Shelembe Nomfundo, Hlatshwayo Simphiwe Innocentia, Modi Albert Thembinkosi, Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe, Ngidi Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas
Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa.
African Centre for Food Security, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa.
Foods. 2025 Mar 21;14(7):1092. doi: 10.3390/foods14071092.
South African farming households face several challenges regarding food security, poverty, micronutrient deficiencies and hidden hunger. This is due to millions of households lacking access to food and an adequate food basket. Consumption of indigenous crops has been proposed to help sustain vulnerable households since these crops have low production costs and are climate-resilient. However, research has found the consumption of these crops across South Africa to be relatively low. This study aims to examine the factors associated with the consumption of indigenous crops among farming households in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. A sample of 260 farming households was selected using simple random sampling. The results showed that farmers commonly cultivate exotic crops, such as spinach, cabbage, carrot, and butternut, more than any indigenous crops, except for a few cultivating taro and sweet potato. The binomial logit regression results revealed that an increase in the number of females and children within a household and farmers' experience increased the likelihood of consuming indigenous crops, whilst monthly food expenses decreased the likelihood of consuming indigenous crops. There is a considerable gap between the consumption and production of indigenous crops. The findings established that although many farming households indicated that they consume indigenous crops, this was not reflected in their cultivated crops. The study also concluded that farming households may be more aware of the nutritional benefits of indigenous crops, since an increase in the number of children in a household was linked to an increase in consumption of these crops. Additionally, experience in farming is vital, as it increases the consumption of indigenous crops. The study recommends government interventions that include increasing the production of indigenous crops by including them alongside the cultivation of exotic crops. Future work should also focus on awareness programs to promote the nutritional benefits of consuming indigenous crops. This, coupled with training centered on indigenous crops, could incentivize farming households to cultivate more of these crops for easier access.
南非农户在粮食安全、贫困、微量营养素缺乏和隐性饥饿方面面临若干挑战。这是因为数百万家庭无法获得食物和充足的食物篮。有人提议食用本土作物来帮助维持脆弱家庭的生计，因为这些作物生产成本低且具有气候适应性。然而，研究发现南非各地对这些作物的消费量相对较低。本研究旨在探讨南非夸祖鲁 - 纳塔尔省农户食用本土作物的相关影响因素。采用简单随机抽样选取了260户农户作为样本。结果表明，除了少数种植芋头和红薯的农户外，农民普遍种植外来作物，如菠菜、卷心菜、胡萝卜和笋瓜，种植量超过任何本土作物。二项式logit回归结果显示，家庭中女性和儿童数量的增加以及农民的经验增加了食用本土作物的可能性，而每月的食品支出则降低了食用本土作物的可能性。本土作物的消费和生产之间存在相当大的差距。研究结果表明，尽管许多农户表示他们食用本土作物，但这并未反映在他们种植的作物中。该研究还得出结论，农户可能更了解本土作物的营养价值，因为家庭中儿童数量的增加与这些作物的消费量增加有关。此外，务农经验至关重要，因为它会增加本土作物的消费量。该研究建议政府进行干预，包括将本土作物与外来作物一起种植，以增加本土作物的产量。未来的工作还应侧重于开展宣传项目，以推广食用本土作物的营养价值。这一点，再加上以本土作物为中心的培训，可以激励农户种植更多此类作物，以便更方便地获取。
