CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health - Gender Strategy

Abstract

Both men and women have important roles in achieving good health and nutrition. Men and women work together on family farms and in the labor market to earn income to buy food and other goods and services for their families. In addition to their roles as agricultural producers and income earners, women are more likely to be caregivers and food providers within their families throughout much of the world, and thus are considered the guardians of household food security and nutrition. At the same time, economic and cultural factors, including gender roles: the socially-determined relationships between women and men: limit women and girls from actively participating in economic activities that may improve their status and the household�??s well-being, and decision-making related to food purchases and allocation that may improve their nutritional status. Biological factors increase women and girls�?? risk of experiencing micronutrient malnutrition and poor health, especially during their reproductive years. Adolescent girls in particular may be vulnerable owing to their youth and low social status in many societies, placing them at risk for early marriage or risky sexual behavior during a critical period for investment in their own human capital. Men face their own unique set of social and biological risks to attaining good health and nutrition. Gender roles in agriculture influence the difference occupational hazards men and women face: for example research from ILRI shows men are often more involved in slaughtering large animals and women in cleaning waste and caring for sick animals. To create synergies and impacts that are greater than the sum of the individual sectors (agriculture, nutrition, and health); there is a need to account for gender issues. It is not enough to focus on women as key to food and nutrition security; they must also be viewed in the context of their relationships with men, being influenced by, and also influencing, men. Therefore, this gender strategy sets out the ways to ensure gender is integrated into CGIAR Research Program No. 4: Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH)