Recognizing Women’s Needs: A Key in Agriculture Production and Food Security

The Women and Gender in International Development discussion series offers an opportunity for scholars and practitioners to share their research and knowledge surrounding gender and international development. Dr. Ozzie Abaye will talk about her research in the developing world. Women have been denied access to both financial and land resources throughout history. Yet, they contribute more than their share to agriculture and food security on a daily basis. Through USAID-ERA (United States Agency for International Development – Education and Research in Agriculture (USAID-ERA) a project that aimed (delivered) to revitalize the agricultural sector through education, research, and discovery, and outreach, implemented several agricultural interventions at the community, private, and public sector levels using the land-grant model. Some of the agricultural interventions focus on those that have the explicit goal of improving food security by supporting women at the village levels. Two of such projects are a small-scale silage project designed to conserve forages to feed small ruminants during the dry season and the introduction mungbean, to diversify the diets mainly composed of cereal crops. Mung bean is a greater source of protein and fiber when compared to its cultural counterpart, cowpeas, and other staple grains. The presentation will focus on the initial contribution of these two women targeted projects on perceived women’s health and productivity.