Tags: Food insecurity, Water insecurity, Population growth, Income, Agriculture, Water shortages, Natural resources

South Africa’s future food security will depend in part on the country’s economic outlook. Strong real GDP growth, managed well, will assist in raising household income and the ability to purchase food. As the country recovers from the global financial crisis, output growth is expected to improve substantially. During 2009 its economy contracted by 1.7 per cent, but grew the following year by 2.8 per cent. In 2011 the economy grew by 3.7 per cent and in 2012 is expected to grow by a further 4.3 per cent. On the back of its strong economic performance, the IMF expects South Africa’s GDP to keep expanding at around 4 per cent a year over the next five years. In the current global financial environment, predictions beyond five years are hazardous. Robust demand from rapidly developing nations for its natural resources, however, should lead to consistent and steady growth to 2025, which bodes well for per capita income levels.

Food_and_Water_Security_in_South_Africa.pdf