Mainstreaming gender and nutrition into agricultural extension services

1. Mainstreaming Gender and Nutrition into
Agricultural Extension Services
Kizito Odongo
Sen. Agric Officer: Home Economics
Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and
Fisheries
Date: 9th -11th May 2017
UFAAS- Grand Global Hotel

2. Presentation Outline
• Introduction
• Policy framework & Linkages between Agriculture and
Nutrition
• Challenges facing Agricultural Extension
• Role of extension in Gender and Nutrition
• Concept of Gender and Nutrition
• Practical Approaches in mainstreaming Gender and
Nutrition into Agricultural Extension
• Conclusion

3. Introduction
Agriculture remains the backbone of Uganda’s
economy.
 Employs over 80 percent of women and 63 percent
of men (UBOS 2014).
5.2 million farming households out of 7.2 million
households in the country (UBOS 2014).
Crop sector contributes 75%, livestock 13%,
fisheries 6% and forestry/wetlands 6%
(ASSP 2015/16 - 2019/20).

4. Introduction Cont’
• Agric. contributes 26.2% of GDP and 48% of exports
earnings (Coffee, Tea, Tobacco, Cotton, Dairy products,
Hides and Skins, Fish, Rice, Maize, Beans, Banana,
Horticultural products, Cassava), (ASSP 2015/16 - 2019/20).
• However, Agric. growth rate is 2.6%.per annum, far lower
than the population growth rate of about 3.0% (UBOS
2014).

5. Policies related to Agriculture, Food and Nutrition
Security
5
2003………..…………2010…………………………................2016
National Agriculture Policy 2013
Agriculture Sector Strategic Plan
(ASSP 2015/16 – 2019/20)
Uganda Nutrition Action Plan 2011- 2016
Improve nutrition status of all Ugandans
Second National Development Plan (NDP II 2015/16-2019/20)
End hunger and all forms of malnutrition
Agriculture Sector Development Strategy &
Investment Plan (ASSIP 2010/11-2015/16)
Food and Nutrition Policy 2003
Ensure food security & adequate nutrition
Uganda Vision 2040
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) 2015
SDG 2: End Hunger, achieve food security and
improved nutrition
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) &
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program
(CAADP 2002)
Agriculture support to increase incomes & end poverty
NATIONAL FRAMEWORKS GLOBAL & REGIONAL FRAMEWORKS
East Africa Community Food & Nutrition Policy 2014
Achieving food & nutrition security in the region through
appropriate policy measures
Local Government Development Planning
Guidelines 2014
Key focus:
1.Increasing prdn & productivity,
2. Access to farm inputs,
3. Access to markets and value addition
4. Instn .strengthening and enabling envt

6. Linking Agriculture to Nutrition
Outcomes
6
Meal
preparation
Nutritional
status
Quality of
care
Health
resources
based on Kurz, 2002.
Food
Kept for
household
Sold at
market
Non-food
cash crops
Livestock,
fish, non-
timber forest
products
Dietary
intake
Realm of
nutrition
Home-based
post-harvest
processing
Realm of
agriculture
Pathways from agricultural production to nutritional status
Income
Food
crops

7. How can Agriculture improve on Nutrition?

8. Fostering Linkages between Agric.
and Nutrition
Scenario 1
• Increase food
production
• Nutrient rich food
consumed
• Improved child and
maternal nutrition
Scenario 2
• Increase food
production
• More income
spent on nutrient
rich food from the
market
• Improved nutrient
intake by
household
8
Scenario 3
• Increased food
production increases
household incomes
• Can also increase
women’s control of
income
• More income for health
care improvement
• Malnutrition attributed
to disease burden will
reduce

9. Challenges facing Gender and Nutrition in
agricultural extension
• Disparity in gender roles. (Burden on women)

10. Challenges Cont’
• Lack of ownership, control and use of land by
Women. Hence affecting agricultural production
• Most enterprises selected always favor men but not
women’s needs.
• Lack of Access to vital information on health and
nutrition to enable them take care of their children and
bring up healthy children.
• Lack of energy saving technologies to help women
spare time to handle other household needs or issues
(Energy saving stoves, Planting woodlots and water
harvesting technologies).

11. Challenges Cont’
• Household food allocation expectations
traditionally and culturally favor men and this
adversely affects nutrition of women and children.
• Men dominate the marketing of farm produce and
control incomes there from farm produce income,
and are more likely to buy non-food items.

12. Role of Extension worker in Gender and
Nutrition
• Identify model farmers who can grow demonstration
plots (gender sensitive selection based).
• Sensitize and educate households on modern farming
methods to improve production, including organizing
demonstrations and exhibitions.
• Encourage and support households to adopt new
crops and livestock varieties to improve food and
nutrition security.

13. Role of Extension worker in Gender and
Nutrition Cont’
• Encourage farmers to have a mixture of enterprises
for regular, periodic and long- term income.
Note: Enterprises easily managed by women should
be emphasized
• Provide information to farmers on causes and
consequences of food and nutrition security.
• Provide information on climate change issues.
• Sensitize communities on appropriate post-harvest
management, household food processing and food
preparation.

14. Role of Extension worker in Gender
and Nutrition Cont’
1. Utilize the enabling environment (International and
National frameworks).
2. Facilitate the community to select enterprises that
take care of both women and men needs.
3. Empower Women to access information related to
agriculture and health.
4. Men need to support women to reduce the work
burden and free time for child care.
5. Promote adoption of energy saving technologies.

15. Role of Extension worker in Gender
and Nutrition Cont’
6. Extension workers should support farmers to select
enterprises that promote household food security and
follow this up with adequate extension services.
7. Encourage Women to take part in leadership roles and
be part of the decision making process, at all level. This
will position women to articulate issues that promote
food security and nutrition.
8. Women should be encouraged to form and/or join
savings and credit associations as this will ease their
access to affordable credit to invest in agricultural
production.

