Women, Agriculture, and the Nutrition Factor
Publisher: Eldis
Author(s): Jessica Meeker
Date: 2019
Topics: Gender, Livelihoods
Across the world, women form an integral part of the agricultural sector. In much of South Asia, women make up a majority of the agricultural workforce, but the extent of their contribution often goes unrecognised. They undertake difficult physical labour - working long hours, and are paid lower wages compared to their male counterparts - if they are paid at all.
Research under the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia programme in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan has identified women’s agricultural work in South Asia as a critical mediating factor between household poverty and undernutrition. The recognition of their work and women themselves as agricultural workers were identified as key entry points to leverage agriculture for improving nutrition.
Women’s work in agriculture and the implications for their health, and health of their children emerged as an important theme within LANSA research, revealing policy gaps and priorities to improve health and well-being of mothers and children in the region. Across the region, the steady feminisation of the agricultural workforce, has not been accompanied by nutritional improvement. LANSA research aimed to find out why.