Like many other indigenous communities, the Amadiba have not been spared the impact of Westernisation on their culture, particularly their food systems. Nowadays, people, especially the youth, aspire to eat Western foods and enjoy a ‘modern’ lifestyle.

The colorful traditional dress of the Amadiba is an important part of their cultural heritage. Credit: Margie Pretorius
Over the past 30 to 40 years, local diets have shifted from locally grown, nutrient-dense foods to processed foods supplied through supermarkets. The food system is also being shaped by the South African government’s adoption of the industrial farming system, which includes the use of commercial fertilisers, pesticides and genetically modified seeds.
The industrial system erodes smallholder farmer and community ownership and safeguarding of the means of production – such as indigenous and farmer seeds and chemical-free soils – and the knowledge about them that has been built up over centuries.
It is critical that the valuable arable land in this region is kept in the protective custody of resilient farming families to support local food and nutrition security. To a large degree, this will rely on protecting and sharing the indigenous knowledge systems and practices that have built the resilience of households and communities in the past.