Climate change through extreme weather events threatens food security (FS) and the eradication of poverty. Thus, improving FS will require adapting to the impacts of climate change as well as reducing the risks of disasters. However, the nexus between FS, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) is not always reflected in policies, resulting in fragmented implementation. The purpose of this article is to evaluate if there is coherence in the policies for FS, DRR and CCA in South Africa. A qualitative research design was applied, and data were collected through a summative content analysis on 34 policy and legislative documents and 24 key informant interviews (KII). The study found that there are still incoherencies between the current main policy and legislative documents that address CCA, DRR and FS. This study recommends a review of old policy and legislative frameworks promulgated in the 1990s to incorporate cross-cutting issues such as DRR, CCA and FS. This will enhance and strengthen synergies and interconnections between the three policy areas.

As disasters and climate change risks, particularly droughts and floods, continue to affect food security globally, most governments, including South Africa, have resorted to the use of technology to incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction to address FS issues. This is because most institutions and policies that address climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and food security operate in parallel, which usually leads to the polarisation of interventions and conflicting objectives, thus leaving the issue of FS unresolved. The study aimed to investigate how food security projects are incorporating climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction using technology. A qualitative research design was applied, whereby in-depth interviews were conducted with ten project participants from two projects, while 24 key informants were purposively selected from government and research institutions. The study’s main findings revealed that both projects incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures in most of their food value chains. Although the projects are different, they still face similar challenges, such as a lack of expertise, resources, and funding, and an inadequate regulatory environment to improve their farming practices. The study brings in the practical side of addressing the coherence between food security, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction through technology.

Incoherence in coordination between institutions that address climate change adaptation (CCA), disaster risk reduction (DRR) and food security (FS) policy areas exacerbates FS challenges in most de...

Food security (FS), climate change adaptation (CCA), and disaster risk reduction (DRR) have all evolved in isolation at the global, national, and subnational levels, employing various response strategies, plans, and conceptual and institutional frameworks. As a result, attempts to ensure food security through DRR and CCA efforts are unevenly dispersed. The purpose of this research is to propose a novel framework for bringing FS, CCA, and DRR policies in South Africa into alignment. Data was gathered from eight institutions through content analysis of three FS, CCA and DRR policy documents, as well as 24 face-to-face and virtual/online key informant interviews (KIIs). The findings revealed inconsistencies in the objectives specified by FS, CCA and DRR policies, as well as a lack of coordination throughout implementation and insufficient monitoring systems that tie the policies together. Therefore, this study presents a paradigm for achieving policy coherence between the three policy areas.

As disasters and climate change risks particularly those associated with hydrometeorlogical hazards such as droughts and floods continue to affect food security (FS) globally, most governments, including South Africa, have resorted to the use of technology to incorporate climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) to address FS issues. This is because most institutions and policies that address CCA, DRR and FS operate in parallel, which lead to polarisation of interventions and conflicting objectives, thus leaving the issue of FS unresolved. The purpose of the study was to investigate how FS projects are incorporating CCA and DRR using technology. A qualitative research design was applied; whereby in-depth interviews were conducted with ten project participants from two projects, while 24 key informants were purposively selected from government and research institutions. The main findings of the study revealed that both projects incorporate CCA and DRR measures in most of their food value chains. Although the projects are different in nature, they still face similar challenges, such as a lack of expertise, resources, funding, and an inadequate regulatory environment to improve their farming practices. The study brings in the practical side of addressing coherence between FS, CCA and DRR through technology.