Subsistence farming and commercial farming are two very different methods of securing a food secure life. Subsistence farming in sub-saharan Africa may be a more cost effective way of securing food for a household. Subsistence farming is prevalent in the very poor in places such as Tanzania, but what I will explore in this paper is if subsistence farming is a viable way of securing food for a population that is increasing continuously and land that is decreasing through overgrazing and poor management practices. Could places such as South Africa implement more of a widespread commercial food production that could grow into the food production network that we have here in the United States? Commercial farming in the United States that occurs
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Subsistence farming is when a household raises crops and/or livestock to maintain the family with little to no surplus to sell or trade. Subsistence farming usually consists of few acres has very little technology and generally has low yields. Subsistence farming can reduce a households reliance on market foods, which allows the household to save or spend income on different necessities. In the article The contribution of Subsistence Farming in South Africa it states that there is generally three ways a household gains food and that is through markets, subsistence farming, and from public programs or other households. The article also states, “Food expenditures can account for as much as 60– 80% of total household income for low-income households in some parts of sub- Saharan Africa.”(Baiphethi and Jacobs, …show more content…
In the article Should Subsistence Agriculture be Supported as a Strategy to Address Rural Food Insecurity it states that as households increase their subsistence farming there is an increase in income that can be devoted to buying other energy dense foods such as fats, oils, and meat. With subsistence agriculture there is an increase in nutrition available for the household and this helps with the current undernutrition happening in the very poor populations.
Most south African subsistence farming households don’t farm full time because of the inherent risks of relying on just one food source. In the article Should Subsistence Agriculture be Supported as a Strategy to Address Rural Food Insecurity it states
Subsistence farming is when a household raises crops and/or livestock to maintain the family with little to no surplus to sell or trade. Subsistence farming usually consists of few acres has very little technology and generally has low yields. Subsistence farming can reduce a households reliance on market foods, which allows the household to save or spend income on different necessities. In the article The contribution of Subsistence Farming in South Africa it states that there is generally three ways a household gains food and that is through markets, subsistence farming, and from public programs or other households. The article also states, “Food expenditures can account for as much as 60– 80% of total household income for low-income households in some parts of sub- Saharan Africa.”(Baiphethi and Jacobs, …show more content…
In the article Should Subsistence Agriculture be Supported as a Strategy to Address Rural Food Insecurity it states that as households increase their subsistence farming there is an increase in income that can be devoted to buying other energy dense foods such as fats, oils, and meat. With subsistence agriculture there is an increase in nutrition available for the household and this helps with the current undernutrition happening in the very poor populations.
Most south African subsistence farming households don’t farm full time because of the inherent risks of relying on just one food source. In the article Should Subsistence Agriculture be Supported as a Strategy to Address Rural Food Insecurity it states