An Analysis of the Determinants of Irrigation Farmworkers’ Food Security Status: A Case of Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme, South Africa

Abstract

Food insecurity is a comprehensive challenge. Food, being one of the most basic human needs, has become one of the most important concerns in the world, as more people are living in poverty and are vulnerable to food insecurity. Food insecurity levels vary across sectors, meaning that policy recommendations to address the problem have to be in specific contexts. Farmworkers in irrigation schemes are a sub-group that has received little attention in research regarding food security outcomes. This paper provides evidence of a study that was carried out to analyze food security among irrigation scheme farmworkers who either rent or do not rent irrigation plots from their employers in the Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme, Limpopo Province. Data were collected from 191 randomly selected farmworkers. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was utilized to determine the extent of food security among the irrigation scheme farmworkers. Data were analyzed using the ordered probit model. Among the variables considered in the model, land size (p < 0.05), land leasing (p < 0.01), total household expenditure (p < 0.05), and food stored by farmworkers (p < 0.1) were found to significantly influence irrigation farmworkers’ food security status. These findings suggest that policymakers should design policies that encourage stakeholders from NGOs, and private and public sectors to train and provide resources that will enable and develop livelihood skills among farmworkers.