Trialogue conducts annual research into CSI spend on each development sector in South Africa. In 2023, 68 large companies participated in Trialogue’s primary research survey. According to the research, food security and agriculture were supported by 60% of companies and received 9% of average CSI expenditure in 2023.
National context of food security and agriculture in South Africa
- The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) was allocated R7.8 billion for 2023/24, constituting 0.4% of the consolidated government expenditure of R2.24 trillion.
- DALRRD aims to settle 1 263 land restitution claims at a projected cost of R12.5 billion between 2023 and 2026 as part of the Food Security, Land Reform and Restitution programme. In the same period it plans to acquire 115 467 hectares at an estimated cost of R2.9 billion to settle people on the land and provide assistance post-settlement. A further R676 million is allocated to acquire 17 965 hectares to provide tenure security to farm dwellers and labour tenants.
- Using data from the General Household Survey 2021, Stats SA reported that out of almost 17.9 million households surveyed, 15% (2.6 million) and 6% (1.1 million) indicated that they respectively have inadequate and severe inadequate access to food. Additionally, 11.6% (2.1 million) of South African households experience hunger.
- According to FoodForward SA, in 2022 as many as 30 million South Africans experienced food insecurity each month.
- In 2023, around 27% of South African children under five years old were affected by stunting, according to the United Nations’ (UN) publication The ‘slow violence’ of malnutrition in South Africa, with irreversible physical and cognitive damage caused by persistent nutritional deprivation.
- The average household food basket cost R4 853 in December 2022, an increase of over 13% from December 2021, according to the Household Affordability Index by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group. By August 2023, the average cost had increased to R5 124.
Overview of CSI spend
Food security and agriculture were supported by 60% of companies and received 9% of average CSI expenditure.

Type of intervention
Average % CSI food security and agriculture spend 2023 n=36
50% Food relief/feeding schemes
19% Survivalist farming
12% Non-specific beneficiaries
11% Infrastructure, facilities and equipment
8% Small-scale farming/ commercial agriculture
- Food relief and feeding schemes received half of the average CSI spend in the food and agriculture sector. This has declined from 58% in 2022 and 63% in 2021, as funding adjusts to pre-pandemic levels.
- Survivalist farming received the second-largest portion of funding in this sector (19%).
- The average spend on small-scale farming/commercial agriculture decreased from 18% in 2022 to 8% in 2023.
Read more about food security and agriculture:
- Read the case study The future is digital: Reframing the agricultural green revolution.
- Read the 2022 research findings: Overview of CSI spend on food security and agriculture 2022.
Source: The original version of this article was published in the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook 2023 (26th edition).