RENEWABLE Energy Needs and Household food Security in Mutale District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

摘要

In rural areas of South Africa, one of the problems associated with food insecurity, is the lack of adequate energy supply for domestic and extra-domestic household uses. This is true in rural communities where accessibility to ongrid electricity is inadequate. Settlement patterns, and the competitive cost of other energy supplies, compound the problem. Inadequate energy supply has impacted negatively on household food security because food produce like tomatoes, apples, carrots etc., can not be stored for a long time. The residents in Mutale are poor and their access to electricity is limited due to poverty and lack of use of alternative energy sources like wind, solar and biomass. Energy policies and strategies in South Africa seldom addressed the possibility of integrating sources of energy supplies in rural areas. Little attention is given to the needs of rural households and how they can improve food security through integrated and sustainable energy supply. The paper suggests integrated energy supplies that rely mostly on renewable energy sources like wind, solar and biomass.