The row to hoe: The gender impact of trade liberalization on our food system, agricultural markets and women's human rights

Metadata only recordThis paper uses case studies and literature analysis to show why women need to be more involved in policy decision related to agriculture. Trade has affected food security and agricultural development. Women, and their traditional roles, have been ignored in agriculture. Women are most affected by the changes in agricultural rules, and changes affect women and men differently. Policies ignoring gender differences have deepened inequalities, increasing the impact on women and the children whom they are responsible to feed. Using gender analysis, this paper highlights three topics

Enhancing child nutrition and livelihoods of rural households in Malawi and Tanzania through postharvest value-chain technology improvements in groundnuts

Year Four Final Project Report to McKnight Foundation Grant Numbers 09-262, 09-274 & 09-681Historically, investments in improved groundnut production through agricultural research and development efforts have been devoted to increased productivity and production in the field (i.e. preharvest) whereas much less attention has been paid to postharvest crop processing and value addition. Researchers and development professionals are now realizing that yields cannot simply be measured at harvest time but more importantly must be measured at time of ultimate use. The numerous postharvest processing steps for these crops cumulatively lead to significant food wastage and loss as well as requiring substantial, tedious family labor on a nearly continuous, daily basis. On the food quality and safety side, aflatoxin remains a persistent problem in groundnuts produced in Africa, not only for families consuming groundnuts but also for export. In fact, the EU effectively banned the import of groundnuts from Malawi in the 1990s because of unacceptable aflatoxin levels. If the best-quality groundnuts are exported, either regionally or internationally, and the poorer quality lots are kept for local consumption, then the health impacts of aflatoxin may be worse than many might think. CTI and its partners therefore considered this as a major issue and gave it high priority in evaluating harvest and postharvest technologies and the foods developed for children in the child nutrition studies by SUA. The project was aimed at identifying major challenges faced during the harvesting and postharvest processes in order to make recommendations on technologies that will address yield losses in terms of both quality and quantity but also reducing labor. This is ultimately expected to improve income generated through sale of high quality processed or raw groundnuts, but more importantly to improve health and well-being of smallholder families in Malawi and Tanzania. Despite the region’s high potential for groundnut production, malnutrition is common among the rural people. It is widespread in Tanzania and Malawi, and is particularly acute among children under five who are weaned onto the staple maize-based diet that is deficient in protein, oils and micro-nutrients. Therefore, there was an urgent need to develop improved nutritious weaning foods using locally-available groundnuts and other crops, and to reduce drudgery associated with food preparation, which is borne mostly by women and children

Enhancing child nutrition and livelihoods of rural households in Malawi and Tanzania through postharvest value-chain technology improvements in groundnuts

Year Four Final Project Report to McKnight Foundation Grant Numbers 09-262, 09-274 & 09-681Historically, investments in improved groundnut production through agricultural research and development efforts have been devoted to increased productivity and production in the field (i.e. preharvest) whereas much less attention has been paid to postharvest crop processing and value addition. Researchers and development professionals are now realizing that yields cannot simply be measured at harvest time but more importantly must be measured at time of ultimate use. The numerous postharvest processing steps for these crops cumulatively lead to significant food wastage and loss as well as requiring substantial, tedious family labor on a nearly continuous, daily basis. On the food quality and safety side, aflatoxin remains a persistent problem in groundnuts produced in Africa, not only for families consuming groundnuts but also for export. In fact, the EU effectively banned the import of groundnuts from Malawi in the 1990s because of unacceptable aflatoxin levels. If the best-quality groundnuts are exported, either regionally or internationally, and the poorer quality lots are kept for local consumption, then the health impacts of aflatoxin may be worse than many might think. CTI and its partners therefore considered this as a major issue and gave it high priority in evaluating harvest and postharvest technologies and the foods developed for children in the child nutrition studies by SUA. The project was aimed at identifying major challenges faced during the harvesting and postharvest processes in order to make recommendations on technologies that will address yield losses in terms of both quality and quantity but also reducing labor. This is ultimately expected to improve income generated through sale of high quality processed or raw groundnuts, but more importantly to improve health and well-being of smallholder families in Malawi and Tanzania. Despite the region’s high potential for groundnut production, malnutrition is common among the rural people. It is widespread in Tanzania and Malawi, and is particularly acute among children under five who are weaned onto the staple maize-based diet that is deficient in protein, oils and micro-nutrients. Therefore, there was an urgent need to develop improved nutritious weaning foods using locally-available groundnuts and other crops, and to reduce drudgery associated with food preparation, which is borne mostly by women and children

Enhancing child nutrition and livelihoods of rural households in Malawi and Tanzania through postharvest value-chain technology improvements in groundnuts

Year Four Final Project Report to McKnight Foundation Grant Numbers 09-262, 09-274 & 09-681Historically, investments in improved groundnut production through agricultural research and development efforts have been devoted to increased productivity and production in the field (i.e. preharvest) whereas much less attention has been paid to postharvest crop processing and value addition. Researchers and development professionals are now realizing that yields cannot simply be measured at harvest time but more importantly must be measured at time of ultimate use. The numerous postharvest processing steps for these crops cumulatively lead to significant food wastage and loss as well as requiring substantial, tedious family labor on a nearly continuous, daily basis. On the food quality and safety side, aflatoxin remains a persistent problem in groundnuts produced in Africa, not only for families consuming groundnuts but also for export. In fact, the EU effectively banned the import of groundnuts from Malawi in the 1990s because of unacceptable aflatoxin levels. If the best-quality groundnuts are exported, either regionally or internationally, and the poorer quality lots are kept for local consumption, then the health impacts of aflatoxin may be worse than many might think. CTI and its partners therefore considered this as a major issue and gave it high priority in evaluating harvest and postharvest technologies and the foods developed for children in the child nutrition studies by SUA. The project was aimed at identifying major challenges faced during the harvesting and postharvest processes in order to make recommendations on technologies that will address yield losses in terms of both quality and quantity but also reducing labor. This is ultimately expected to improve income generated through sale of high quality processed or raw groundnuts, but more importantly to improve health and well-being of smallholder families in Malawi and Tanzania. Despite the region’s high potential for groundnut production, malnutrition is common among the rural people. It is widespread in Tanzania and Malawi, and is particularly acute among children under five who are weaned onto the staple maize-based diet that is deficient in protein, oils and micro-nutrients. Therefore, there was an urgent need to develop improved nutritious weaning foods using locally-available groundnuts and other crops, and to reduce drudgery associated with food preparation, which is borne mostly by women and children