Gender Forum: The Gender Dimension of Food Security

Thursday 25th August 2016 | Lilian Towers, Nairobi Safari Club | 4:00pm - 6:30pm | Free entry to all audiences

Women’s contribution to food security is of crucial importance. Constituting 80% of Kenya’s farmers, women are the cornerstone of small-scale agriculture, farm labour and daily subsistence in the country. Despite this, women by virtue of their gendered role as nurturers, face greater constraints as producers and providers of food. These constraints include insufficient access to land, credit and financial support, lack of fair income, restricted access to agricultural inputs and technology, training and extension services and membership to rural organisations. Whether due to legislative design or cultural conditions, it is imperative that the contribution of women in achieving food security be prioritised.

The goal of this conversation is to dedicate attention to more than 10 million people suffering from chronic food insecurity and poor nutrition, with more than 2 million people dependent on emergency food aid at any given time, in Kenya. It is to dedicate our attention to 30% of the children in the country who are undernourished. We want to explore ideas on how these statistics can be possible, even as tenderstem broccoli from Kenya is in supermarkets in the UK and 400, 000 bags of maize lie idle for eight years in strategic grain reserves only to be discarded. We want to explore the relationship – or lack thereof – between food security, socioeconomic development and peace. We want to discuss the role of women in the solution to realising the right to food.

Key Discussion Points:

How can we describe the problem of food insecurity and in what ways can we frame it as an issue of equality, rights and social justice?
What are the gender dimensions in the discourse of food security? How are women affected?
How does politics shape the conversation on chronic hunger and malnutrition?
In what ways can we think of food security as an issue of gender justice?
How is food security prioritised in this country, with specific relation to social development, economic growth and national security?

Invited Speakers:

Hon. Kenneth Okoth, ODM Member of Parliament, Kibra Constituency; Dr Dickson Ombaka Chairman and Lecturer, Dept. of Sociology Kenyatta University; Dr Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg Director, AWARD; Anne Maina National Coordinator, KBioC; Zeynab Wandati Business Journalist, NTV Kenya.

Moderator: Yvonne Okwara-Matole.

Format of Discussion:

A panel discussion contextualises issues to the audience. This is infused with public dialogue and Q&A where the audience engages with the panel and forum.

About the Foundation

Being part of the Green political movement that has developed worldwide as a response to the traditional politics of socialism, liberalism, and conservatism, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung is a Green Political Foundation, affiliated to the German political party “Alliance ’90 / The Greens”. The regional office for East and Horn of Africa is a people-centric green think-tank, based in Nairobi since 2001. In our work, we facilitate open dialogue, undertake studies and forge partnerships with and among communities in East & Horn of Africa along the core themes of Gender, Environment, Democracy and International Dialogue.

About the Gender Forum

The Gender Forum is a monthly public dialogue convened by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung since 2001, encouraging dialogue on pertinent national social issues with a gendered lens. It brings together scholars, law- makers and implementers, civil activists, government institutions, students and the general public, aiming at sharing knowledge and inspiring gendered analysis of policy and programmes.

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Join the conversation online via #GenderForum.

Files

Flyer

The Open Cultivation of Bt-Maize: Questions We Should Be Asking

Part of the series: Gender Forum

Entrance Fee: Free