Sustainable Development Goals and Food Remittances: COVID-19 Lockdowns, Digital Transformation, Lessons and Policy Reflections from South Africa-Zimbabwe Corridor

Abstract

The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to address global challenges like food insecurity, poverty, inequality, and economic growth. Remittances are crucial in achieving these goals, especially in developing countries. By directly supporting households, remittances help reduce poverty and food insecurity, improve access to healthcare and education and bolster financial stability. Strengthening policies to facilitate safe, affordable remittances aligns with SDG targets and empowers families to break the poverty cycle, contributing to sustainable development at the community level. Recent migration studies reveal that food remittances are essential to achieving the SDG goals, mainly poverty reduction at the household level and the nutrition security of poor households in Southern Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted the mechanisms and pathways through which international migrants transfer food remittances to their home countries. In the Global South, recent studies have highlighted the expansion of digital-mobile technology. However, in Southern Africa, digital food remittances are still under-researched. This paper is based on a mixed-methods study whose aim is to contribute to the academic and policy discussion on food remittances by examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns introduced by the South African and Zimbabwean governments on the nature and volume of cross-border food remittance flows between the two countries. The article begins by assessing the characteristics of food remittance transfers during the pandemic. It then highlights key lessons learned regarding the role of various transfer channels amid significant disruptions. Finally, the discussion pivots to the implications of mobile and digital technology-based channels for the food remittance market, which primarily operates within informal financial ecosystems. This examination underscores the transformative potential of technological advancements in reshaping the dynamics of remittance flows during times of crisis. A key finding is that digital-mobile technologies in cross-border food remittances promote financial and digital inclusion and offer swift, accessible (particularly during the pandemic-induced disruptions of informal channels), reliable, and convenient ways to remit food, which is crucial for food and nutrition security. The insights gained from this paper underscore the need for policymakers to support and enhance the integration of digital-mobile technologies within the food remittance framework. By doing so, stakeholders can ensure improved food and nutrition security for families reliant on these vital transfers, thus contributing to broader socio-economic stability in the region.