Addressing food security in Africa via multiple livelihood strategies of women farmers

Because food insecurity is primarily a problem of low household incomes and poverty, and not just inadequate food production, projects and programs fo r food insecure African farmers which aim at increasing production of subsi stence crops may be ineffective. Instead, government should look for ways t o improve returns to farmers' resources in a broader context, which may inc lude expanded opportunities for non-farm microenterprises and agricultural labor. This has been the conventional wisdom since the writings of Amartya Sen. Still unclear, however, are the implications of his thinking for the r oles of African women farmers who are traditionally the food-crop producers in Africa and are often food insecure. Immediate expansion of income-earni ng activities such as cash cropping and non-farm microenterprises may not b e possible for women in male headed households in many African societies wh ere cash income is seen as part of the male domain. In addition, women farm ers may need a long adjustment period to diversify their income sources ful ly because most African countries are at the early stages of structural tra nsformation. Different developmental interventions, both in policy and in t echnology, are therefore needed to address food security and economic trans formations in Africa in the short and long term. (C) 2001 Published by Else vier Science Ltd.