Behavioural Bytes Archives
Something doesn't add up.
We read the article in the Daily Maverick this week about South Africa's hunger crisis, and it highlighted a crude contradiction that's been on our minds: 23% of households struggle with food access while 10 million tonnes are wasted annually.
Our recent research with WWF South Africa and FoodForward SA examined farm-level waste. Farmers described perfect fruit rejected for tiny blemishes, transport costs that make donation impossible, and crops left to rot because harvesting wasn't economically viable.
But even when we solve farm waste, the drivers of systemic poverty still means that a massive gap exists between available food and hungry families.
So now we know it's not only about logistics, but about families choosing between transport to work and buying vegetables. It's about people who might understand the importance of nutrition but simply can't afford it.
The real question isn't "how do we redistribute surplus food?" It's "why do economic barriers make nutritious food inaccessible to millions who desperately need it?"
We honestly believe behavioural science becomes essential in this context. What if we could design food access systems that work with people's financial realities instead of against them?
We're looking for partners who want to tackle this properly and take the recommendations in our study into measurable action - not just move surplus food around, but understand and address why the gap exists in the first place.
Interested in exploring this together? info@behaviourchangeagency.com
See our research on food waste here.
and here: https://lnkd.in/dCC3NatQ
Read the Daily Maverick article here.
