One of the most significant issues faced by many low- and middle-income nations, including South Africa, is ensuring access to healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. South Africa is renowned worldwide for its rich biodiversity and a vast body of traditional knowledge among those who consume forest foods. However, despite ecological diversity, frequent barriers remain to getting diversified household diets. This study sought to investigate the contribution of trees and green spaces to household food security in eThekwini. A total of 280 households met the inclusion criteria and consented to participate in this study by responding to questionnaires. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, the computation of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), and the Instrumental Variable Poisson model. The study's results revealed that only 29% of the respondents were food secure, 36% were mildly food insecure, 27% were moderately food insecure, and 8% were severely food insecure. The Instrumental Variable Poisson model results revealed that cultivated green spaces, wealth index, gender, education level of the head of households, and grants had a negative correlation with household food insecurity. On the other hand, non-cultivated green spaces, local trees, age, marital status, number of dependents, and monthly income positively correlated with food insecurity. Given the existence of trees and green spaces in eThekwini, there is potential for food security solutions to be formed around both cultivated and uncultivated green spaces to promote sustainable access to food and nutritious diets in low-income households. Policy interventions should adopt an approach that encourages the incorporation of foods from both cultivated and uncultivated trees and green spaces in people's diets.

Keywords: HFIAS; Instrumental Variable Poisson model; food security; households; trees and green spaces.

许多低收入和中等收入国家，包括南非，面临的最显著问题之一是确保获得健康、负担得起且可持续的食物。南非因其丰富的生物多样性以及食用森林食品的人群中的大量传统知识而闻名于世。然而，尽管生态多样，家庭饮食多样化仍面临诸多障碍。本研究旨在调查树木和绿地对eThekwini地区家庭食物安全的贡献。共有280户家庭符合纳入标准，并通过填写问卷同意参与此研究。收集到的数据使用描述性统计、家庭食物不安全感访问量表（HFIAS）计算以及工具变量泊松模型进行分析。该研究结果显示，仅有29%的受访者为食品安全状态，36%为轻度食品不安全，27%为中度食品不安全，8%为重度食品不安全。工具变量泊松模型的结果表明，人工绿地、财富指数、性别、户主教育水平以及补助金与家庭食物不安全呈负相关。另一方面，未开发的绿地、本地树木、年龄、婚姻状况、依赖人口数量和月收入则与食品不安全呈正相关。鉴于eThekwini地区存在树木和绿地的情况，有可能围绕人工和未开发绿地形成促进低收入家庭可持续获取健康饮食的食物安全保障方案。政策干预应采取一种鼓励将来自人工和未开发的树木及绿地中的食物纳入人们日常膳食的方法。

关键词：HFIAS；工具变量泊松模型；食品安全；家庭；树木和绿地。