RESEARCH AGENDA ON THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA
10 October 2000
Figure 1 : Conceptual Framework for a Research Agenda On Women’s Reproductive Health and Household Food Security in Africa
Although much research exists on food security and on reproductive health as separate issues, researchers have paid little attention to the relationship between the two. Women’s lives are situated at the nexus of these two significant issues that underlie the sustainability of life in sub-Saharan Africa. The dual roles that women play, in producing and preparing food, as well as in the bearing and raising of children, make the comprehension of the relationships between reproductive health and household food security crucial. A more complete understanding of the strength and significance of the relationship between women reproductive health and household food security is necessary to optimally develop policies that improve the quality of life of women and their families. Research studies would document and explain the social, cultural and environmental factors affecting women’s reproductive health and household food security needs and how these two issues affect each other. Studies will specially focus on the issue of women, HIV/AIDS and household food security.
In recognition of the critical need to understand the linkages between reproductive health and household food security, the Food Security and Sustainable Development Division (FSSDD) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), with the financial assistance of UNFPA, has organised a workshop on “Women’s Reproductive Health and Household Food Security in Africa” held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the 11-13 October 1999. Based on materials presented at the workshop and guidelines prepared by the resource persons during the meeting, this document presents a research agenda on the theme of the workshop. This agenda includes justifications for studying the relationship between women’s reproductive health and household food security, a conceptual framework for such a study, methodological considerations, and modalities for implementing the research agenda.
The main objective of the research project is to promote research aimed at improving the understanding of underlying factors, which link women’s reproductive health and household food security. In this regard, FSSDD intends to assist African countries to implement the proposed research agenda during the period 2001-2005. This project will enable researchers to identify and conduct credible and scientific essential studies on the interrelationships. It is anticipated that through the implementation of the research agenda and the dissemination of research findings, policy makers, programme managers, community and opinion leaders in UNECA member countries will be in a position to better understand the interrelationships between women’s reproductive health and household food security. This will facilitate the formulation of policies targeting the empowerment of women, and the improvement of the overall wellbeing of women and their families which have an impact on fertility reduction, and on poverty alleviation in African countries.
The mission of FSSDD is to contribute to the reduction of poverty in Africa ensuring food security and promoting sustainable development in UNECA member countries. To this end, FSSDD aims to raise policy-makers’ awareness of the urgency of food, population and environmental concerns (the nexus issues) in development planning. FSSDD programme of work includes the exchange of information and the dissemination of technical advisory services and research findings to enhance understanding and management of the complex interactions between agricultural productivity, population, environment and food security. These interactions are considered at the regional, national and at the household levels.
In implementing its programme, FSSDD considers extremely important to improve the generally underdeveloped state of research on the relationships between women’s reproductive health and household food security in Africa. The research findings, outcome of the implementation of the research agenda will strengthen the case for adopting inter-sectorial and effective sustainable development policies. It will also constitute substantive evidence for financing alternative socio-development programmes targeting the women and their families.
If it is imperative that information and data are generated, it is also extremely important that results are appropriately disseminated among different stakeholders in the Africa region. Therefore, FSSDD plans to largely distribute the research finding to NGOs, donors and African decision-makers in charge of food security, women empowerment and population sectors. FSSDD also plans to present the research agenda and discuss the research results during the meetings to be organised for the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration (DND) and the ICPD Programme of Action (ICPD). The research findings will also be discussed in the High-level Stakeholders Meeting on Sustainable Development organised by FSSDD. Moreover, the research work will be presented in publications produced by ECA targeting a larger public of decision-makers, and it will be available through FSSDD web site Population Information Network - Africa.
The following are some of the key justifications for the formulation and the implementation of the research agenda.
Women play a critical role in the interrelated processes of production and reproduction in the economy and household.They are central to ensuring the food security of their families (from production to consumption), while they also play a principal role in child bearing and childcare.
Biological reasons as well as inequalities in society make women more vulnerable, than men, to problems related to reproductive health and household food security throughout the life cycle. The inequalities in society generally derive from the structured nature of male and female productive and reproductive roles within cultural systems.
Past research, partly because of the non-intersecting nature of respective disciplinary focuses, addresses each of these areas separately but does not adequately address the linkages between reproductive health and household food security. In this regard, interdisciplinary research, which is in itself of interest, is especially justified in this case because it is necessary and crucial for deriving optimal solutions to the set of problems outlined here.
There are advantages to focusing on the relationships between the two sets of issues: there are interdependent linkages between the concepts of women’s reproductive health and household food security such that improving either or both of them should improve the overall wellbeing of women and their families.
To gain a better understanding of the linkages between women’s productive and reproductive roles, this research agenda relies on a conceptual framework presented in Figure 1. At the core of these linkages is the overall quality of life, which has a mutually reinforcing relationship with the interplay between women’s productive and reproductive roles. Women’s productive roles are encapsulated in the Household Food Security box while their reproductive roles are captured in the Women’s Reproductive Health box. These two interconnected functions of women affect each other, while at the same time they influence (and are, in turn, influenced by) the overall quality of life of women and their families. In addition, certain externalities relating to the physical, political, and socio-cultural environments in which women live, influence their productive and reproductive roles.
