{"id":60093574,"date":"2025-08-11T16:03:58","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T15:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=opinion&p=60093574"},"modified":"2025-08-11T16:26:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T15:26:23","slug":"gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions","status":"publish","type":"opinion","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender equity must be at the centre of food security policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There was much discussion last month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia\u2019s capital, on the need to make global food systems more equitable. Yet at meetings like the Food Systems Summit, the role of gender equity in food security remains critically unaddressed. This is despite gender being at the very heart of malnutrition in the world\u2019s most food-insecure communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality of this neglect is stark in the fishing communities of the coastal regions of Kenya and Madagascar, where I work with conservation organisation Blue Ventures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Recommended<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n

These communities depend heavily on small-scale fisheries for food and income. Women play vital roles, catching and processing fish, preparing meals, caring for families and maintaining household nutrition. Yet they are often also most affected<\/a> by hunger and resulting poor health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gender inequity plagues fishing communities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Madagascar, over 60%<\/a> of the population experiences food insecurity and more than half lack adequate nutrition. The country has one of the highest rates of food insecurity and malnutrition globally. It is one of the most nutritionally vulnerable coastal nations, with 30%<\/a> of the nutrient supply for its coastal populations dependent on small-scale fisheries. Gender inequalities exacerbate the issue: 38% of women of reproductive age are anaemic<\/a> and more women than men are underweight, with serious consequences for their health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenya\u2019s coastal counties struggle with similar problems. Dietary diversity among women remains poor, with as low as 14%<\/a> of them having consumed foods from at least 5 out of 10 defined food groups. This is despite the fact that fish caught by the country\u2019s fisherwomen account for up to half<\/a> of the fish consumed in some households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In both Kenya and Madagascar, food insecurity is about inequity as well as supply. It is a matter of who gets access to food, who makes decisions about it and who eats last. Too often men get access and make decisions, and women eat the least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social norms and other barriers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Barriers to adequate nutrition are often invisible to those not embedded in these communities. Women have fewer opportunities to fish than men, have less access to equipment and, as a result, catch less. Their catches are smaller and less diverse, and their incomes are lower<\/a>. These disadvantages are compounded by deep-rooted social norms that continue to define women\u2019s roles narrowly as caregivers, cooks and supporters, rather than as decision-makers<\/a>, breadwinners or economic contributors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Madagascar, despite legal frameworks that support gender equality in sectors like health and education, deep-rooted sociocultural norms continue to hinder women\u2019s potential, including in small-scale fisheries. Men continue to dominate higher-paying, decision-making roles such as business owners, while women are relegated to informal, lower-value positions such as cleaning catches. These inequities are not isolated issues; they are systemic, and they directly shape who eats, how well and how often. The result is frequently women going hungry and eating less well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why is gender not at the forefront of global food security conversations? Because for too long, policymakers have treated food insecurity as a problem of quantity that can be solved by increasing production. In doing so, they have neglected the deeper, structural questions. Who controls the food that is produced? Who gets to eat it? And who gets left behind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The route to progress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the wake of this year\u2019s Food Systems Summit, we must ask these harder questions. We must stop treating small-scale fisheries as a peripheral issue and instead centre them, and the coastal communities who depend on them, in our global food discussions. More specifically, we must recognise the crucial role that women play in these systems, and the systemic barriers that prevent them from accessing resources, participating in decision-making, and providing nutritious food for themselves and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is time for gender-transformative approaches. This means going beyond inclusion to actively dismantle the structural and social barriers that exclude women by ensuring they have agency and access to gear, training, nutrition knowledge and markets. They must be given a heightened, more equitable role in fisheries management and value chains. And they must be provided with the necessary authority to make decisions about food and income at household level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/div>
A woman processes freshly caught fish in a smokehouse on Gunjur Beach, The Gambia (Image: Mustapha Manneh \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

These changes cannot happen without also involving men in the conversation on nutrition. Engaging men to be allies in addressing gender norms, and promoting joint decision-making in households, has shown promise in other nutrition-related sectors, such as health and agriculture. Fisheries should explore doing the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Blue Ventures, we\u2019ve seen firsthand how increasing access to knowledge, skills and leadership opportunities for women \u2013 from selecting and processing fish to community-based management \u2013 can transform household access to nutrition and strengthen local economies. But for these solutions to scale, they must be supported by policies and structural support. There must be more meaningful participation of women in fisheries activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of policy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Policy moments like the Food Systems Summit have a critical role to play. They need to go a step further than simply recognising the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and nutrition. They need to establish actual plans and policies that support coastal communities and the women so essential to their resilience and prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There needs to be a clear commitment to integrating gender equity into every layer of food systems policy. This means embedding the issue in fisheries management, financing women-led initiatives in coastal communities. Finally, it means measuring success not just by production, but by access and outcomes, especially for women and girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, food security is not just about growing, catching or producing more food. It\u2019s about ensuring that all people, regardless of gender or socioeconomic status, can access the nutrition they need to live healthy, productive lives. If we fail to confront the gendered nature of food insecurity, we will fail to build truly equitable food systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Kenyan and Madagascan fishing communities, women play vital roles but are often marginalised in decision making, writes Rose Ndulu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60093589,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[763,50039901],"tags":[545,20000253,50040749],"country":[50040759,50041534],"class_list":["post-60093574","opinion","type-opinion","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","category-ocean","tag-fisheries","tag-gender","tag-livelihoods","country-kenya","country-madagascar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGender equity must be at the centre of food security policy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Kenyan and Madagascan fishing communities, women play vital roles but are often marginalised in decision making, writes Rose Ndulu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gender equity must be at the centre of food security policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Kenyan and Madagascan fishing communities, women play vital roles but are often marginalised in decision making, writes Rose Ndulu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dialogue Earth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T15:26:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Madagascar-fishing-woman_Alamy_2H4DHR5-1-e1754908045900.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/\",\"name\":\"Gender equity must be at the centre of food security policy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Madagascar-fishing-woman_Alamy_2H4DHR5-1-e1754908045900.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-11T15:03:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-11T15:26:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"In Kenyan and Madagascan fishing communities, women play vital roles but are often marginalised in decision making, writes Rose Ndulu\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/gender-equity-must-be-at-the-centre-of-food-security-discussions\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Madagascar-fishing-woman_Alamy_2H4DHR5-1-e1754908045900.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Madagascar-fishing-woman_Alamy_2H4DHR5-1-e1754908045900.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"2H4DHR5 Madagascar. 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