The pervasive triad of food security, gender inequity and women’s health: exploratory research from sub-Saharan Africa
Date
2005Author
Hyder, Adnan A
Maman, Suzanne
Nyoni, Joyce E
Khasiani, Shaniysa A
Teoh, Noreen
Premji, Zul
Sohani, Salim
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Objectives: This study was designed to explore the interactions between food securing activities, health and gender equity from the
perspective of rural east African women. The specific objectives were to document the critical interaction among these three issues—food
security, gender inequity, women’s health within the context of sub-Saharan Africa; to describe the nature of this triad from the perspective
of women farmers in Africa; and to propose a framework for linking available interventions to the vicious nature of this triad.
Setting: In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with rural women farmers in Kwale District, Kenya and
Bagamoyo District, Tanzania.
Methods: A total of 12 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions have been included in this analysis. Transcribed text from
interviews and focus group discussions were coded and thematic conceptual matrices were developed to compare dimensions of common
themes across interviews and settings. A thematic analysis was then performed and a framework developed to understand the nature of the
triad and explore the potential for interventions within the interactions.
Findings: The vicious cycle of increasing work, lack of time, and lack of independent decision making for women who are responsible for
food production and health of their families, has health and social consequences. Food securing activities have negative health consequences for women, which are further augmented by issues of gender inequity.
Conclusion: The African development community must respond by thinking of creative solutions and appropriate interventions for the
empowerment of women farmers in the region to ensure their health.
URI
http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ahs/article/view/6976/1450http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/38611
Citation
African Health Sciences 2005; 5(4): 328 - 334Publisher
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA Department of Sociology, University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania Population Studies and Research Institute, University of Nairobi, Kenya Department of Parasitology /Medical Entomology, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Tanzania Director Community Health Department, Aga Khan Health Services, Kenya