Women leading the informal market - Sustainable diets for all. By Sofonie Dala. Day 1

Building resilience in food and nutrition security on the African Continent

The world produces enough food to meet the needs of the global population, but many people do not have access to healthy and affordable diets from food that is produced in a sustainable way

Strengthening Agri-food systems and health and social production systems to accelerate socio-economic and human capital development’’.

Hello world!

My name is Sofonie Dala, welcome to another edition of the AfroNutri - Online project!

We are celebrating the Africa's Nutrition Year. Here we are encouraging people to adopt environmentally sustainable diets - an important step toward lowering greenhouse gas emissions. And we will be traveling through informal markets where we will meet women promoting the sale of healthy and sustainable foods.

Inequality and power imbalances among women local food actors

Most women, particularly the rural-based, have internalized the patriarchal system by being submissive and losing their bargaining power and becoming totally powerless without rights, influence and control of resources. 

Women have high unemployment and lack of opportunity. Donors don’t understand the challenges on the ground: we need bottom-up / grassroots approaches. We need an on-the-ground system that collects information as well as monitors challenges and project implementation. This system can inform and reassure donors.

                                  Bean vendors- informal market        

Division of labor between male and female members at household level is another concern that affects women rights. These gender disparities have a strong bearing on the development of agriculture as well as food security and nutrition. It is therefore important that men, traditional and political leaders, religious leaders, and business leaders understand the negative impacts that such practices have on community livelihoods.

                                Woman selling grilled corn

Women’s empowerment often focuses on training and enabling, but doesn’t give the tools needed to actually generate a decent income. Solutions being attempted to empower women see a lot of funds being wasted; grassroots approaches would be more effective.

Informal food markets offer diverse food products and crucial livelihood opportunities

Crops -informal market (sugar, various types of beans, rice, corn flour, soy flour, manioc flour, etc.)

Informal markets play a critical role in providing affordable, accessible and diverse food for the urban poor, while at the same time supporting the livelihoods of millions of small-scale farmers, traders and vendors.

 

Fruits - formal market

Although informal businesses face food safety challenges because they lack refrigeration units, have food that is exposed to the elements and stalls are, in general, rudimentary structures. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re always unsafe, and formal markets with modern infrastructure are safer.

Vegetables - formal market 

The globalised food industry promotes low cost, highly processed foods that contribute to obesity and diet-related diseases that many people fear will lead to a public health crisis. Large-scale intensive agriculture degrades the environment, damages biodiversity and cuts out small producers. There is a compelling case for re-examining food systems.

Through citizen action, the AfroNutri - Online project promotes diets that are diverse, healthy, fair, and sustainable.