Household Resource Management and Food Security – Role of Home

Economics

Seminar presentation by Leena M. Kirjavainen

Widagri Consultants LtdHelsinki, Finland

23.09.2008 at IFAD, Romeleenakirjavainen@hotmail.com

Home Economics – milestones -past, present and future

Ellen H. Sallow Richards – (1842-1911) ”man is a part of organic nature, subject to laws of development and growth”

Chemist Environmentalist Consumerist Mother of Public Health Founder of ”home economics”

WomenMen

HouseholdNeeds

Resources

Community

Socio-PoliticalEconomic

Environment

Natural andInfra-Structure

Environment

Source: Adapted from Bubolz, M. M. (1991). Reflection on Human Ecology Past, Present, and Future

International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE) -100

years

Mission: improve the quality of life of daily life of people - individuals, families and communities

Dimensions of practice: basic education, technical skills and academic discipline

Influence: political, social, cultural, ecological, economic and technological systems at ”glocal” levels

Home Economics Contents - disciplinary diversity

Food, nutrition and health Textiles, clothing, design, technology Shelter and housing Consumerism and consumer science Household management Food science and hospitality Human development and family

studies Education and community service

Present and future themes Poverty reduction - population education Water, sanitation, housing, shelter Food security and nutrition Environment, climate and NRM Labour, household technology & ICT Functional literacy, girls education and

skills training, extension Gender and HIV/AIDS vs. agriculture

Food Security Conditions: availability – disasters – food crisis! access – distribution: local/global adequacy – nutritional/energy needs; acceptability - food habits/culture; stability of supply – seasonality! affordability – price

fluctuations/hikes! quality and safety – contamination/fraud

Coping strategies

Eat less, reduce meals and foods Cultivate new of vegetables Keep livestock Collect NWFPs – foods from

forests/fields (over 60 % hhs in Laos)

Collect acquatic resources from rivers, ponds and paddy rice fields

Increased vulnearability

Degradation of forest sources Decreasing yields Lack of credit Lack of off-farm opportunities Proness for floods and droughts Low level education No agricultural support services

Household Resource Management Issues

Basic household resources: - human (physical labour, skills,

knowledge, educational attainment) - material (land, capital, technology,

money), and - time Diversity of households: defining

family, household composition and membership

Roles and responsibilities: by gender, age, relation to household head

Intra-household dynamics: decision making, power structures

Inter-household relations: conflict resolution at community level

Time and task allocation: by gender/age Management and control: over income

and resource use

Pilot Study - ”Gender Issues in Household Resource Management”

Decentralized Agriculture and Forestry Extension Project (DAFEP) - WB

Java, Northern Sumatra and Southern Sulawesi, Indonesia

(World Bank, 2002)

Semi-structured questionnaire

Mini Handbook with a Questionnaire:Basic household data

Module I: Household Division of Labour Module II: Participation in Decision-

making Module III: Time Allocation-24-hour recall Module IV: Seasonal Household Calendar Module V: Income & Expenditure profile Module VI: Case Studies

Findings Agriculture major source of income; Food largest item of expenses –

demonstrates household food security concerns

Non-farm income earning activities are limited

Agro-forestry practiced in homelots Traditional social obligations

monetarized, strains limited cash income

Findings, continued.. Men dominate decision-making, but

women’s influence growing Men’s and women’s ownership of

assets influences decision-making power

Women have a role as the household ”banker” - a decision-maker on investments, marketing and choice of household enterprise

Findings - continued...

Men’s and women’s gender roles are merging

The gap between men’s and women’s leisure time is narrowing

Education increases options open to extension for men and women. Principal resources in farm households are labor, farming skills and land – these define income earning activities

Sources of Income in Pamatang Kerasaan, Simalungun, Sumatera Utara

30 %

51 %

7 %

9 %3 %

Agriculture

Non-farm Enterprises

Income from Wages

Income fromRemittancesSavings

Use of Income in Pamatang Kerasaan,Simalungun, Sumatera Utara

15 %

31 %

3 %

47 %

0 %

1 %

3 %

Agriculture

Non-farm Enterprises

Income from Remittances

Household Maintenance andFamily Care

Wages for Laborer

Recreation and Stimulants

Social and Cultural Obligations

Sources of Income in Dolokmalela, Simalungun, Sumatera Utara

83 %

6 %

3 %

3 %

1 %

4 %

Agriculture

Non-farm Enterprises

Income from Wages

Income from Remittances

Wages for Laborer

Savings

Use of Income in Dolokmalela, Simalungun, Sumatera Utara

41 %

4 %

46 %

0 %

5 % 4 % Agriculture

Income from Wages

Household Maintenance andFamily Care

Wages for Laborer

Recreation and Stimulants

Social and Cultural Obligations

Why a Household Resource Management – ”Livelihoods Study” is Recommended for

all Project Locations?

1. For Capacity Building

For Staff and Extension workers: participatory planning gender awareness location specific data for training,

extension and research programming gender mentoring and gender

monitoring

2. For Policy Making

Use gender-disaggregated data for M & E intra- and inter-household dynamics in

families and communities - relevance to policy

see women and men as different client groups - - to enhance targeting

see the relative contribution of men and women in food production

3. For Village Extension Planning

coping mechanisms - new livelihood strategies socio-economic caracteristics of HHs men’s and women’s roles in productive and

reproductive activities in different ethnic groups

recognize gender/age division of labour, workload, time use, and control over their earnings and impact on family members well-being

4. For Training

identify practical training needs in-service training in agriculture and forestry

and household resource management hands-on-training for project staff in the

field – in data collection, coding and analaysis on rural households

capacity building in data analysis, coding and interpretation

local-level participatory planning

5. For Networking and Parnerships

to establish contacts with professionals in affiliated institutions

to initiate collaborative efforts – to have uniformity in gender analysis methods

to mobilize resources and enahance partnerships for co-financing

to enter in partnerships

understandingunderstanding

household resource household resource management through management through gender lensgender lens