A new journal article examines the role of gender in various pathways to food security in Malawi, emphasizing areas for improved access to agriculture and nutrition information along these pathways. The article, published in Global Food Security, also considers the implications of gender targeting for agriculture and nutrition extension services. The authors propose a gendered typology of households: those with both male and female adults, those with only adult males, and those with only adult females. The authors take a mixed-methods approach of sequential quantitative-qualitative data collection, consisting of focus group discussions and nationally representative household and community surveys.
The results show that food insecurity is highest in male-only and female-only households. In dual-headed households in which women are frequently tasked with attending trainings and meetings, but have little power to implement lessons, joint access to information is a more powerful driver of food security than women's access.
Journal authors: Catherine Ragasa, Noora-Lisa Aberman, and Cristina Alvarez Mingote
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