Question

From: The Right to Food Sovereignty for Small Scale Farmers: Case Study of Farming Cooperatives in Limpopo Province, South Africa. by: Sharon Groenmeyer

Food sovereignty is defined as the fundamental democratic right to shape agricultural and food policy from the bottom up. Africa is the hardest hit by climate change because it depends on natural resources where small-scale agriculture is the dominant method of food production, except in South Africa where commercial agriculture dominates. This has direct links to climate change discourse reveals that rapid climate change including more frequent and intense weather systems with greater climate variability and the effects of increases in the average global temperature, lead to changes in average rainfall patterns (Babagura 2011). In Sub-Saharan Africa, men make up approximately 85% of landholders and women 15% (UN Africa HDR 2012). Cultural practices and the dominance of patriarchal norms influence equal ownership and inheritance rights for men and women.

Consequently landownership amongst women is lower in sub-Saharan Africa than in any other region in the world. In contrast, women make up approximately 50% of the agriculture workforce on male-owned African small scale farms. Therefore, women in sub-Saharan Africa have less control than men do over productive resources such as assets of land and credit. Women’s time is often devoted to the domestic sphere in activities that are non-marketed and undervalued and their access to key institutions such as markets is curtailed (Annecke 2010).

Climate change discourse demonstrates that the poor are disproportionately affected, especially women who become shock absorbers during a food crisis, skipping meals to ensure family members have adequate nutrition. Household food security is part of a complex matrix of inequality, which includes high levels of unemployment and increasing impoverishment because of the rising cost of basic services of electricity and water. Consequently, the increasing prices of basic foods like maize and wheat as the staple foods of most rural and urban poor poses a problem, because impoverished households are not buyers of food. Coupled with the stressors of poverty, poor health (HIV and AIDS), and societal inequalities (race and gender), small scale farmers have less flexibility to protect themselves or avoid risks.

Keeping to ~250 words total, answer the following questions:

1.) Based on the M1 lectures and this above paragraph, describe differences in the health impacts between genders as it relates to food insecurity.

2.) Describe programs that could increase food sovereignty and reduce societal inequalities.

3.) What is the role of USAID in this work?

Answer 1

Answer 1. Food insecurity means the irregular pattern of food distribution and consumption due to insufficient resources or other issues.

In Africa, especially in sub sahara areas, the only source of food is the small scale agricultural practices, where enough production is least expected due to the affects of drastic climatic changes over there. In South Africa comparatively, commercial agricultural has a big hold in higher production rates.

In small scale production it further goes down to gender inequality. Women are provided with lesser provisions as to men. They are given lesser holds on their lands. With the changing climatic conditions, the production of these lesser areas is affected thereby giving lesser food to the families. Besides land keeping, other household works are also a part of Women's duty but she is not allowed to go to markets to buy some extra food for her family. Thus, leading to food insecurity in which females prefer their other family members to have enough food by themselves staying hungry.

Answer 2. Food security food sovereignty is the right of people to get healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods. Many programmes like to start with the peasant movement, La Via Campesina, of 1996, and to the newer Global grassroots sociopolitical movement are such programmes that are doing best to create food security. Besides this, agro ecologically effective production methods are being taught to the farmers to get better yield besides climatic disturbances. Also, the programme like Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations and many other global development activities maintain gender equality to reach out to every person to get basic need of food as a human right.

Answer 3. USAID(United States agency for international development) is playing very important roles in increasing food security by increasing economic opportunity and growth among vulnerable communities. It is aiding families and individuals also to meet their basic need for a reliable source of quality food and sufficient resources to produce or purchase it.