MRDV / Instutute for Rural Development / Health and wellbeing of humans is affected by their eating habits, patterns and choice of meals. This research discusses food consumption patterns of selected households of Mbilwi and Matavhela villages in Thulamela Municipality, Limpopo Province of South Africa. The study identified types of food consumed and the nutritional knowledge of households living in the study area. In addition, the study assessed the knowledge of households on how food choices affect their health. Lastly an analysis of socio-economic factors that influence food consumption patterns in households living in Mbilwi and Matavhela villages was investigated. Using purposive sampling, qualitative and quantitative inquiry were used to explore the research objectives. A sample size of 50 and 47 households from each village were selected respectively and the heads of each household were interviewed. Thematic content analysis was used to categorise data into themes, to address and interpret qualitative data. Themes were generated as the units for analysis based on the objectives of the study to enable interpretation of qualitative information. The quantitative data was analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The findings indicated that there was no variety in foods consumed by households in both the weekly food consumption pattern and 24-hour food recall. There was also limited nutrition knowledge of the foods consumed in households of both villages. Households usually consumed energy giving foods such as carbohydrates and body building foods such as proteins. There was low consumption of milk and milk products, fruit and vegetable food groups. Various socio-economic factors such as income, living conditions, health, nutrition knowledge, culture, religion and lack of time to prepare food, affected eating habits. Some foods were recommended or condoned based on religious and cultural factors. Most households were unemployed and relied on government grants and remittances from family members working in the metropolitan centres. The findings in this study provide a better understanding of food access, availability and consumption in rural areas which can also assist in the formulation of policies that would improve quality of food consumption in rural areas. This study presented an opportunity that can be filled by institutions working in rural areas to support and strengthen their activities. Information sharing with households on the benefits of balanced diets can contribute to the health and the well-being of the society. The emphasis must be on strengthening backyard vegetable/fruit gardens and community food gardening programmes for household consumption v and sale, to generate income. These programmes can also offer fruit/vegetable preservation skills to households in order to help improve the shelf life of the produce. Policy makers must encourage provision of nutritional knowledge to households through different media and channels such as television, clinics, hospitals, schools, and newspapers.

PhDRDV / Institute for Rural Development / Many countries provide food to school children through school feeding programmes (SFPs). This is designed to alleviate short-term hunger and encourage learners to attend school. Many children in South Africa attend school hungry and lack general knowledge of nutrition, which negatively affects their learning abilities. Not much research attention has been paid to the potential of SFPs to improve learners‟ knowledge of nutrition. Nor has there been significant effort to stimulate local production of food involving community members, which might contribute to the development of rural areas. In the current study, the degree to which SFPs have alleviated hunger, promoted nutrition education, and enhanced the development of rural communities in Blouberg Local Municipality (BLM) was investigated. Data were collected from 11 primary schools in BLM where the South African Department of Basic Education implemented SFPs. At each school, quantitative data were collected from learners aged from 10 to 15 years using a structured, pre-tested and validated questionnaire. Qualitative data were collected through individual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with learners, teaching staff, community members and government officials involved in the implementation of SFPs. Document analysis, direct observation, and taking notes, photographs, Venn and seasonal -diagraming were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, crosstabulation and binary logistic regression were used to analyse quantitative data. Qualitative data obtained in the form of interview transcripts and field notes were analysed using thematic content analysis. An inductive approach was followed. This entails coding the data and observing emerging patterns, culminating in organising the results into common themes. A composite index was used as a measure of the quality of SFPs. Perceived benefits of SFPs were assessed based on a validated and standardised 5-point ordinal scale. It was observed that 80 % school children who participated in the study were satisfied with the quality of the SFPs provided to them. The results confirmed those obtained through focus group discussions and individual interviews. Overall satisfaction with the quality of the SFP in BLM significantly and positively depended on the following knowledge, in descending order of importance: fewer sugary foods should be consumed; fewer fatty foods should be consumed and eating various foods helps in proper growth and development. Four predictor variables significantly influenced satisfaction with SFPs. These were: knowledge that a variety of food types is helpful for growth and development [OR = 3.72; P < 0.001; 95% C.I. = 1.77, 7.83]; knowledge that eating too much fatty food is harmful [OR = 2.93; P < 0.001; 95% C.I. = 1.83, 4.68]; knowledge that eating too much sugary food is harmful [OR = 2.18; P < 0.001; 95% C.I. = 1.45, 3.29]; and knowledge that eating too much sweet food is harmful because it can make people fat [OR = 1.58; P < 0.05; 95% C.I. = 1.01, 2.50]. All participants agreed that SFPs alleviated hunger and benefited the learners and their families. Although the participants cited numerous other benefits accrued through SFPs, there were challenges that should be addressed. The involvement of community members in the SFPs was reported to be minimal such as cooking and serving food and working in the school gardens. This could be maximised because SFPs presented an opportunity for local food production and rural community development. Non-delivery of food by suppliers and the negative impact it had on learners was the major challenge. This observation implied that the SFPs constituted a readily available market, which the rural communities could exploit to improve their income, create jobs and enhance the rural economy. Therefore, SFPs and school gardens should be integrated with nutrition education to improve the learners‟ level of nutrition knowledge and reinforce the consumption of healthy foods. Although initially, the SFP had a community development component, this seemed to be overlooked. A framework that underscores strong partnerships among government departments, NGOs and the private sector in implementing community and/or rural development initiatives was developed. The framework is based on strong partnerships between key stakeholders, policy support, investments in resources and infrastructure for rural development and capacity building. / NRF