Promoting traditional and indigenous foods in South Africa : a desktop review

Thesis (MNutr)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.ENGLISH SUMMARY : INTRODUCTION: One of the most pressing issues confronting South Africa is ensuring access to sufficient, nutritious, and affordable food that is produced in a sustainable manner. However, a significant proportion of the diverse foods available in our environment have been overlooked in favour of a few commercial staple foods, resulting in a food supply that is too limited. Growing population rates, urbanization, and persistently rising food prices have resulted in a shift in dietary patterns from more traditional to more westernized diets, where healthier food options have become a luxury and highly processed and refined convenience foods are marketed as less expensive options, all of which are contributing to the emergence of a nutrition crisis in SA. This has resulted in the displacement of traditional and indigenous food crops (TIF), as well as a change in the diet of South Africans. Current dietary patterns reflect an increased intake of a small number of domesticated plant staples, while the intake of TIF, which once sustained health and nutritional status, has decreased significantly. The goal of this study is to conduct a literature evaluation on the promotion of TIF in South Africa. METHODOLOGY: This review was conducted using a systematic search of current academic literature from the following databases: Science Direct, Jstor, EBcohost, Bio-med and PubMed, and Google scholar. Abstract, title, keywords, and subject headings specific to each of the identified databases were searched. The review included studies with both analytical and descriptive study designs. RESULTS: Of the 26699 titles and abstracts screened 103 were potentially eligible. The review included five studies that included TIF as part of the intervention strategy after examination of full texts. Of the total 5 studies included in the review, 2 were cross-sectional studies, 2 were randomized control trials and 1 was a pre-test post-test control group design. All of the studies were based in rural communities. All the interventions had children, ages 1-12 years, as the primary benefactors. The studies included in this review have indicated the promotion and consumption of TIFs resulted in improved nutritional status, particularly vitamin A, zinc, and iron status. The inclusion and promotion of TIF in nutrition messages can significantly improve diet quality and ensure dietary diversification. This is attributed to the various components that form part of successful community-based interventions. CONCLUSION: The five studies discussed in the review are generally acknowledged to be successful in their own right. They have shown that the promotion, production and consumption of TIF in conjunction with nutrition messages and health-based caring practices does improve household food and nutrition security, particularly in vulnerable groups.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : INLEIDING: Een van die mees dringende kwessies wat Suid-Afrika konfronteer, is om toegang te verseker tot voldoende, voedsame en bekostigbare kos wat op 'n volhoubare wyse geproduseer word. ‘n Beduidende proporsie van die diverse voedsel wat in ons omgewing beskikbaar is, word tot voordeel van 'n paar kommersiële stapelvoedsels oor die hoof gesien, wat gevolglik lei tot ʼn té beperkte voedselvoorraad. Groeiende bevolkings koerse, verstedeliking en voortdurende stygende voedsel pryse het daartoe gelei dat dieet patrone verskuif van meer tradisionele tot meer verwesterde diëte. Gesonder voedsel opsies het 'n luukse geraak het, en hoogs verwerkte en verfynde geriefskos word as minder duur opsies bemark, bydraend tot die opkomstige voedingskrisis in SA. Dit het gelei tot die verplasing van tradisionele en inheemse voedsel gewasse (TIV), asook 'n verandering in die dieet van Suid-Afrikaners. Huidige dieet patrone weerspieël 'n verhoogde inname van 'n klein hoeveelheid verboude plant stapelvoedels, terwyl die inname van TIV, wat eens gesondheids- en voedingstatus volhou het, aansienlik afgeneem het. Die doel van hierdie studie is om 'n literatuur evaluering oor die bevordering van TIV in Suid-Afrika te doen. METODOLOGIE: Hierdie oorsig is met behulp van 'n sistematiese soektog na huidige akademiese literatuur uit die volgende databasisse: Science Direct, Jstor, EBcohost, Bio-med en PubMed, en Google Scholar gedoen. Abstrakte, titel-, sleutelwoorde en vak opskrifte spesifiek tot elk van die geïdentifiseerde databasisse is gesoek. Die oorsig het studies met beide analitiese en beskrywende studie ontwerpe ingesluit. Die RESULTATE: Van die 26 699 titels en abstrakte wat gekies is, kon 103 potensiëel ingesluit word. Die oorsig het vyf studies ingesluit wat TIV ingesluit het as deel van die intervensie-strategie na die ondersoek na volledige tekste. Van die totale vyf studies wat in die oorsig opgeneem is, was twee deursnee-studies, twee was ewekansige kontrole proewe en een was 'n voor-toets-kontrole-groep ontwerp. Al die studies was in landelike gemeenskappe gebaseer. Die primêre begunstigdes in al die intervensies was kinders van 1-12 jarige ouderdom. Die studies wat in hierdie oorsig opgeneem is, het aangedui dat die bevordering en verbruik van TIV's 'n verbeterde voedingstatus tot gevolg gehad het, veral vitamien A-, sink- en ysterstatus. Die insluiting en bevordering van TIV in voedingsboodskappe kan dieetkwaliteit beduidend verbeter en dieet diversifikasie verseker. Dit word toegeskryf aan die verskillende komponente wat deel uitmaak van suksesvolle gemeenskapsgebaseerde intervensies. GEVOLGTREKKING: Die vyf studies wat in die oorsig bespreek is, word oor die algemeen erken as suksesvol in hul eie reg. Hulle het getoon dat die bevordering, produksie en verbruik van TIV gepaardgaande met voedingsboodskappe en gesondheidsgebaseerde versorgingspraktyke wel huishoudelike voedsel- en voeding sekerheid verbeter, veral in kwesbare groepe.Master