Social support as sustainability factor in food security of single-mother households in rural South Africa

Summary Single-mother households in rural communities are economically and psychosocially vulnerable and experience dire food insecurity. Single motherhood presents with a diminished quality of life and economic, logistical, and societal challenges, and single mothers are more likely to be under-educated, unemployed, or employed in low-income positions. Historically, single-mother households have struggled to make ends meet, and in the event of an unforeseen drop in income, these households rarely have assets to draw on to safeguard their families. Developmental social work taps into strengths within the client and their ecosystem to help them during crises. This qualitative study explored whether tapping into kinship and non-kinship social support networks enhances food security in single-mother households. This study used a once-off semi-structured interview with 16 participants living in rural Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, to collect data. Data was then processed using thematic analysis. Findings Underscored by the philosophy of Ubuntu, the findings reveal that South African single mothers make extensive use of social support networks to ensure food is available on their tables. Our data reveals a pattern where women use the strengths in their environments, especially their social capital to overcome food insecurity. Application It is recommended that social workers help single mothers establish strong organizational, kinship and non-kin support networks to reduce vulnerability to poverty in times of shocks and health crises.