Research Articles (Sustainable Food Systems and Development)

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Browsing Research Articles (Sustainable Food Systems and Development) by Title

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    Operational characteristics of women street food vendors in rural South Africa
    (Frontiers, 2023) Mahopo, Tjale Cloupas; Nesamvuni, Cebisa Noxolo; Nesamvuni, Azwihangwisi Edward; De Bruyn, Melanie; Van Niekerk, Johan; Ambikapathi, Ramya
    Objective: To characterize the operations of the street food enterprise in the Vhembe district, focusing on business profile, sold foods, inputs, pricing, record-keeping practices and total running cost. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional face-to-face study of 511 vendors was done using a structured researcher-administered questionnaire comprising demographic and operational characteristics. Convenience sampling was used to choose the vending sites. Chi-square tests were conducted between four categorical variables (gender, age, marital status and citizenship) and operational characteristics. P-values were considered significant at p < 0.05. However, a Bonferroni adjustment decreased the significant value to p < 0.013. Results: The findings highlight the dominance of single middle-aged (35–44) women (63.1%) with some high school education. About 14% migrated from Zimbabwe. Most vendors were owners (86.1%), with 70.0% in business for at least 1–10 years. Food sold included mielie pap (stiff porridge) served with beef or chicken, sometimes with vegetables. Plate prices were R40.00 (2.6 USD) for a full plate and R30.00 (2 USD) for half a plate. The typical street food consumers were government officials, middlemen, and schoolchildren. Social media such as Whatsapp were used to communicate between the street food vendors and customers. The results highlight poor managerial skills as only 15.5% kept records, most of which were sales records (59.5%). On average, street vendors made a monthly profit of R3200.00 (213 USD) while spending R1800.00 (120 USD) on daily running expenses. There were statistically significant variations in some operational characteristics of vendor variables and gender, age, marital status, and citizenship. Conclusions: There is a need for capital and management for small businesses and food training for rural street food vendors. Therefore, government officials, policymakers, and NGOs could target street vendors to offer training and microfinance to improve their business skills while promoting food safety and consumption of nutritious foods.
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    Overcoming barriers for people with disabilities participating in income-generating activities: a proposed development framework
    (AOSIS, 2023) Tinta, Nokothula; Kolanisi, Unathi
    Background: People with disabilities in sheltered workshops are disempowered and face many barriers, adversely affecting their income-generating activities and weakening their competitiveness in the labour market. There is limited evidence on how to overcome these barriers. Objectives: This paper seeks to propose a framework to overcome the barriers experienced by people with disabilities participating in income-generating activities in a sheltered workshop. Method: The qualitative exploratory single case study was done with observations and semi-structured interviews as data collection methods. Purposive sampling was used to select 24 participants between ages 22 and 52 years, and content analysis was done of transcribed interviews. Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) guidelines were used to develop the framework. Results: A proposed framework was developed that outlined intervention strategies to address the barriers experienced by sheltered workshop participants to promote increased participation of people with disabilities in income-generation activities, thereby improving their quality of life. Conclusion: The participation of people with disabilities in income-generating activities is hindered by several barriers. However, the proposed framework overcomes the barriers to effective participation in income-generating activities. Contribution: People with disabilities will benefit from this framework as it will address their challenges and needs for empowerment. It would also inform stakeholders involved about these challenges and strategies.
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    Review of the under-utilised indigenous Portulacaria aura (spekboom) as a sustainable edible food source
    (MDPI, 2023) Du Toit, Alba; MacDonald, Rozanne; Steyn, Elmay; Mahlanza, Zamancwane P.; Zulu, Ayanda B.; De Wit, Maryna
    Abstract Southern Africa faces numerous challenges, such as increasing biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Additionally, poor and vulnerable communities suffer from undernourishment and are food insecure. Therefore, Southern Africa must adopt inclusive, sustainable food systems that support food security, even under harsh climatic conditions. Wild edible plants can potentially strengthen South African communities’ diets, as they are nutritious, freely available and adapted to survive in marginal conditions. Portulacaria afra, colloquially known as spekboom, is an indigenous succulent to South Africa. This edible plant is resilient even when exposed to weather extremes and is exceptionally easy to grow. Spekboom can potentially contribute to food security since food-insecure communities can access the plant in a socially acceptable way. However, spekboom awaits culinary development to increase its consumption. This review presents the current knowledge of spekboom. As there is limited published research, the review aims to stimulate research in food science and nutrition on this undervalued plant and introduce it as a new food and ingredient.