ADDRESSING GENDER IN FOOD SECURITY
AND NUTRITION
The Zambia Experience
Presentation by:
Amina Ibrahim Sheikh Abdulla
Global Overview
870 million people are undernourished; over 90% in
developing countries (FAO)
239 million in Africa (1 in 4 people)
The world produces 17% more than it used to produce
4 decades ago (FAO,2002)
Most don’t have the means to produce nor the
purchasing power to access food
.
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Principal Causes
Poverty-1.2 billion
living below
poverty line (50%
female)
Conflict
Climate changeincreased
frequency of
droughts, flooding
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Sub-Saharan Africa
413 million living in poverty-nearly half of its population
1 in 4 people is undernourished -most affected are
women and children
In Zambia, 45% of children <5 are stunted with long term
irreversible impact on development and future
productivity
Linked to access to nutritious food and status of women
in the communities they live in
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Addressing Gender in Agriculture
Agricultural impact on nutrition and food security not
just dependent on production
Involves a number of other factors:
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Income from sale of produce
Interaction with market
Natural resource environment
Health environment
Control of income and assets
Knowledge, attitudes and practice
Tendency to address gender issues in most
programmes is to target women in relation to transfer
of inputs
.
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Realigning Agriculture for Improved
Nutrition (RAIN) Project
to develop and demonstrate
the effectiveness of a
sustainable scalable model
that integrates agriculture,
nutrition and health
interventions to prevent child
and maternal under nutrition
among rural communities in
Zambia
.
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How RAIN is Addressing Gender
Empowerment under the project focuses on
– Individual (women’s skills, knowledge, confidence and
aspirations)
– Relational (ability to negotiate and influence relationships and
decisions);
– Structural (laws, policies, social norms and culture)
– Associational
Detailed gender analysis undertaken at the onset of the project
Programme activities, materials and approach developed based
on this analysis
Involves multiple stakeholders and groups in trainings, selection
of extension workers and community conversations
.
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Findings from Rain Project
Based on 2013 outcome analysis
Analysis explored links between women’s
empowerment and knowledge and children’s
nutrition and health outcomes
Women’s empowerment is positively associated
with
– minimum dietary diversity among children 6-23
months
– the likelihood of visiting health clinic in the last 6
months
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Thank You
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