By Nomfundo Mbatha
At her 2025 policy speech to the Eastern Cape legislature, MEC for Agriculture Nonceba Kontsiwe emphasised the crisis of food insecurity in the province stating that the high cost of living and unemployment are the major drivers of household food insecurity, which leads to child malnutrition as reported by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
The recently released National Food and Nutrition Security Survey (NFNSS) paints a concerning picture where 20% of households in the province are severely food insecure, with specific districts face even graver conditions, with Amathole at 24%, Sarah Baartman at 24%, Alfred Nzo at at 23%, Nelson Mandela Metro at 20%, Buffalo City Metro at 19%, OR Tambo at 17%, Chris Hani at 17%, and Joe Gqabi at 15%.
A study conducted by the University of Fort Hare in 2020 revealed that 61% of the households in the province are consuming a diet of low diversity that is carbohydrate-rich with less protein, pointing to a lack of nutritional balance in household diets. The high cost of living, particularly the unaffordable cost of food, is driven by low food production levels. Alarmingly, the province is not short on land resources; the survey found that the province has the highest number of households with access to land at 67%, while only 37% of that is put to productive use.
Kontsiwe said it is essential to increase efforts to help rural communities produce and improve access to affordable and nutritious food by having all sectors of society come together under a Provincial Food and Nutrition Security Plan.
