Good governance of community fish refuge-rice field fishery (CFR-RFF) systems, which are a vital source of nutritious aquatic foods, is integral to the food and nutrition security of rural households in Cambodia. Intentional integration of nutrition and gender activities into CFR management has the potential to further bolster these outcomes. Using qualitative and quantitative data, we aimed to document the impacts of the nutrition and gender activities conducted alongside CFR management activities.
Where CGIAR breeding programs rely on the private sector for the multiplication and distribution of improved cultivars, persistent challenges have dampened their impact on varietal adoption and turnover rates. Part of the problem is that research and practice in CGIAR and among its national breeding program partners tend to treat the private sector as a vehicle for seed delivery, rather than as commercial businesses facing a range of unique constraints and threats.
Animal-source foods (ASF), such as fish, provide a critical source of nutrients for dietary quality and optimal growth of children. In sub-Saharan Africa, children often consume monotonous cereal-based diets, a key determinate of malnutrition such as stunting. Identifying existing sources of ASF for children’s diets will inform the development of nutritious food systems for vulnerable groups.
The project Empowering Women Fish Retailers (EWFIRE) Project. Funded by the European Commission (EuropeAid), the project supports vulnerable women retailers and processors to develop their businesses in five urban areas across the Sharkia governorate, lower Egypt (Zagazig, Faous, Belbeis, Al-Hussainyaand Abu-Kebeer).
The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying responses to mitigate this global health crisis have resulted in substantial disruptions to demand, production, distribution and labor in fisheries, aquaculture and food systems. These disruptions have severely impacted women processors and traders, who play a critical role in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and associated food systems in sub-Saharan Africa. And yet, COVID related data and responses have tended to be gender-blind or overly representative of men’s experiences and needs in the sector.
An evidence policy brief on the contribution of small-scale fisheries to a healthy and sustainable food system in Malawi.
Women play important roles at different nodes of both agricultural and off-farm value chains, but in many countries their contributions are either underestimated or limited by prevailing societal norms or gender-specific barriers. We use primary data collected in Asia (Bangladesh, Philippines) and Africa (Benin, Malawi) to examine the relationships between women’s empowerment, gender equality, and participation in a variety of local agricultural value chains that comprise the food system.
Capacity development interventions are considered critical entry points for advancing gender equality in agricultural research systems. However, the impacts of capacity development programs are often difficult to track. Academic reviews highlight that insufficient attention is paid to the suitability of gender training programs to increase capacity and limited evidence is available on their longer-term impacts.
Longtemps, le travail des femmes dans les exploitations agricoles n’a bénéficié d’aucune existence légale. Sans statut officiel, la grande majorité des femmes d’agriculteurs travaillaient ainsi à titre gratuit au bénéfice du chef d’exploitation (père ou mari). Ces dernières décennies, des avancées significatives ont amené une plus grande égalité entre les sexes en agriculture : acquisition d’un statut autonome, développement d’activités de diversification, etc.
Agriculture in Africa is the main sector to generate income for the large number of populations mainly in rural areas and a major contributor to the GDP of the countries. Agricultural value chain finance provides the necessary resource for smallholder farmers to increase their production and be integrated into higher-value market opportunities. In Africa, women represent more than half of the population, the majority live in rural areas.