The Opportunity

South Africa faces a critical paradox: while being a net food exporter, 23.1% of households experience inadequate food access. Current monitoring systems are fragmented, retrospective, and lack the granular insights needed for effective decision-making. The South African Food Security Index (SAFSI) represents an opportunity to create the country's first comprehensive, real-time food security measurement platform.

What is SAFSI?

SAFSI is a groundbreaking national framework that measures, monitors, and manages food security across South Africa's entire agricultural value chain. Built on six interconnected pillars—from production and processing to access, nutrition, resilience, and infrastructure—SAFSI provides dynamic, auditable insights for policymakers, investors, and agricultural stakeholders.

Key Differentiators:

Real-time monitoring vs. static annual reports
Value chain-centric approach covering field crops, horticulture, and livestock
Subnational granularity enabling provincial and district-level insights
Aligned with global standards (GFSI, FAO SOFI, IPC) while locally contextual

Strategic Foundation: AgricultureSA.io Platform

The project builds on AgricultureSA.io, South Africa's most integrated agricultural intelligence platform, which already hosts:

Comprehensive rural safety monitoring
Real-time trade and consumption tracking
Critical infrastructure databases
Legal and regulatory frameworks
Extensive stakeholder networks through AgriSA and organized agriculture

This established foundation provides immediate access to essential datasets, stakeholder credibility, and technical infrastructure—significantly reducing development risk and time-to-market.

Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1: Foundation & Validation (2025)

• Research & Development: Comprehensive data mapping and methodology design• Model & Framework Development: Six-pillar architecture with scoring algorithms• PWC Audit: Independent validation ensuring institutional credibility• 10-Year Historic Benchmark: Retrospective analysis establishing baseline trends

Months 5-6: Model refinement and stakeholder validation, Data partnership establishment with key institutions

Phase 2: Launch & Operationalization (Q1 2026)

• SAFSI Dashboard Development: Interactive, real-time visualization platform• Metric Automation Integration: Seamless connection with AgricultureSA.io datasets• Index Report Publication: Comprehensive inaugural analysis• First Version Launch: Public release with media and stakeholder engagement

Government & Policy Impact

• Early warning capabilities for food security crises• Evidence-based policy development with R/billions in agricultural spending• SDG 2 compliance and international reporting alignment

Private Sector Applications

• Risk assessment for agricultural lending and insurance (R50B+ market)• ESG reporting for sustainability-conscious investors• Supply chain optimization for food processors and retailers• Investment targeting for agribusiness development

Institutional Value

• National strategic asset for food system governance• Research platform for academic and policy institutions• Stakeholder coordination across government, private sector, and civil society

Success Metrics & Milestones

Phase 1 Deliverables:

Audited methodology document
10-year historic benchmark dataset
Validated six-pillar framework
Government and institutional partnerships

Phase 2 Deliverables:

Live SAFSI dashboard on AgricultureSA.io
Automated data feeds
Published inaugural SAFSI report
Media launch and stakeholder adoption

12-Month Impact Targets:

• 3+ government departments using SAFSI for policy development• 10+ private sector partners integrating SAFSI data• R1B+ in agricultural investment decisions influenced by SAFSI insights

The Investment Decision

SAFSI represents a unique opportunity to create a nationally strategic data asset while generating sustainable commercial returns. With South Africa's agricultural sector worth R400B+ annually and growing emphasis on data-driven decision making, SAFSI positions the sector at the intersection of social impact and commercial opportunity.

For detailed technical specifications, partnership agreements, and financial projections, please refer to the complete SAFSI whitepaper.

Additional Resources

Further information about SAFSI methodology

Scoring Methodology

Detailed explanation of how SAFSI is calculated and scored

View Methodology

Data Sources

Information about the sources of data used in SAFSI

View Data Sources