Food systems hazards and impact of social exclusion on the spread of hazards

Abstract

The report outlines a conceptual framework and theories to help understand how vulnerability to hazards is compounded by social exclusion. The theories analysed underline how social exclusion and unequal access to resources and opportunities increase vulnerability to food system hazards, for example worsening food insecurity and health risks for the marginalised. The report discussed factors, for example institutional governance and socioeconomic, that constrain the options available to the marginalised and socially excluded and hinder them from life opportunities and benefits of food systems. The report explains social exclusion as both i) a status or an outcome in which some people cannot fully participate in life because of their socioeconomic characteristics, such as ethnicity, gender, religion, race, or other characteristic and ii) the mechanisms by which some members of society become excluded from accessing important networks and societal resources and opportunities. Case studies from the Global South provide additional context for the report’s findings, demonstrating that issues such as governance structures, spatial dynamics, population characteristics, and economic status all contribute to social exclusion. For example, climate change intensifies disputes among herders and farmers regarding access to and use of land and water, heightening food insecurity and increasing susceptibility to hazards in West Africa. In addition, the report benefited from feedback given on its draft version during a workshop hosted by Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in 2024 and attended by people across the disciplines involved in food systems. The varying insights and views on the understanding of the notion of social exclusion at the workshop participants provided an opportunity to revise the draft report. The report was eventually improved by discussing social exclusion in the context of a country like South African with its unique sociopolitical and history and highlight the link between social exclusion and social inequality.