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CSLU

Centre of sustainable livelihoods unit

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Centre of Sustainable Livelihoods Unit

The Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods Unit originated from the Department of Tourism and Public Relations within the Faculty of Human Sciences in 2004. It was first established as the Food and Nutrition Research Centre (2005), later evolving into the Institute of Sustainable Livelihoods (2006), and ultimately becoming VUT’s first Centre of Excellence in 2010. Currently, the CSL reports directly to the Office of the Executive Dean of Human Sciences, although it is housed at the Science Park Campus of VUT.

Research at the Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods (CSL) has focused on poverty, malnutrition, and household food insecurity in rural (n=4), peri-urban (n=2), and urban (n=2) communities in the Vaal region, Qwa-Qwa, and the Cofimvaba District in recent years. A number of baseline surveys conducted in Eatonside, Bophelong, Boipatong, Sharpeville, Orange Farm, and Qwa-Qwa have centred on the key research question: to what extent do micro-mechanisms, such as household food gardens, influence the food security, nutrition, and health of residents in these areas?

Findings have revealed that poverty, household food insecurity, and the risk of malnutrition are the most pressing challenges facing these low-income communities. The close relationship between CSL and these communities has led to a research programme that is both relevant and actionable, with a strong emphasis on the implementation of clinical trials to combat malnutrition (through school feeding and supplementation projects) and to foster innovation in food product development. Additionally, several food gardening initiatives were launched to address chronic household food insecurity.

These initiatives have received significant financial support from the National Research Foundation (NRF) (2000–2012), the South African Netherlands Partnership in Alternative Research in Development (SANPAD) (2007–2012), the United States Potato Board (2010), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) (2013–2014), and the Oilseeds Advisory Committee (2014).

Among the strategies implemented by the CSL in recent years were:

  1. Health promotion, specifically nutrition education programmes for target groups—namely children, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly;

  2. Addressing household food insecurity by implementing a sustainable household vegetable and soya gardening programme;

  3. Developing affordable and energy-saving manual household and industrial soya food processing equipment through the exchange of knowledge and technology; and

  4. Evaluating the impact of this programme on food and nutrition knowledge (short-term) and dietary intake behaviour (long-term), as well as household food insecurity in the community;

  5. Using technology to formulate healthy food products through extrusion technology.

All the above objectives were and will be implemented by pairing actual community needs with postgraduate academic research projects.

All research undertaken in the CSL is expected to result in significant scientific impact, demonstrated through publications in accredited (n=49 since 2002) and other peer-reviewed (n=26 since 2002) scientific journals, as well as postgraduate qualifications (n=33 since 2002). Moreover, it should have sustainable effects on the development of low-income rural communities—specifically in relation to food security, and the nutritional and health status of children, their caregivers, and elderly people in these communities.

This aligns with international priorities such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and national priorities, including rural development, access to affordable health services, and food and nutrition security.

Activities undertaken by the CSL also support the South African Integrated Nutrition Programme of the Department of Health (DoH), which aims to promote the health of women—particularly pregnant and lactating women—reduce the prevalence of malnutrition in children, combat hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus among the elderly, ensure optimal growth in infants and young children, and build capacity at all levels to address household food insecurity and its adverse effects. Furthermore, it seeks to reduce malnutrition and hunger and enhance inter-sectoral collaboration and community ownership of programmes and resources.

CSL has cooperated

A key contribution to the success of the CSL has been the capacity building of postgraduate students and local community organisations. This has resulted in the creation of sustainable links between the CSL and various community organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), funding agencies, and national and international academic institutions.

Furthermore, the following international links with food and nutrition researchers—who assist the CSL with postgraduate supervision, article writing, research support, and expert advice—remain active:

  • Ms Cade Fields-Gardner, a dietitian specialising in community nutrition and HIV/AIDS, from The Cutting Edge in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America. Ms Fields-Gardner visited the CSL on 20 April to discuss future projects in Africa.

  • Dr Rozanne Kruger, from Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand. Dr Kruger is a nutritionist specialising in community nutrition and dietary diversification. She visited the CSL from 7–23 May for article writing and again from 20–26 September to participate in the Soy Seminar and Workshop hosted by the CSL.

  • Dr Folake Samuel, a nutritionist from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Dr Samuel visited the CSL from 21–27 September as a guest speaker at the Soy Seminar and Workshop.

  • Mr Jim Hershey and Mr Josh Neiderman from the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH), USA. Mr Hershey visited the CSL from 24–26 September to participate in the Soy Seminar and Workshop.

  • Prof Mary Murimi, a dietitian specialising in community nutrition, specifically mother and child nutrition, from Texas Tech University. Prof Murimi visited the CSL from 5–10 January to discuss collaboration. She also presented an article-writing workshop to 23 researchers and postgraduate students from VUT, UNISA, and North-West University (NWU).

  • Prof Symon Mahungu, Professor of Food Chemistry at Egerton University, Kenya. Prof Mahungu visited the CSL from 21–27 September to participate in the Soy Seminar and Workshop, during which future collaboration on the soy research programme was discussed.

  • Prof Craig Gundersen, Executive Director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, USA. Prof Gundersen visited the CSL and participated as a speaker in the Soy Seminar and Workshop.

  • Prof Wilna Oldewage-Theron, Professor of Nutrition at Texas Tech University, USA. Prof Oldewage-Theron was the founder and former director of the CSL.

  • Prof Roberto Pilu, Associate Professor at Di.S.A.A. – Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences – Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 2, 20133 Milano, Italy.

The international links established by the CSL align with the VUT strategy for internationalisation. Its specific networks across Africa can lead to collaborative projects in which CSL’s successes can positively impact the continent. Africa, however, faces unique challenges such as poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, and health issues. Therefore, it is vital to network across the continent to mobilise full capacity in addressing these challenges. Involving international students further increases capacity across Africa, while South African postgraduate students benefit from this international exposure.

Collaborations with South African institutions include the following:

  • A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Department of Food and Nutrition at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) and the CSL to develop South African food-based dietary guidelines for the elderly (July 2012). The agreement, valid for three years, included a visit by Prof CE Napier and Ms H Grobbelaar to the CSL from 21–22 October to analyse data collected with Prof WH Oldewage-Theron in 2014.

  • A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the CSIR and the CSL (May 2013) to collaborate on a school feeding programme implemented in Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape. This DST-funded project ended in June 2014.

  • A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between Nestlé and the CSL (April 2014) to collaborate on the Healthy Kids nutrition education programme implemented in Hammanskraal, effective from 2015 to 2016.

  • A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the CSL and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) regarding collaboration in human nutrition and food security.

  • A Letter of Intent was signed between the CSL and Texas Tech University for possible data exchange and joint implementation of projects focused on food and nutrition security in South Africa and beyond.