The Nourish the Nation Challenge is part of the Circular Run Expedition that Thomas Hart and Simphiwe “Fiddy” Ngcobo will undertake barefoot from Johannesburg to Cape Town via KwaZulu-Natal to promote investment in South Africa’s Green Economy, to promote conscious awareness and solutions for a better agri-food system in South Africa towards and set a world record for the longest barefoot walk. The Nourish the Nation Challenge will be a research and impact investment based campaign during the expedition that will engage ordinary South Africans on the human right of access to food, food waste, food security, land and sustainable farming while fundraising for SA Harvest and partnering food rescue and agri-food system organizations.

Research:

Besides walking barefoot across South Africa in support of businesses and organisations accelerating the growth of our Green Economy, the other focus of the Nourish the Nation Challenge is to produce research on public knowledge of the human right to access food, food waste and sustain agri-food systems.

The research will consist of both qualitative and quantitative data collected from South Africans that Thomas and Simphiwe meet along their route and from online surveys filled out by the South African public during the 3 month period of the expedition. The data collected will be analysis through a multi discipline approach using both sustainable livelihoods and ecological economic theoretical frameworks to better understand the complexities between government legislation, public knowledge and the implementation of better agri-food systems that benefit all South Africans.

The research findings will be published for the sponsors of the research for their own purposes in highlighting the South African public’s knowledge on their right to access food, the attitudes towards food waste and their needs to need malnutrition and end hunger.

Impact Investment Campaign:

Making our agri-food systems more sustainable will depend on investing in innovative tools and approaches that minimise food loss and waste, lower carbon emissions, create new food products, provide incomes and create jobs. Impact investing offers a solution if we can direct it towards sustainable, nutritious foods. It is poised for further growth as all types of investors are increasingly looking to achieve both social impacts and financial returns. Thus, through the Nourish the Nation Challenge, we will encourage South African citizens and businesses to impact investment in innovative socio-economic and environmental organizations, enterprises and businesses that are disrupting the agri-food value chain towards a more inclusive, circular and sustainable system that is climate conscious and provide access to food for all.

The Nourish the Nation Documentary:

Nourish the Nation will tell the story of Thommo Hart and Simphiwe Ngcobo as they venture across South Africa on foot trying to access nutritious food along their route that will keep them healthy and find solutions for a better agri-food system in South Africa that benefits all from engagements with citizens, farmers and food businesses they meet on the way. This feature documentary will document their journey as the try to access food along their route from the land, farmers and communities instead of large retail food brands and supermarkets while interviewing different stakeholders in the journey of food from farm to fork asking the simple question - does the South African public have access to healthy nutritious food for all?