Effect of Consumers’ Acceptance of Indigenous Leafy Vegetables and Their Contribution to Household Food Security

Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas Ngidi (), Sinethemba Sibusisiwe Zulu, Temitope Oluwaseun Ojo and Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo
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Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas Ngidi: Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Resource Management, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa
Sinethemba Sibusisiwe Zulu: African Centre for Food Security, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa
Temitope Oluwaseun Ojo: Department of Agricultural Economics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife 220101, Nigeria
Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo: Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: In the past decades, indigenous leafy vegetables (ILVs) have played a significant role in household food security, especially in poor rural households. However, ILVs have been replaced by exotic cash crops in the contemporary world. This study was conducted to assess the consumption of indigenous leafy vegetables and their contribution to household food security of households in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The study used secondary data collected by the South African Vulnerability Assessment Committee in 2016. A total of 1520 respondents were selected using a multistage sampling method. The results from descriptive statistics revealed that most consumers did not produce ILVs but consumed them. Meanwhile, a small number of people produced ILVs yet did not consume them. The results from the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) showed that a large proportion of the population experienced moderate food security while some of the individuals within the population experienced severe food insecurity. An endogenous switching regression model (ESRM) was employed to analyze the impact of the consumption of ILVs on household food security. The results revealed that only a few variables of the consumption of ILVs were significant and positive (household size, wealth index, and ‘if the disabled person receives grants’). As a result, the consumption of ILVs had a minimal impact on the household food security of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The findings further revealed that age, gender, and education variables negatively influenced the consumption of ILVs. Thus, the recommended programs must be established to educate people about the importance of consuming ILVs. Agricultural extension services must equally promote the consumption of exotic cash crops and ILVs. Lastly, policies can contribute by increasing the diversity of ILVs left at retail outlets through diverse production.

Keywords: indigenous leafy vegetables; households; food security; endogenous switching regression model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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