Unravelling chronic poverty in South Africa: Some food for thought[Draft].
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of CPRC research into chronic poverty in a post- Apartheid South Africa. This research consists of an overview study within the national context, in-depth household livelihood surveys, and in-depth studies into specific aspects of chronic poverty. In the household livelihood survey, particularly attention was paid to the following: (i) livelihood assets, needs and strategies, (ii) health status and assets (including anthropometrical measurements), and (iii) food security and nutritional status issues in poor communities. In 2002 over 2000 households were surveyed in the rural Eastern Cape (Mount Frere and Xhalanga), rural Western Cape (Ceres) and urban Cape Town (Khayelitsha and Nyanga). The total number of people included in the surveys were 10 544. The in-depth studies focussed on 'Social Security' (Mount Frere), 'Food Security and Household Resources' (Mount Frere) and 'Vulnerability' (Ceres). The paper outlines some of the key features of poverty and chronic poverty in South Africa. It discusses the research investigating the livelihood dynamics and assets of poor households in three typical South African human ecologies (a rural subsistence region - Mount Frere, a rural commercial farming district - Ceres, and a large urban area - Khayelitsha and Nyanga) and some policy recommendations to reduce and alleviate chronic poverty and its effects are made.
Citation
Unravelling chronic poverty in South Africa: Some food for thought [Draft], presented at Staying Poor: Chronic Poverty and Development Policy, Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester, 7-9 April 2003. Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC), Manchester, UK, 49 pp.
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