Women and food crises: how US food aid policies can better support their struggles

Women's vital role in Africa's food crises

By: Hansen-Khun, K
Published by: ActionAid International, 2007
Via: Eldis

Women hold the key to breaking the vicious cycle of ill health, reduced productivity and deepening poverty in Africa. This discussion paper lays out some of the key issues in modern food crises and explores some opportunities for engaging women more actively in the quest for more effective answers. This ActionAid paper finds that rural women are not only among those most vulnerable to food shortages, but more importantly, they are the driving force behind African agriculture. Traditional forms of food aid have largely failed to recognise and enhance the productive capacity of women, and this in turn means that food aid has been ineffective in contributing to lasting solutions to hunger. While short-term emergency food aid is often essential, it must be balanced with longer-term assistance and more comprehensive programs for agricultural development that are designed to support women’s crucial contributions to agricultural production and their commitment to feed their families.

(http://www.igtn.org/pdfs//Report-Women_and_Food_Crisis_Paper300.pdf)