economic factors
(independent) on the contribution of SCTs to the livelihoods of rural communities. The results
showed that access to cash transfers, gender of household head, access to credit, membership
to farm-based organisations (FBO), membership to cooperatives and access to agricultural
training was statistically significant (P<0.001 and P<0.002 respectively) in determining
household food security. Gender of the household head significantly positively correlated to
SCTs by the household, indicating that the gender of the household head contributed
significantly to access to SCTs (P<0.045). The age of the household head, household size and
marital status were statistically significant in determining the household food security. The
marginal model showed that the odds of receiving SCTs decreased by 8.9% when the
household head was female compared to male. Access to SCTs was an important factor in
achieving improved household food security status. Cash transfer programs for the needy play
a significant role in reducing food insecurity and increasing livelihood diversification as
households use the cash to purchase agricultural implements which in turn contributes towards
their food production. This means SCTs can have a wide range of effects that extend far beyond
programme objectives. This finding is critical for the ongoing policy discussions in South
Africa, focusing on the long-term relevance and benefits of the SCTs. There is a need for the
government to continue improving access to SCTs as they are crucial to the livelihoods of
households. Targeted cash transfers towards old age, women and youth are needed particularly
because many of these people lack access to food.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.