A learning journey approach to food security in a South African foodshed

Despite South Africa’s relative wealth and positive food balance at a national level, the consequences of the food system include severe malnutrition, unviable agricultural production methods, and stark disparities. Resolving this paradox cannot be accomplished through conventional top-down policymaking, planning and scientific inquiry, because there is no agreement on the cause of the problem, there are no clear solutions, and there are multiple stakeholders and conflicting interests. ‘Learning journeys’ – a participatory process and action research method which reveals systemic issues through direct experience of a local environment – may offer one option to address this dilemma. A series of learning journeys, designed and facilitated in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, have shown the benefit of collective sense-making and problem-solving around key issues facing the local area. By bringing together those with the power to make decisions at scale and those directly experiencing or responding to the issue, these experiential journeys focus on learning and formulating collective plans of action for change. While the series initially focused on mapping food and nutrition insecurity issues, it revealed a host of interconnected issues, including those related to the economy, human mobility and social cohesion. As such, this method moves beyond extractive research towards collaborative learning. This approach can, with concerted follow-up, result in locally appropriate bottom-up systems change and the building of social compacts through which agreements can be reached and kept.