Table_1_Policy gaps and food systems optimization: a review of agriculture, environment, and health policies in South Africa.DOCX

South Africa faces the triple burden of malnutrition, high poverty levels, unemployment, and inequality. “Wicked problems” such as these require innovative and transdisciplinary responses, multi-stakeholder coordination and collaboration, managing complex synergies and trade-offs, and achieving sustainable outcomes. Through qualitative content analysis of national and provincial sector-based policies, we explored the interlinkages between the agriculture, environment, and health sectors in South Africa in the context of sustainable food and nutrition security and the extent to which these interlinkages are integrated into policy and planning. A systemic analysis of the review outcomes was performed to identify its main learning outcome, the status quo in the policy process. The nature of feedback loops was identified, and a leverage point was suggested. The review highlighted that policymakers in the agriculture, environment and health sectors are aware of, and have understood, the relationships among the three sectors. They have also made attempts to address these interlinkages through collaboration and coordination. Unfortunately, this has been met with several challenges due to fragmented sector-specific mandates and targets and a lack of resources for integrated solutions. This creates implementation gaps and unintended duplication of activities, leading to poor service delivery. Transitioning to sustainable and healthy food systems will only be possible after these gaps have been closed and implementation optimization has been achieved. Focusing on meta-level problem-framing, functional collaboration through transdisciplinary approaches, and integrated targets are critical to successful policy implementation and progressive realization of national goals related to sustainable food and nutrition security, unemployment, poverty, and inequality.

南非面临营养不良、高贫困水平、失业与不平等的三重负担。此类“棘手难题（wicked problem）”需要创新性、跨学科的应对方案、多利益相关方协调与协作，统筹复杂的协同效应与权衡取舍，并达成可持续发展成果。本研究通过对国家及省级部门政策开展质性内容分析，探讨了南非农业、环境与卫生三大部门在可持续粮食与营养安全框架下的内在关联，以及这些关联在多大程度上被纳入政策与规划体系。研究对政策审查结果开展系统性分析，以明确其核心研究产出、政策制定流程的现状，识别了政策反馈循环的本质，并提出了政策干预的杠杆支点。本次审查显示，农业、环境与卫生部门的政策制定者均已认识并理解三大部门间的相互关系，亦尝试通过协作与协调来应对这些关联问题。但遗憾的是，由于部门专属权责与目标分散割裂，且缺乏支撑整合式解决方案的资源，这一尝试面临诸多挑战。这造成了政策落实缺口与非预期的活动重复问题，最终导致服务交付质量不佳。唯有填补上述落实缺口并优化政策实施，才能顺利转型至可持续健康粮食系统。聚焦元层级问题框架、通过跨学科路径开展功能性协作，以及设定整合式目标，对于政策实施的成功落地，以及逐步实现与可持续粮食与营养安全、失业、贫困及不平等相关的国家发展目标至关重要。