A feminist economics perspective on the agroecology-food and nutrition security nexus

Ume, Chukwuma Otum; Nuppenau, Ernst-August; Domptail, Stéphanie

doi:10.1016/j.indic.2022.100212

Cited by 8 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One way to subvert this dynamic is by promoting agroecological principles and practices, which have shown efficacy in promoting biodiversity-based agriculture (Duru et al, 2015a,b). Beyond this, agroecology also seeks to address social interactions, including considerations of gender (Ume et al, 2022), liberation from oppressive relations (Bezner Kerr et al, 2019), and the enhancement of skills, knowledge, work capacity, and health. Furthermore, agroecology, as emphasized by Coe and Coe (2023), supports transitions in thought.…”

Section: Toward Fs Sustainability 41 Radical Transformationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming food systems in the Global South: a radical approach

Suarez,

Ume

2024

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sustainability within food systems (FS) transcends approaches that only consider FS transformation via changing agricultural practices or consumption patterns. The essence lies in addressing the root causes of current unsustainable FS and their associated social and environmental ramifications. This paper aims to outline the solutions needed to revamp these challenges, by paying special attention to the state-capital nexus in the context of the FS’global core-periphery dialectics. Thereby, we embrace radical political agroecology as being essential in promoting sustainability within the FS, especially in the Global South. Agroecology is proposed as the strategy to address the food system’s complexity in terms of the social, environmental, and economic embeddedness. We conclude with potential solutions that contribute to the pathway for FS sustainability.

show abstract

Section: Toward Fs Sustainability 41 Radical Transformationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming food systems in the Global South: a radical approach

Suarez,

Ume

2024

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…57 Foro de Pequeños Agricultores de África Oriental y Meridional (ESAFF), 2023. 58 Ume et al, 2022. "Una perspectiva económica feminista sobre el nexo agroecológico-alimentario y nutricional".…”

Section: áFrica: Agroecología Y Superación De La Pobrezaunclassified

Un panorama comparativo de la agroecología en cinco regiones: hacia la integración holística y transdisciplinar

Bernal Cuesta

2024

ARA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

La agroecología es una ciencia y práctica que estudia y promueve sistemas agrícolas sostenibles, basados en principios ecológicos, que integran la biodiversidad, los ciclos naturales y los procesos biológicos para producir alimentos de manera eficiente, respetando y mejorando la salud del suelo, el agua, la biodiversidad y el bienestar humano. Este estudio presenta un análisis comparativo de la producción bibliográfica en torno a la agroecología entre los años 2010 e inicios del 2023, en cinco regiones: América Latina y el Caribe, África, Asia, Europa y Norteamérica. Mediante una búsqueda en diversas bases de datos utilizando términos específicos, se identificó una amplia gama de información, que luego se delimitó a 40 documentos por región. El método utilizado es el hermenéutico, con el cual se llevó a cabo la lectura e interpretación de los documentos, y se destacaron los métodos, enfoques, temas y desafíos abordados por los autores en relación con la agroecología en cada región. Al respecto se puede deducir que la agroecología se está convirtiendo en una ciencia crucial, que aborda desafíos globales fundamentales como el cambio climático y la seguridad alimentaria, así como soluciones progresivas al desabastecimiento alimentario, la pobreza y la inequidad. Su consolidación como ciencia holística y transdisciplinaria, refleja su madurez y capacidad para ofrecer soluciones integrales a problemas complejos.

show abstract

“…Mugwanya (2019) on the other hand concluded that there is a danger that agroecology can lock farmers into a poverty trap and non-productive traditional agriculture if social aspects are neglected. In contrast to the large literature linking agroecological practice to food security and nutrition through sustainable production practices (Altieri et al, 2012;Kangmennaang et al, 2017;Khadse and Rosset, 2017) associated with agroecology, research on how agroecology boost economic and political agency for food security and nutrition among smallholder farmers is sparse in Africa (Ume et al, 2022). The majority of literature on agroecology in Africa associates agroecology with agronomic practices at the farm level.…”

Section: Agroecology and Food Security And Nutrition (Fsn)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of literature on agroecology in Africa associates agroecology with agronomic practices at the farm level. A literature review (Ume et al, 2022) found only two studies highlighting the role of agroecology in strengthening the political and social agency of farmers (Nyantakyi-Frimpong et al, 2017;Bezner Kerr et al, 2019a). Specifically, Bezner Kerr et al (2019a) investigated a 17 years group of smallholder farm households that practice agroecology (as practice and social formation) in northern Malawi and showed that agroecology as a tool in enhancing food security among smallholder farmers.…”

Section: Agroecology and Food Security And Nutrition (Fsn)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the link between agroecology and improved food security and nutrition has been explored empirically as a social innovation, results do not permit to conclude on the benefits of agroecology. Often, agroecological practices have been assessed independently from the social context (often agroecological networks or groups) in which they are implemented (or not) (Ume et al, 2022). In this paper, we adopt the position that agroecological practices are adopted in a group of farmers and are inextricable to this social reality.…”

Section: Objectives Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Who profits from agroecology to secure food and nutrition? On access of women to markets and assets

Ume¹,

Nuppenau²,

Domptail³

2023

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In contrast to a large body of literature linking agroecology to food security through sustainable agronomic practices, research on how agroecology enhances smallholder farmers’ access to productive resources, yet necessary for food security and nutrition, is sparse in Africa. Literature does not consider the fact that agroecology practices are often adopted via entering a group that provides corresponding knowledge, network and possibly markets. We investigate the case of an agroecology group operating parallel to the dominant agri-industrial food system in Southeast Nigeria. We ask: who are the agroecology farmers? Do they improve their food status in comparison to conventional smallholders operating in the commodity oriented agro-industrial system? Who appears to benefit most among agroecology farmers? To provide answers to these questions, we collected data from 334 smallholder farmers (comprising 111 agroecology farmers and 223 non-agroecology farmers) through a stratified cluster sampling process. Descriptive statistics of our data showed that women make up 89% of the agroecology farmers in the group. We found that in both the agroecology and the conventional groups, women farmers had little access to land, even lower ownership of land, little exposure to extension services, and no access to financial credits. Thus, the sample of female farmers we addressed consists of marginal persons who operate at the margins of the capital and input-based networks and agricultural production. In contrast to the expectation of conventional hypotheses, we show that on average, agroecology farmers had lower food insecurity experiences and higher observed dietary diversity scores. Exploring more detail within the agroecology group via a quantile semi-parametric propensity score matching, we further show that women left out of conventional extension services benefit more from being in the agroecology group. Similarly, the increase in food security and nutrition was highest among those farmers who balance self-provisioning and market as food sources compared to strategies pursued mainly by one of these two sources. To these farmers, mostly women, the agroecology group provides alternative to access important resources and knowledge that they ordinarily would not have accessed being in the capitalistic food system, and which enables them to reach their nutrition goals. Our study supports a conceptualization of agroecology as an interdependency between agroecological agronomic practices, reciprocity and autonomy-fostering social innovations.

show abstract

A feminist economics perspective on the agroecology-food and nutrition security nexus

Cited by 8 publications

References 36 publications

Transforming food systems in the Global South: a radical approach

Transforming food systems in the Global South: a radical approach

Un panorama comparativo de la agroecología en cinco regiones: hacia la integración holística y transdisciplinar

Who profits from agroecology to secure food and nutrition? On access of women to markets and assets

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About