Women and food sovereignty
Women and food are inseparably linked. We cannot write about food sovereignty without addressing women's role in food production. In many situations women take the main responsibility for food production, processing, storage and cooking. Often they play a key role in its marketing as well.
But modernisation of agriculture has taken several crucial food-related responsibilities out of their hands. For instance, women are often experts in seed selection – knowing best which seed produces a crop that does not only yield well but also has the best taste, stores better or produces good fodder. With the increasing commercialisation of seed, women lose control over food production.
Despite facts demonstrating the important contribution of women to agricultural production, the perception persists that what women do is marginal; real agriculture is about modern technologies, economies of scale, specialisation and mechanisation. So where do women fit into this type of agriculture? What useful knowledge will be lost when the so-called backward "traditional" agriculture has disappeared? Who will control the food, and the resources needed to produce it? In this light, it is no surprise that women are deeply involved in the food sovereignty movement.
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4 - 4Michel Kaboré and Marceline Ilboudo are small-scale farmers in Boutenga, some 30 kilometers east of Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso.
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5 - 5written by ILEIA editorial teamFood is a hot issue, and rightly so. Whereas 1.2 billion people eat too much, there are almost 900 million people suffering from hunger. Over the past year, the number of malnourished people has increased, due to climbing food prices and rising unemployment levels (from 190 million in 2007 to 210 million in late 2009, according to estimates by the International Labour Organisation, ILO). Unfavourable weather conditions are aggravating the situation.
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6 - 9written by Michel PimbertMost of the world’s food is grown, collected and harvested by over 2.5 billion small-scale farmers, pastoralists, forest dwellers and fisherfolk – more than half of whom are women. Women’s knowledge and labour play a key role in sustaining the many diverse, local food systems that still exist today throughout the world, particularly in developing countries.
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10 - 11written by Adam NorikaneAs in most parts of the world, women are the ones primarily responsible for household food security in Liberia. Although Liberia is blessed with an abundance of fertile land and forests, rural populations have few rights in decision-making. The strongest parties –primarily male illegal loggers– seize the most profitable opportunities. Within this context, development organisations are addressing women’s immediate food needs through group formation and training.
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12 - 13written by Petra Bakewell-Stone , Karen BrooksOf the over one billion undernourished people in the world today, 265 million live in sub-Saharan Africa. Three-quarters of the hungry live in rural areas and include farming families.
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14 - 15We at LEISA Magazine are very much enjoying our jubilee year! Who would have thought you would send us so many letters and photos, compliments and congratulations? Thank you for all the heartwarming messages we received. We have to be careful not to get conceited from the many declarations of how LEISA Magazine has inspired you to try out new sustainable farming methods, or even leaving your old profession to have a go at farming.
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16 - 17written by Laeticia JalilThe concept of food sovereignty gives visibility and recognition to the role of women in producing food and other agricultural goods. Getting food sovereignty onto the political agenda is very much related to the issue of women’s rights, particularly those of rural women. By organising political campaigns, the Brazilian Women Farmers’ Movement (Movimento de Mulheres Camponesas – MMC) is attempting to do just that. And in doing so, they demonstrate the important role of women farmers.
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18 - 19written by Bed Prasad KhatiwadaBed Prasad Khatiwada, a Nepalese horticulturalist, has received LEISA Magazine ever since he was a student, and has regularly used it as a source of information. After reading an article on plant clinics in issue 23.4, he wrote to the author of the article for some additional information. What he got was much more: successful plant clinics are now being implemented in several regions of Nepal.
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20 - 22written by Nico BakkerIn parts of Mozambique, seed fairs have become an important tool for improving family farming and food sovereignty. The concept is simple: create a space for small farmers from different regions to come together to exchange seeds. Gaining access to (diverse) genetic material allows for new opportunities and ideas for reducing risk and increasing productivity on farms. But seed fairs also offer a way to value and strengthen farmers’ knowledge and local culture, as well as strengthening farmers’ movements. An inspiration to others to set up their own seed fairs!
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23 - 25written by Shen Shicai , Qian JieWomen play an essential role in animal production in the rural northwestern region of Yunnan province, China. However, women are often left out of extension activities and training opportunities. A recent project has found various ways to better target women farmers. By increasing their participation, as well as the professional training of women field workers, risks in livestock production were reduced and household economies improved. Women farmers also became more confident and aware of their rights as decision-makers on the farm.
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26 - 27Our inbox for articles about women and food sovereignty contained quite a few articles dealing with local and regional food markets. We have summarised some of them to give you an idea of the variety of marketing opportunities and constraints that women face. The link with food sovereignty is clear: food products and their prices on local markets determine the room for manoeuvre within households when it comes to choosing what you eat, and how to pay for other needs and services as well. Women in Ghana transform cassava into “gari” to get better prices for it. Women in Nepal even get inspiration from the market to imitate western food products they see there, because their children like them so much. Markets may also offer new opportunities, as shown by the experience of women’s groups growing organic vegetables in Armenia.
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28 - 30written by Florence Lubwama KiyimbaIntroducing the forage chopper to women dairy farmers in Uganda
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31 - 33written by Francisco Dueñas Hurtado , Dagmara Plana Ramos , Isis Salcines , Bárbara Benítez , Laura R. Medina , María E. DominiThe potential of urban agriculture for feeding a growing population is becoming increasingly visible. In Cuba, “urban farms” contribute to a large extent to the island’s food self-sufficiency. As in all food production systems, women play a very important role in urban agriculture. Recognising this role and the overall contribution of women, makes for even better results.
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34 - 35The national education curricula of many countries aim to prepare children for a “better life” in the city. They do not relate to their daily lives and do not recognise the important role that children play, nor their culture, values or context. Vol. 20.2 of LEISA Magazine published an article from Peru that showed the many interesting results that can be achieved by following an intercultural approach in the curriculum - linking education to culture and the environment. Five years on, these activities are not only continuing; they have also expanded considerably.
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36 - 38written by Marian KosterFemale-headed households often experience inequalities in access to resources and income-generating opportunities. Conflicts may make women poorer. But it is important to realise that conflicts also offer an opportunity for change in which gender stereotypes shift and gender roles and identities can be renegotiated. Did genocide and civil war in Rwanda lead to new opportunities for rural women?
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39 - 39written by Samuel Yaw ApiigaShea butter (or karité) is used in pomades and other cosmetic and pharmaceutical products worldwide. In Ghana, women use it as a cooking oil, for moistening their babies’ skins and for their hair. Children love the fruits. Shea is a wonder product, also for the household economy.
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44 - 44The purchase of large areas of land overseas by foreign countries and companies, the so-called “land grabs”, have led to a call for a code of conduct. Will such a code help protect small-scale farmers’ rights to land and food? Ruth Meinzen-Dick from IFPRI, the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, thinks it will. But for it to be effective, it will have to meet certain requirements.
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