Funding South Africa’s food and nutrition policy: Estimates for the 2018–2022 funding cycle

Abstract

Securing enough funds to roll out South Africa’s National Food and Nutrition Security Plan (NFNSP) has gained renewed momentum since 2017 when projections of cost to deliver on its outcomes were determined. Funding to implement the policy during the initial 5-year cycle (2018–2023) also involved identifying sources from which to finance actual policy actions as well as strategies to close funding gaps. Against the backdrop of global debates on food assistance financing, we used an elementary funding gap equation for a systematic calculation of the funds needed for NFNSP. To determine available funding sources, we built a unique data set based on historical spending information for 2018–2022. A key finding is that national and subnational government departments dominate funding sources for food and nutrition policy activities. Unlike poorer countries, non-state donors make ad hoc and smaller contributions, but this source of food and nutrition assistance is less accessible. Aggregation over all available funding sources reveals that authorities only met 50% of the Plan’s funding needs after 4 years and thus fell short of meeting its 2017 target. Our findings reinforce the case to urgently strengthen the principles, design and implementation systems for adequate food and nutrition policy spending.

Significance:

• In middle-income countries like South Africa, a holistic approach to financing food and nutrition policy is essential to achieve its constitutionally protected food rights and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) imperatives.
• Results and insights demonstrate the effective use of a straightforward method to document and monitor the financing of food and nutrition assistance in the absence of a standardised methodology.
• Conclusions guide innovations in anti-hunger activism grounded in evidence with benefits that cascade into intersecting policy domains.
• This article enriches thinking and practices in transformative social protection and equitable fiscal policy for higher human well-being outcomes.