Nutrition‐sensitive agricultural interventions and gender dynamics: A qualitative study in Nepal

Abstract

Undernutrition and low women's status persist as major development obstacles in South Asia and specifically, Nepal. Multi-sectoral approaches, including nutrition-sensitive agriculture, are potential avenues for further reductions in undernutrition. Although evidence is growing, many questions remain regarding how gender mediates the translation of agricultural production activities into nutritional benefit. In this study, we examined how gender influences the pathway from agricultural production to improved income and control of income, with a focus on five domains of empowerment: decision-making power, freedom of mobility, social support, workload and time, and self-efficacy. For this, we conducted a qualitative retrospective assessment (N = 10 FGDs) among 73 beneficiary women of a nutrition-sensitive agriculture programme implemented from 2008 to 2012 in two districts of Nepal-Baitadi and Kailali. We found that women reported increased decision-making power, new knowledge and skills, increased recognition by their family members of their new knowledge and contributions, and self-efficacy as farmers and sellers, whereas workload and time were the most consistent constraints noted. We also found that each empowerment domain operated differently at different stages of the pathway, sometimes representing barriers and at other times, opportunities and that the interconnectedness of the domains made them difficult to disentangle in practice. Finally, there were major contextual differences for some domains (e.g., freedom of mobility) between the two districts. Future policies and programmes need to include in-depth formative research to ensure that interventions address context-specific gender and social norms to maximise programmatic opportunities to achieve desired results.

Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture: A Systematic Review of Impact Pathways to Nutrition Outcomes

“…Most of the studies reporting gender in their interventions examined the effects on women's empowerment without describing how the interventions influenced the underpinning gender dynamics that empowered women and consequently led to nutrition outcomes. Some other studies on underlying gender dynamics and NSA were excluded from this review because they did not report on nutrition outcomes ( 85 , 86 ).…”

Gender equity considerations in food environments of low and middle income countries: A scoping review

“…In several contexts, it was noted that women face daily mobility challenges that can limit their access to markets and food. For example, Kjeldsberg et al (2018) find that woman's mobility was an important factor related to woman's empowerment in the context of a nutrition-sensitive agriculture project in Nepal. Other articles found a relationship between the mother's freedom of mobility and nutritional outcomes for mothers and children.…”

“…Chaturvedi et al (2016) find that in India, there was a correlation between the amount of time mothers spent with their children and their nutrition status. Time constraints also impacted women's participation in an agriculture and nutrition program in Nepal (Kjeldsberg et al, 2018). And, Rafii et al…”

Meeting Young People’s Mobility and Transport Needs: Review and Prospect

“…For young women living in the poorer households of LMICs, conditions are often particularly difficult in the absence of appropriate inexpensive and timely transport, as Venter et al demonstrated for rural South Africa and Esson et al for Accra, urban Ghana [70,79]. Cultural barriers to mobility vary (see Kjeldsberg et al regarding variations in rural Nepal [80]) but for some young married women, these barriers can be insurmountable, especially if they cannot find reliable transport for their return journey home. This tends to be particularly important because of consequent delays to evening meal preparations, possibly coupled with male suspicions of the reason behind their delay.…”