IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jresou/v10y2021i12p123-d696421.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Edible Insects in Rural Livelihoods, and Identified Challenges in Vhembe District, Limpopo, South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Zabentungwa T. Hlongwane

    (School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa)

  • Rob Slotow

    (School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa)

  • Thinandavha C. Munyai

    (School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa)

Abstract

Edible insects are an important natural commodity in rural areas that is used for household consumption and to generate income through trade. As a result, edible-insect trading is a profitable business that provides employment and improves the livelihoods of impoverished rural people. This study aimed at determining the socioeconomic benefits of and reasons for trading insects, and to assess if edible insects are included in economic development strategies in the Vhembe district of Limpopo province, South Africa. We conducted 72 questionnaire interviews targeting traders in 5 towns across the district. Five insect groups belonging to four insect orders are traded in informal markets of the district. Mopane worms ( Gonimbrasia belina ) were the most traded (42%) edible insects. Unemployment (45%) and the demand for edible insects (34%) were the major reasons for trading insects. Insect trading has numerous benefits; however, the provision of income (60%) and financial support (35%) were stated as the primary benefits. Despite several benefits associated with trading in insects, there are many challenges such as insect spoilage and a decline in the availability of edible insects in the wild. Edible insects play an important role in food security and the rural economy by generating employment opportunities for unemployed traders. Trading in insects is a traditional practice based on indigenous knowledge, which has persisted as an economic practice that improves rural livelihoods by reducing poverty and increases the human dignity of rural citizens. Only four governmental organisations in Limpopo included edible insects in economic development strategies. Trading insects is primarily an informal activity. The government could stimulate the activity and broaden and deepen the community benefits by providing infrastructure, access to harvest areas, financial support, and business training as part of a rural empowerment strategy to end hunger and poverty while creating employment opportunities in rural areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Zabentungwa T. Hlongwane & Rob Slotow & Thinandavha C. Munyai, 2021. "The Role of Edible Insects in Rural Livelihoods, and Identified Challenges in Vhembe District, Limpopo, South Africa," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:10:y:2021:i:12:p:123-:d:696421
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/12/123/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/12/123/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Colleen C. Naughton & Tara F. Deubel & James R. Mihelcic, 2017. "Household food security, economic empowerment, and the social capital of women’s shea butter production in Mali," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(4), pages 773-784, August.
    2. Baiyegunhi, L.J.S. & Oppong, B.B., 2016. "Commercialisation of mopane worm (Imbrasia belina) in rural households in Limpopo Province, South Africa," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 141-148.
    3. Shackleton, Charlie M. & Pandey, Ashok K., 2014. "Positioning non-timber forest products on the development agenda," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 1-7.
    4. Valerie J. Stull & Mukata Wamulume & Mwangala I. Mwalukanga & Alisad Banda & Rachel S. Bergmans & Michael M. Bell, 2018. "“We like insects here”: entomophagy and society in a Zambian village," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(4), pages 867-883, December.
    5. Rob Davies & James Thurlow, 2010. "Formal–Informal Economy Linkages And Unemployment In South Africa," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 78(4), pages 437-459, December.
    6. Stephan Klasen & Ingrid Woolard, 2009. "Surviving Unemployment Without State Support: Unemployment and Household Formation in South Africa," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 18(1), pages 1-51, January.
    7. Olubusola Temitope Adeoye & Babatunde Isaac Alebiosu & Olukayode Dare Akinyemi & Odunola Abiola Adeniran, 2014. "Socio Economic Analysis of Forest Edible Insects Species Consumed and Its Role in the Livelihood of People in Lagos State," Journal of Food Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 3(1), pages 104-120, December.
    8. L. J. S. Baiyegunhi & B. B. Oppong & G. M. Senyolo, 2016. "Mopane worm (Imbrasia belina) and rural household food security in Limpopo province, South Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(1), pages 153-165, February.
