NEW Report:
Food Security and HIV/AIDS in Uganda

ICRW is working to improve food security and nutrition of AIDS-affected households in rural Uganda, partnering with The AIDS Support Organization of Uganda (TASO) and the National Agricultural Research Organization of Uganda (NARO).

The project addresses the complexities of food insecurity and HIV/AIDS by forging partnerships across sectors — including institutions with expertise in agriculture, nutrition, gender and HIV/AIDS — at the district, community and local levels.

Read the report.

Innovative approach links agriculture, nutrition and gender

The strategy of the Agriculture and Nutrition Advantage (TANA) project was to cultivate a network of leaders and advocates in sub-Saharan Africa who would promote an approach to combating hunger that is effective but rarely used in practice: linking agriculture and nutrition, while also accounting for gender.

The decision to promote this approach was based on the premise that agriculture and nutrition communities are missing opportunities to reduce poverty, hunger, and malnutrition by failing to combine scarce resources, act collaboratively, and incorporate gender analysis throughout their work.

Read the report.

EXPLORE OUR WORK

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FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION

Research | Insight | Action & Advocacy | Projects

The world today produces enough food to feed everyone. Yet hundreds of millions of women, men and children still go hungry. Why?

Hunger and malnutrition arise from multiple, interrelated sources. Gender inequality is a significant factor — if not the significant factor — in perpetuating a hunger-poverty cycle. Women throughout the world are the primary food and care providers for their families, yet because of gender norms, they often have limited access to and control over resources and are excluded from household decision-making.

Research

Our research shows that placing resources in the hands of women often leads to the quickest gains for households because women are more likely to directly invest in their family's health, education and nutrition.

ICRW first linked nutrition and gender in innovative ways in the 1980s as part of our effort to reduce malnutrition in parts of Latin America, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Since then, our work has dealt with micronutrient deficiencies, through our OMNI program, which led to work on incorporating gender into nutrition and agriculture programs through our Agriculture and Nutrition Advantage project.

Insight

We now know that strategies that aim to tackle hunger and malnutrition must address the underlying and linked issues of gender inequality.

Gender refers to the widely shared expectations and norms within a society about appropriate male and female behavior, roles and responsibilities. By addressing both nutrition and gender issues, we get at the root of the hunger problem. This approach — linking gender and nutrition — provides a practical tool for on-the-ground results.

Action & Advocacy

ICRW uses gender analysis tools to help communities understand the different gender norms and how they may contribute to poor household nutritional status and hunger. ICRW builds nutrition and gender objectives and interventions into existing programs and/or develops new interventions. This approach improves nutrition outcomes and food security by determining how to enhance women's roles and status, decision-making capabilities and control over resources.

Our programs focus on interrelated and interdisciplinary approaches to addressing nutrition and food security. We collaborate with organizations that work in agriculture, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, education and women's empowerment, as well as local and national governments to work toward a world where no one experiences the pangs of hunger.

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Photo Credit:
310167-001 Demetrio Carrasco/ courtesy of Getty Images