16. Concept of Gender and Nutrition
Gender:
• Defines socially constructed characteristics of
women and men – such as norms, roles and
relationships of and between groups of women and
men and varies from society to society and can be
changed.
• They are the roles or responsibilities assigned to a
person based on whether they are a man or
woman, boy or girl.

17. Concept of Gender and Nutrition
While Nutrition- a process of providing or obtaining the
food necessary for health and growth.
• It broadly means, all actions necessary for obtaining,
handling, preparing, serving, eating and utilization of
food by the body.
• When individuals or communities do not feed
appropriately (Poor Nutrition) they become
malnourished and face serious health problems.

18. Prevalence of Malnutrition
TRENDS: Nutritional Status of Children U 5 years
Percentage of children
4
23
39
6
16
38
5
14
33
Wasting Underwieght Stunting
2001 UDHS
2006 UDHS
2011 UDHS

19. TRENDS:..% of children <5 years &
Women of reproductive age with
Anemia
73
41
49
23
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Children < 5yrs WRA
2006 UDHS
2011 UDHS

20. Practical approaches in mainstreaming Gender
and Nutrition into Agricultural Extension
Key Considerations:
• Promoting Enterprise Mix Designs
• Promote production of diverse nutrient rich foods
• Promote protection of environment and ensuring
household resilience
• Promote gender and family care in extension
• Promote water, sanitation and Hygiene practices
• Promote Labour saving technologies that saves time
and energy

21. Practical approaches Cont’
• Promote appropriate Pre and Post Harvest
Handling
• Promote food safety issues
• Promote effective Agricultural Marketing Systems

22. Agricultural
Extension
System
1. Enterprise
Mix Design
2. Diverse
Nutrient Rich
Foods
3. Environmental
Protection & HHs
Resilience
4. Gender and
Family Care
5. Water,
Sanitation and
Hygiene (WASH)
practices
6. Labour & Energy
Saving Technologies
7.Pre and Post
Harvest Handling
8. Food Safety
9.Agricultural
Marketing
Practical approaches to Mainstream Gender and
Nutrition …………… … in Agric. Extension

23. Practical Approach: 1)Promote Enterprise Mix
design that allows Regular Income Flow
23

24. B.) Crop Enterprises
• Examples :
–Tomatoes
–Banana production
–Mushroom growing
–Irrigated vegetable (eg
tomatoes, cabbage)
production
24

25. Practical Approach: 2) Promote Production of
Nutrient-Rich Foods
25

26. DIVERSE DIET in Uganda [Examples of locally available
vegetables and fruits which are rich sources
of vitamins and minerals (Protective or “Glow foods” foods)
(
26

27. DIVERSE DIET in Uganda [Some of the locally
available energy-giving (“GO”) Foods]
27

28. DIVERSE DIET in Uganda ([some of the locally
available foods that are sources of protein (“Grow”) Foods]
28

29. 29
Practical Approach : 3) Promote Protection of
the Environment and Ensuring Household
Resilience

30. Actions for Extension workers at community
level
• Awareness creation on climate change and
resilience practices.
• Establishment of community-based early warning
systems.
• Sustainable and climate-smart soil and water
management techniques
30

31. Practical Approach: 4) Promote Gender and
Family Care Considerations in Food and
Nutrition
31

32. How Extension workers can Promote Gender and
Family Care Considerations in Food and Nutrition?
• Participation in Agricultural Activities and
technology transfers.
• Enterprise mix designs should address Gender
Needs, thereby limiting conflict.
• Equal distribution of leadership roles and
distribution of labour.
• Formation of savings association
32

33. Practical approach: 5) Water, Sanitation and
Hygiene Practices (WASH)
• Good Sanitation, Clean drinking water and hygiene
practices, reduces infection (Such as cholera,
Bilharzia, Dysentery, Diahorea)

34. Practical Approach: 6). Promote Technologies and
Actions that Save Time and Energy
– Energy and Time Saving Technologies should be
gender sensitive. (Low-technology water pumps , Eco
stoves and fuel-efficient stoves, Low-cost solar driers for fruits
and vegetables , Milling machines and graters, Rain water
harvesting devices)
• Planting of wood lots and promotion of agro-
forestry activities near homes
34

35. Practical Approach: 7).Promote Post Harvest
Handling practices
• Harvest food at the right stage
• Avoid physical or mechanical damage (during
harvesting, transportation and general handling)
of foods.
• Appropriate food preservation at household level
(drying, smoking or salting for meat and fish, solar drying).

36. Practical Approach: 8). Promote Food Safety
activities in Agric Extension
• Food safety- food is safe when free from hazardous
contaminants and when eaten doesn’t cause
sickness or disease to consumer.
• It describes the handling, preparation and storage
of food in ways that prevent food borne illnesses

37. Food Safety activities cont’
Causal Agents.
• Microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses), parasites
• Biological toxins such as mycotoxins (Afflatoxins)
•Physical materials like metal chips, sand, fecal
material, stones,
• Chemical residues including heavy metals such as
lead, Mercury, copper and others. 37

38. Practical Approach: 8). Promote effective Gender
inclusive Marketing of Agricultural Produce
Gender in Food marketing
systems/distribution channels …,

39. Conclusion
Agricultural Extension system is the driving force
behind an effective and efficient agricultural
service delivery in any given society, hence
should be holistic in nature.
Therefore, mainstreaming gender and nutrition into
agricultural extension would strengthen
agricultural service delivery hence increasing
production, productivity, income and improving on
Household nutritional outcomes.

40. Thank you for Listening