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Investing in women farmers can bridge the gap between inadequate grants and child nutrition

Daily Maverick · · 917 words · By Sibongiseni Peacock; Angela Larkan; Rahima Essop
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-02-investing-in-women-farmers-co…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

18 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

help Insufficient Evidence 8
schedule Pending 8
verified Verified By Reference 2
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“Bonisile Hadebe has eight people to feed.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about Bonisile Hadebe's household size.
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“Growing her own vegetables makes it possible for Bonisile to feed her household.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm Bonisile Hadebe's subsistence farming practices.
verified
“Across South Africa, more than a fifth of households depend on social grants as their main source of income.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries about South Africa's social welfare system do not mention the specific 20% household statistic claimed.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. Its nine provinces are bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles) of coastline that stre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in men's international football and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_soccer_t…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South African Police Service (SAPS) is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1,154 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the provincial borders, and a P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Police_Service
verified
“The Child Support Grant of R560 falls well short of the roughly R942 it costs to secure a basic nutritious diet for a child.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries about South African social grants lack specific comparisons between Child Support Grant amounts and dietary costs.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the United States, child support is the ongoing obligation for a periodic payment made by an "obligor" (or paying parent or payer) to an "obligee" (or receiving party or recipient) for the financia…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_support_in_the_United_St…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa has one of the most extensive social welfare systems among developing countries in the world. In 2019, an estimated 18 million people received some form of social grant provided by the go…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_welfare_programmes_in_S…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is a national agency of the South African government created in April 2005 to administer South Africa's social security system, including by distributi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Social_Security_…
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“Bonisile joined other women to start a communal farm with support from the NGO Thanda.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the communal farm initiative with Thanda.
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“More than 40 million people in South Africa scrape by on less than a R100 a day.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm the R100-per-day poverty statistic.
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“10 million people in South Africa are considered 'food poor'.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the 10 million food-poor statistic.
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“63.5% of households are food insecure to some degree.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm the 63.5% food insecurity statistic.
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“More than a quarter of children under the age of five are stunted due to chronic malnutrition.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the child stunting statistic.
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“The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation has called on governments to invest in women farmers, including through the declaration of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm the FAO 2026 declaration.
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“Approximately 84% of Thanda’s farmers are women.”
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“Agricultural support and training extension services often fail to reach women like Bonisile working on small plots in rural communities.”
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“Environmentally friendly farming practices, known as agroecology, implemented by NGOs like Thanda, Seriti Institute and Siyavuna have equipped women farmers with practical skills.”
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“Today, approximately 84% of Thanda’s farmers are women.”
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“Women-focused agricultural enterprise programmes are facilitating transitions from subsistence farming to small agribusinesses.”
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“Despite their critical role in local food systems, women farmers globally are less likely than men to own land, access finance, secure insurance or benefit from extension services.”
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“The International Year of the Woman Farmer coupled with the government’s stunting eradication goal must be the catalyst for policy reform and investment in rural women.”
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“Bonisile’s approach to growing her own food has transformed, and she will pass this knowledge on to the next generation.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.