    9. L. Baiyegunhi & B. Oppong & G. Senyolo, 2016. "Mopane worm (Imbrasia belina) and rural household food security in Limpopo province, South Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(1), pages 153-165, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Charlotte L. R. Payne & Athanase Badolo & Sioned Cox & Bakary Sagnon & Darja Dobermann & Charlotte Milbank & Pete Scarborough & Antoine Sanon & Fernand Bationo & Andrew Balmford, 2020. "The contribution of ‘chitoumou’, the edible caterpillar Cirina butyrospermi, to the food security of smallholder farmers in southwestern Burkina Faso," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(1), pages 221-234, February.
    2. Michał Borychowski & Sebastian Stępień & Jan Polcyn & Aleksandra Tošović-Stevanović & Dragan Ćalović & Goran Lalić & Milena Žuža, 2020. "Socio-Economic Determinants of Small Family Farms’ Resilience in Selected Central and Eastern European Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-30, December.
    3. Agnieszka Poczta-Wajda & Agnieszka Sapa & Sebastian Stępień & Michał Borychowski, 2020. "Food Insecurity among Small-Scale Farmers in Poland," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.
    4. Sinyolo, Sikhulumile, 2020. "Technology adoption and household food security among rural households in South Africa: The role of improved maize varieties," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    5. Boubacar Siddighi Balde & Mamady Diawara & Cristiano M. Rossignoli & Alexandros Gasparatos, 2019. "Smallholder-Based Oil Palm and Rubber Production in the Forest Region of Guinea: An Exploratory Analysis of Household Food Security Outcomes," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-19, February.
    6. Shackleton, C.M. & Adeyemi, O. & Setty, S., 2024. "Why are non-wood forest products still the poor relative in Global Forest Resources Assessments?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    7. Baiyegunhi, L.J.S. & Oppong, B.B., 2016. "Commercialisation of mopane worm (Imbrasia belina) in rural households in Limpopo Province, South Africa," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 141-148.
    8. Mitra, Sophie, 2010. "Disability Cash Transfers in the Context of Poverty and Unemployment: The Case of South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 1692-1709, December.
    9. Ishtiyak Ahmad Peerzada & Mohammad A. Islam & James Chamberlain & Shalini Dhyani & Mohan Reddy & Somidh Saha, 2022. "Potential of NTFP Based Bioeconomy in Livelihood Security and Income Inequality Mitigation in Kashmir Himalayas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-20, February.
    10. Mugido, Worship & Shackleton, Charlie M., 2019. "The contribution of NTFPS to rural livelihoods in different agro-ecological zones of South Africa," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    11. Friedrich Schneider & Mangirdas Morkunas & Erika Quendler, 2021. "Measuring the Immeasurable: The Evolution of the Size of Informal Economy in the Agricultural Sector in the EU-15 up to 2019," CESifo Working Paper Series 8937, CESifo.
    12. Marisa Coetzee, 2013. "Finding the Benefits: Estimating the Impact of The South African Child Support Grant," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 81(3), pages 427-450, September.
    13. Pieter Serneels, 2004. "The Nature of Unemployment in Urban Ethiopia," CSAE Working Paper Series 2004-01, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    14. Ingrid Woolard & Stephan Klasen, 2005. "Determinants of Income Mobility and Household Poverty Dynamics in South Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(5), pages 865-897.
    15. van Ours, Jan C. & Vodopivec, Milan, 2006. "Shortening the Potential Duration of Unemployment Benefits Does Not Affect the Quality of Post-Unemployment Jobs: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 2171, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Joos-Vandewalle, S. & Wynberg, R. & Alexander, K.A., 2018. "Dependencies on natural resources in transitioning urban centers of northern Botswana," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 30(PC), pages 342-349.
    17. Phemelo Tamasiga & Helen Onyeaka & Adenike Akinsemolu & Malebogo Bakwena, 2023. "The Inter-Relationship between Climate Change, Inequality, Poverty and Food Security in Africa: A Bibliometric Review and Content Analysis Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-35, March.
    18. Morgan, Edward A. & Buckwell, Andrew & Guidi, Caterina & Garcia, Beatriz & Rimmer, Lawrence & Cadman, Tim & Mackey, Brendan, 2022. "Capturing multiple forest ecosystem services for just benefit sharing: The Basket of Benefits Approach," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    19. South African Reserve Bank, 2023. "A. Inflation and labour markets in the wake of the pandemic," BIS Papers chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Inflation and labour markets, volume 127, pages 273-286, Bank for International Settlements.
    20. Palaschuk, Nicholas & Gauthier, Jason & Bullock, Ryan, 2024. "Developing community-based criteria for sustaining non-timber forest products: A case study with the Missanabie Cree First Nation," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:10:y:2021:i:12:p:123-:d:696421. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.