Science and Technology Mailing List Archive

["Lee-Smith, Diana (CIP-NAIROBI)" <<address removed>>]

From the perspective of looking at Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA)
livelihoods, I endorse all of Sophia Huyer's contribution. 

I would add that data show that child nutrition in urban farming families is
better than non-farming families where the farmer is the mother. Probably
the same applies in rural households? This is because women are
traditionally supposed to feed the family, including crop production and
small livestock management. I am talking Africa here, especially East and
Southern. Men tend to be responsible for cash incomes. In the sugar
out-growing areas of Kenya, there is current concern about malnutrition due
to giving over all family farm land to cash cropping.

I would also emphasize women's land rights as a major constraint on food
security and agricultural development in general.  The sugar belt situation
is just one example where women's land rights have a close connection with
hunger. Again in Africa, this is a major issue requiring strong policy
leadership and social value change. It is very much in progress but needs a
big boost. Without this gender perspective, tackling hunger is going
nowhere. 

In September, we are organizing a meeting on "Women Feeding Cities" with our
partners, to explore the various dimensions of this issue. Women predominate
among urban farmers in East Africa, and among food traders throughout SS
Africa. The latter are a very neglected section of the economy. I have not
heard food traders mentioned at all in this debate so far. These women
traders are routinely hounded by local authorities despite the strong role
they play in getting food to the urban market. 

Diana Lee-Smith
Sub-Saharan Africa Coordinator
Urban Harvest (formerly SIUPA)
International Potato Centre (CIP)
P O Box 25171 Nairobi 00603
Kenya
CIP is a Future Harvest Centre supported by the CGIAR
Tel: 254 20 630743 ext. 4942
Fax 254 20 631499
Mob: 254 722 677 526
E-mail <address removed>
www.cipotato.org/urbanharvest




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