Looking within the household: a study on gender, food security, and resilience in cocoa-growing communities

Abstract

Many West African cocoa households experience a ‘lean season’ before the cocoa harvest, leaving them vulnerable to various events and issues which potentially cause stress – most notably food insecurity. This study, relying primarily on qualitative data from Côte d'Ivoire, examines how income allocation and intra-household dynamics affect household resilience during the lean season. Its findings indicate that in contexts in which women and men's income are separate and destined for different purposes in the household, the fact that men's income is often earmarked for individual spending creates particular problems for households in the lean season. Women's empowerment within the household is essential to improving intra-household resource allocation for resilience. In many contexts, this translates into development programmes supporting women to increase their production and ability to control income independently of men. However, a context of individual gendered agricultural production, and gendered spending obligations, such as West Africa, calls for a slightly different approach. Enhancing agricultural productivity is critical, but in addition it is important to encourage co-operation between women and men in households to result in joint decision-making in the interests of the household.

En África Occidental muchos hogares productores de cacao experimentan una temporada de escasez previamente a la cosecha, lo que los deja en una situación de vulnerabilidad ante distintos eventos y cuestiones que pueden provocar el estrés, principalmente frente a la inseguridad alimentaria. Apoyándose de manera particular en información cualitativa recabada en Costa de Marfil, el presente estudio analiza cómo la distribución de ingresos y las dinámicas relacionales al interior de las familias afectan la resiliencia de los hogares durante épocas de carestía. Los resultados dan cuenta de que en aquellos contextos en que los ingresos de las mujeres y los hombres se mantienen separados, siendo destinados a distintos propósitos familiares, el hecho de que el ingreso de los hombres sea reservado para gastos individuales provoca problemas particulares en los hogares durante periodos de escasez. Por ello, si se trata de mejorar la distribución de los recursos familiares para incrementar su resiliencia, resulta esencial el empoderamiento de las mujeres al interior de su hogar. En numerosos contextos, esto significa que los programas de desarrollo deban apoyar a las mujeres a fin de que su producción aumente y mejore su capacidad de controlar sus ingresos sin depender de los hombres. Sin embargo, en el contexto de África Occidental, en que tanto las tareas de producción agrícola como los gastos obligatorios son determinados por el género, el enfoque tiene que ser ligeramente distinto. En este sentido, además de que es importante elevar la producción agrícola resulta crucial incentivar la cooperación entre mujeres y hombres al interior de la familia con el fin de que conjuntamente tomen decisiones beneficiosas para el hogar.

De nombreux ménages ouest-africains qui cultivent le cacao traversent une « saison de soudure » avant la récolte du cacao, ce qui les met en situation de vulnérabilité face à divers événements et problèmes susceptibles de causer un stress – surtout l'insécurité alimentaire. Cette étude, qui se base principalement sur des données qualitatives provenant de Côte d'Ivoire, examine l'incidence qu'ont la répartition des revenus et la dynamique intra-ménage sur la résilience du ménage durant la saison de soudure. Ses conclusions indiquent que, dans des contextes dans lesquels les revenus des femmes et des hommes sont séparés et destinés à différents usages au sein du ménage, le fait que les revenus des hommes soient souvent assignés à des dépenses individuelles crée des problèmes particuliers pour les ménages durant la saison de soudure. L'autonomisation des femmes au sein du ménage est essentielle pour améliorer la répartition des ressources au sein du ménage en vue de la résilience. Dans de nombreux contextes, cela se traduit en programmes de développement qui aident les femmes à accroître leur production et leur aptitude à contrôler leurs revenus indépendamment des hommes. Cependant, un contexte de production agricole individuelle et d'obligations de dépenses basées sur le genre, comme celui de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, demande une approche légèrement différente. Il est crucial d'améliorer la productivité agricole, mais il est aussi important d'encourager la coopération entre les femmes et les hommes au sein des ménages pour parvenir à une prise de décisions qui profite au ménage.

Key words:

• intra-household
• gender
• resilience
• food security
• seasonality
• expenditures

Notes

1 Food security is the access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life, in accordance with the 1996 World Food Summit. This study focuses on the consistent access to sufficient food, particularly during the lean season, as a key component of food security.

2 IFPRI is a research centre that provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. For more information, see http://www.ifpri.org/ (last checked by the author 9 September 2015).

3 Women often face greater disadvantages and risks if they do not co-operate with household sharing arrangements. They tend to have fewer economic assets, such as land, and therefore have less livelihood options to rely on should their marriage become conflictual or fail. In addition, they are more vulnerable to gender-based violence, which can result from a refusal to co-operate. As such, women have less influence on household spending decisions, and are often compelled to contribute relatively larger shares of their income to the household (Agarwal 1997). Social norms by and large also tend to reinforce men's role as dominant within the household in the West African context.

4 The WCF is an international membership organisation that promotes sustainability in the cocoa sector. WCF provides cocoa farmers with the support they need to grow more quality cocoa and socially and economically strengthen their communities. WCF's members include cocoa and chocolate manufacturers, processors, supply chain managers, and other companies worldwide, representing more than 80 per cent of the global cocoa market. WCF's programmes benefit farmers and their communities in cocoa-growing regions of Africa, South-East Asia, and the Americas.

5 The definition of food needs can be subjective, and can vary according to the individual family's circumstances. Often, in the research context at hand, families aim to have sufficient amounts of staple crops to bridge the lean season gap without reducing food intake. They seek to minimise or eliminate food-related purchases. While a household's food needs can be satisfied through different strategies, for example by reducing the quality or diversity of food, the fact that food crops are shared in-kind tends to limit the individual's overall ability to control income from the crop, and the amount of discretionary income available.

6 While men typically assume larger education expenses, most notably school fees, women also contribute to children's education through smaller expenses, for example through school lunches. Women may also take on educational expenses if no other income source is available, particular if educational needs arise when cocoa is not in season.