For programmes and policies with exclusive or unbalanced focuses on food security, women’s health only matters when it compromises their productive roles. Consequently, their main focus is on how to ensure that women are healthy so that the rest of society has adequate food. On the other hand, with reproductive health programmes, references to food security relate to how it can augment reproductive outcomes. Well-nourished societies have lower rates of miscarriage, lower levels of infant and maternal mortality, and lower prevalence of reproductive-related morbidity. With a focus on the well-being of women and their families, the recommended framework envisions a research agenda that examines food security and reproductive health as two mutually reinforcing axes, each of which impacts well being.
Investigating the relationship between women’s reproductive health and household food security, the following are some of the thematic areas that emerge as research priorities.
Reproductive health and household food security both have several dimensions. For each of these concepts, any one of its many dimensions can be linked to several dimensions of the other. These linkages provide the framework for examining the relationship between the two concepts. Future research should evaluate the relationships between the various indicators of household food security and reproductive health, as well as how these relationships are conditioned by environmental, socio-political and cultural factors. See attached conceptual framework upper boxes.
Research should focus on ways in which outcomes of both reproductive health and household food security may be jointly determined by other factors such as those that follow. See attached conceptual framework bottom boxes as related to top row including the following:
Poverty
Rural-urban migration
Wars and political instability
Household demographic profile
General health, nutritional and environmental conditions
Women’s socio-economic status
Political commitment and governance
Formal and informal education
Socialisation of children into gender roles
Reproductive health and household food security technologies
Another thematic area to study is the relationships between HIV/AIDS and household food security. There are gender-differentiated effects of HIV/AIDS on household resources and labour patterns. Therefore, it would be important to analyse how household resources and labour patterns change under the impact of HIV/AIDS depending on whether it is the male or female partner that is affected. In particular, researchers should investigate the implications of changes in household resources and labour patterns for the nutrition of young children and women. Another subject of study should be as well the coping strategies of the unaffected partner, their children and relatives, and the reproductive health and food security implications of such strategies.
Research should also investigate the underlying dynamics associated with the mechanisms of coping with food insecurity such as sexual services, child labour, etc. This research will contribute to a better understanding of women’s responses to food insecurity and also of the determinants of women’s reproductive health.
Because health services neglect adolescents and also because adolescents contribute significantly to household food security, studies of adolescent reproductive health and household food security must be a priority.
Because too little is known about male responsibilities and roles as partners in reproductive health and household food security, this area should also be studied.
Studies concerning reproductive health and household food security linkages in special and neglected groups should include:
Forest people
Traditional fisher folk
Hunter/gatherers
Pastoralists
Nomads
The following have been identified as the main methodological considerations to be taken into account in the conception and implementation of useful research.
Researchers should adopt a holistic view of women’s welfare involving not only their health but also their socio-economic well being at the household, community, and national levels.
Women are not a homogeneous group: there is a need to clearly specify and identify the groups to be studied on the basis of educational, economical and social levels.
As a gender perspective is essential to this research, the use of methodologies that employ gender analysis is of high priority.
Micro and macro approaches are needed to look at the relationships between reproductive health and household food security.
Quantitative and qualitative approaches should be employed, either independently or in conjunction.
Capacity development must be build into research, such that junior researchers are mentored and the ability of institutions to carry out research at the very local level is strengthened.
Participatory approaches through which women play a significant role in defining both problems and solutions should be encouraged.
Process-oriented action research is encouraged such that researchers can address related population needs as they carry out their study.
It is important to disseminate research results to communities and particularly at the grass-roots level.
In formulating and screening research proposals the following geographical and comparative points should be considered.
Comparative research that looks at different levels and magnitudes of reproductive health and household food security problems is important in eliciting linkages.
Comparative research on different geographic and political situations, cultural, linguistic and ecological zones in Africa is also important.
Steps for Implementation of the Research Agenda
FSSDD will present the research agenda to Working Groups and Committees on the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration (DND) and the ICPD Programme of Action (ICPD). The research agenda will also be presented to the High-level Stakeholders Meeting on Sustainable Development and to the Committee on Sustainable Development organised by FSSDD.
The research agenda will be made available through FSSDD web site Population Information Network - Africa.
Creation of the listserve on “Women’s Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Household Food Security in Africa” hosted by the web site Population Information Network – Africa.
As preliminary activities for the implementation of the research agenda, a research group in an African country will further elaborate the methodology. The same research group will then test this methodology in a case study.
Dissemination of the revised methodology and of the case study results. Further elaboration of the research agenda on the basis of the result of the preliminary activities
FSSDD will call for research proposals in several African countries.
Preliminary screening of research proposals by FSSDD (with, perhaps, additional outside experts)
FSSDD will contact (or convene) a panel of experts as steering committee to review proposals.
Workshop of selected grantees will be convened together with scientific experts to discuss modalities for research projects (methodology workshop) (e.g. in Tunisia).
After direction on modalities, researchers proceed with work including gender differentiated data collection and analysis. Researchers should have available to them a pool of technical experts to facilitate their research and data analysis.
Submission of draft reports to FSSDD
Convene a meeting of all grantees to report on completed work and on research findings to stakeholders of ECA member countries.
- Revise reports and local dissemination of findings.
- Submit final reports to FSSDD.
- Publication and large dissemination of research findings.
FSSDD will present research findings to Working Groups and Committees on the implementation of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration (DND) and the ICPD Programme of Action (ICPD). Research findings will also be presented to the High-level Stakeholders Meeting on Sustainable Development and to the Committee on Sustainable Development organised by FSSDD.
Research findings will be made available through FSSDD web site Population Information Network - Africa.