ABSTRACT
This chapter goes beyond the city of Bloemfontein to paint a portrait of semi-urban and rural food insecurity and agency in the province, as well as initiatives people have created to confront this challenge, through the experiences and perspectives of people in different areas outside of the main city. It explores the lives of people in the semi-urban area of Bothsabelo, and the towns of Kestell and Harrismith in Thabo Mofutsanyana Municipality in the Eastern Free State. In all these areas, their agency to confront their challenges and food security initiatives that have been created by others are discussed. These people include a young unemployed father and an old couple who plant a backyard garden together, small farmers who created a Christian ministry and soup kitchen, an HIV positive woman who plants a tire garden, and two garbage scavengers. Their stories are powerful narratives of people’s experiences, as told in their own voices, and through them are elucidated how poverty and hunger are issues of social and economic injustice. The implementation of the Re Kgaba Ka Diratswana program, its challenges and successes, and the evolution of the successful model agri-village, Diyatalawa, are also described.
