Why
Does East Africa Need More Gender Equality in Food and Nutrition Security?
The
East African Legislative Assembly has approved a motion proposed by MP
Françoise Uwumukiza, urging EAC Affairs Ministers to recommend that partner
states improve gender equality in access to food and nutrition security in the
six-member bloc.
On
Thursday, June 9, the Rwandan legislator justified her motion by stating that
it was part of a commitment she made during training from April 24 to May 6 on
"Achieving Gender Equality in Climate Change and Food Systems: Actions of
Parliamentarians and Policy-makers."
"I'm
moving this motion to urge the Council of Ministers to address the EAC's
identified gender gaps in food and nutrition security," she explained.
Food
poverty and malnutrition have a wide range of health and developmental effects,
with mothers and children being particularly vulnerable.
She
expressed concern that food insecurity and malnutrition put mothers at risk of
dying during childbirth and giving birth to low-birth-weight babies who do not
survive childhood, passing on the broad economic consequences of malnutrition
to future generations and perpetuating the vicious cycle of gender inequality
in food and nutrition security.
According
to the 2019 global nutrition report, women in the EAC have higher rates of
obesity and diabetes than men. According to Fingers, obesity affects 11.5 per
cent of Rwandan women and 2.5 per cent of Rwandan males. In Tanzania, women
made up 15.2 per cent of the population while males made up 5.0 per cent, and
in Uganda, women made up 10.4 per cent of the population while men made up 2.3 per
cent. Kenya had a women's rate of 13.4% and a men's rate of 3.0%.
Uwumukiza
stated that if given the opportunity and resources, women can play a critical
role in the fight against hunger and malnutrition (as outlined in UN SDGs 2 and
5).
She
stated that while evidence suggests that women are equally capable of
generating food as men, there is still a persistent gender disparity in
accessing essential inputs, particularly land, finance, and education.
She
emphasised how publications acknowledge the necessity of gender mainstreaming
in the agriculture sector for better food nutrition results.
Gender
disparities, for example, are identified as important hindrances to women's
access to opportunities in production, marketing, access, and control of
productive sectors in all partner governments' agricultural and food security
policy documents, according to Uwumukiza. However, at the practical level, the
highlighted barriers to women's access to land, credit, information, marketing,
and other resources have yet to be properly addressed by various regional and
partner state programmes.
MP
Anne Leonardo Itto (South Sudan), who supported the motion, highlighted small
distinctions between what men and women do that amount to discrimination.
The
ancient grinding mill used by women in rural villages to produce floor is one
such minor distinction.
Itto
remarked: "Women are prevented from participating, earning money, and
obtaining nutrition and food security as a result of this type of labour. We
will never be able to address issues of gender inequality until we comprehend
the minute disparities that inhibit gender equality."
Unpaid
labour is a major issue
Lawmakers
are also urging partner countries to take appropriate steps to address
gender-based restrictions on agricultural land and other productive resources,
to end discriminatory socio-cultural norms "including food taboos imposed
on women and girls," and to promote positive and equal gender norms at the
household and community level.
Itto
stated that it is a matter of commitment because the bloc already has knowledge
and policies.
Women's
contributions to agriculture and broader food systems are not always fully or
formally recognised, and in certain situations, females receive half as much as
men or do unpaid and inhumane labour, according to Uwumukiza.
"The
issue of unpaid work is a very serious concern in our community," said MP
Oda Gasinzigwa (Rwanda).
Gasinzigwa,
for one, wants to see women actively participating in and profiting from their
job across the full agricultural value chain, rather than slaving away with
archaic equipment.
Women
are less able to present collateral for financial services because they have
less access to inputs and assets, which are generally of poor quality,
according to Uwumukiza. This weakens their resilience to income shocks.
The
Assembly's monitoring work on the impact of Covid-19 on women cross-border traders
revealed that the epidemic aggravated existing social disparities and widened
gender gaps, with women small-scale cross-border traders losing jobs
disproportionately.
Girls
were also more likely to be pulled out of school than boys
Uwumukiza
further mentioned that studies have indicated that women who have completed
secondary school are half as likely to have stunted children as women who have
not completed secondary school.
The
Council of Ministers was represented by Burundi's Minister for EAC Affairs, Amb
Ezechiel Nibigira, who thanked MPs for raising the issues and stated, "I
trust the Council will look into this."
The
Assembly's recommendation to establish a gender-sensitive regional food crisis
response plan, including a regional food reserve, will be taken into account by
the Council of Ministers. Small-scale farmers and herders in drought-stricken
rural areas, particularly women and children, are always the most
disadvantaged.
Other
recommendations include encouraging partner countries to increase women's
participation in agribusiness and enterprises, as well as in the production of
nutritious foods; incorporating nutrition education into school curricula to
raise awareness and promote healthier eating habits, as well as conducting
outreach activities on the role of nutrition as a critical aspect of safe
pregnancy and motherhood.