Children ensuring their own food security in south africa

As the first in the series of articles on food security for this volume of Development, Gerrie Albertse and Elena Mancusi-Materi illustrate how initiation of school children into innovative technologies has fostered mechanisms of social mobilization towards enhanced food security in South Africa. In a system where children grow their own food and are trained in sustainable agricultural practices, not only are children attaining better nutritional standards and more balanced diets, but also a participatory approach to school feeding programmes is contributing to overall community development The example is drawn from a research case study accomplished within the framework of a SID-WFP Project on Food Security and Sustainable Livelihoods: Local Innovations against Hunger. © 2000 The Society for International Development.