Douglas Marowa, from
the different institute of the India. wrote a research article
about, Empowering Women in Agriculture for Household Food Security.
entitled, The role of women in agriculture: Implications in providing,
improving household food security, for reducing hunger and malnutrition in
rural communities. This research paper published by the International
Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research | IJAAR. an open
access scholarly research journal on Agronomy, under the affiliation of
the International Network For Natural Sciences | INNSpub. an
open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher.
Abstract
There has been less
recognition to women contribute to agricultural and food security. Women’s work
in the agriculture and food security often remains invisible. The research
sought to investigate the role of women agriculture in providing household food
security and reducing of hunger and malnutrition in rural communities. The
research used a survey research design, quantitative and qualitative data was
gathered. Findings were that social and economic constraints place barriers
around women’s access to agricultural land and empowerment. Women had a high
positive attitude to the variables on; interest in contributing to household,
understanding of food security and socio-economic development. Men own land and
livestock at household level, livestock for women were realized through payment
of the bride prize. The country was not food secured, 68% of the household
could not afford three meals per day, malnutrition remains at 9% and the four
dimension of food security were averaging 23.25%. Given equal treatment, women
could produce high crop yield and can play role in food processing, in
nutrition, gardening and agricultural cooperatives. Farming and agricultural
policies need to address factors that were affecting the potential of women in
improving food security. This would help in fully utilization of the roles of
women in providing and improving household food security and reduce hunger and
malnutrition in the rural communities. Noted implications of not involving and
empowering women in agriculture was food insecurity in the rural communities as
food availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability was to achieved
year around in the communities.
Introduction
There has been less
recognition to women contribute to farming and agricultural programmes, especially
food production as man has been generally recognized. Ibnouf (2009) indicated
that the reality in most Sub- Sahara African countries is that more than 50
percent of the active female population works in agriculture. Women’s work in
the agricultural sector often remains invisible because the products of their
labour are for the largest part intended for household consumption and do not
reach the market economy. According to FAO (1996), around 75% of plant genetic
diversity has been lost since the beginning of the century as farmers around
the world have forsaken their own multiple local varieties in favour of
high-yield, genetically uniform varieties. Gracia (2013) also indicated that
farming and agriculture helps to maintain biodiversity, yet is also one of the
primary activities, which may lead to its loss. Many modern agricultural
practices aimed at high crop yields are endangering the biodiversity in our
crops, due mainly to single-crop systems, which do not allow for rotation, the
use of improved varieties or hybrids to the detriment of traditional ones and
the overuse of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. However, it
is important to note that women are good natural resource manager, as the real
of natural biodiversity in the form of firewood, fruits and food, medicinal and
social cultural site.
The problem sought to be addressed in this research was the fact that women contribute to farming and agricultural programmes, especially food production and processing at household level, but the contributions and the roles are yet to be generally recognized. The role of women’s work in the agricultural sector often remains invisible and not recorded, extend of contribution towards providing and improving household food security, remain unnoticed.
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