From women's empowerment to food security: Revisiting global discourses through a cross-country analysis

Clément, Floriane; Buisson, Marie-Charlotte; Leder, Stephanie; Balasubramanya, Soumya; Saikia, Panchali; Bastakoti, Ram C.; Karki, Emma; Koppen, Barbara C.M. van

doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2019.05.003

Cited by 56 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In the world, women are regarded as an essential manufacturing unit, and the economic structure of the family is dependent on them. In most developing countries they produce 60 to 80% of the food productions [ 10 ]. Thus, one can claim that they accounted for half of the food production of the world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of educational channels in the motivating of rural women to improve household food security

Savari¹,

Sheykhi

Amghani

2020

One Health

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The main purpose of the present study was to explore the role of educational channels in motivating rural women to participate in improving household food security. The statistical population was composed of all married women in the Sirvan County (Ilam Province). Using Cochran's sampling formula, 368 women were sampled. The main instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of food security experts and members of faculty agricultural sciences and natural resources university of Khuzestan and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and composite reliability. The alpha values varied from 0.79 to 0.85 for the educational channels and participation sections, respectively. Data were analyzed by the SPSS 18 and Lisrel 8.54 software packages. Results showed that rural women were not in the promotion of food security are participating high and nearly 80% of the studied rural household are exposed to food insecurity. The main channels used by rural women for the improvement of food security include family, TV, and neighbors. The results of the correlation analysis revealed that educational channels (local, national, and international) were significantly ( P < .01) correlated with rural women's participation in promoting household food security. Also, based on the results of means comparison, women's participation in food security improvement is significantly related with the variables of participating in extension courses, getting nutrition information, production systems, family size, distance between residency location and the city, educational level, and job of the person who is in responsibility of food provision. In addition, the results of the structural equation modeling showed that education channels had a positive and significant effect on the participation in improving household food security (R2 = 0.49, γ = 0.70, t = 8.60). The present research provides a scientifically rational justification as to how to improve food security among rural communities. The results can essentially help policymakers alleviate food insecurity and undernourishment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of educational channels in the motivating of rural women to improve household food security

Savari¹,

Sheykhi

Amghani

2020

One Health

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“…For women's empowerment to gain more momentum, the inclusion of women in decision-making processes is a pre-requisite to sustainable development in rural environments, especially for ensuring local as well as global water security (Clement et al, 2019). Although some benefits of the watershed interventions were realized, most of the watershed intervention activities did not adequately address key gender issues, along with cultural and social constraints that limited rural women's involvement in project activities.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…he inexorable growth of the world's population has led to questions about whether sufficient food can be produced to meet the escalating demand and to concerns about global food security in relation to women's empowerment (Clement et al, 2019). A majority of the rural population depends on subsistence agriculture or subsidized food imports (rather than food trade) for their minimal nutrition.…”

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confidence: 99%

Gender Transformative Impacts from Watershed Interventions: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study in the Bundelkhand Region of India

Padmaja¹,

Kavitha²,

Pramanik³

et al. 2020

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HighlightsSocial and technical interventions related to agriculture, watersheds, and capacity building should enhance women’s awareness, access, and decision-making role in agrarian communities.Strict gender norms and relations hinder the empowerment of women in the Bundelkhand region and prevent women from participating in the decision-making process at the household, farm, and community level.When implementing watershed projects in a highly patriarchal context, as in the Bundelkhand region, advocacy of behavioral change communication must be implemented, addressing the diverse needs of women and men.Strengthening of systematic and gender-sensitive institution building, social engagement, and capacity development for global water security is needed for sustainable watershed interventions.ABSTRACT. This study examined gender perspectives on water security by exploring an integrated water management approach for agriculture, livestock, and human consumption. The data were generated in a watershed project to enhance drought resilience of farming through groundwater recharge and agroforestry interventions in the water-scarce Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh in central India. Post-intervention, a quantitative survey and qualitative gender and social analysis tools were applied to understand the benefits of the interventions for women, men, and the community as a whole. Quantitative data were collected from 700 individuals in five villages (three treatment villages and two villages where watershed interventions were not implemented). In addition, 33 semi-structured interviews and eight focus group discussions were conducted to understand local gender norms at the project sites. Data analysis revealed that the community benefits accrued from the watershed interventions included increased crop productivity and diversification of agriculture and livelihoods. However, strict patriarchal norms restricted the visibility, mobility, and communication of women within the household and community during the interventions. Considering gender diversity, this study identifies that women can benefit from participating in watershed interventions and provides a deeper understanding of the constraints and barriers to women’s participation in such projects, including economic, social, and cultural factors. The construction of check dams reduced women’s time per day for fetching water by about 29%. Groundwater level increases reduced the effort required of women to draw water from open wells and hand pumps. Female education is a significant factor related to the benefits of watershed interventions, and regression analysis indicated that households with higher levels of education of adult women were significantly more likely to benefit from the interventions than other households. To avoid perpetuation of the exclusion of diverse local knowledge and gender inequality at the community level, mechanisms must be developed and adjusted continuously such that whole communities, including men and women, are empowered to participate in the decision-making process at various levels and for different purposes. When implementing watershed projects in a highly patriarchal context, as in the Bundelkhand region where women are hidden behind the strong presence of men, advocacy of behavioral change communication must be implemented regularly. The community needs to be sensitized toward systematic and gender-sensitive institution building, social engagement, and capacity development for local as well as global water security. Keywords: Bundelkhand region, Gender, Social norms, Transformative, Watershed intervention.

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“…Overcoming resistance: In spite of growing volumes of guidelines and tool kits enabling more effective planning, design, implementation and monitoring of gender-responsive irrigation management and technologies, structures and cultures still serve to resist greater gender equality. On the one hand, IWMI-led research in four countries shows that 'standardized measures' of women's empowerment tend to differ significantly according to complex experiences of food security and agency by women in diverse local contexts (Clement et al 2019). On the other hand, there are enduring gender biases across the water sector that help the concentration of power in particular groups.…”

Section: Management and Inclusion Are Reinforcingmentioning

confidence: 99%

IWMI Gender and Inclusion Strategy 2020-2023: new landscapes of water equality and inclusion

2020

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From women's empowerment to food security: Revisiting global discourses through a cross-country analysis

Cited by 56 publications

References 27 publications

The role of educational channels in the motivating of rural women to improve household food security

The role of educational channels in the motivating of rural women to improve household food security

Gender Transformative Impacts from Watershed Interventions: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study in the Bundelkhand Region of India

IWMI Gender and Inclusion Strategy 2020-2023: new landscapes of water equality and inclusion

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