Gender and home gardens: Toward food security and women's empowerment

Food security discussions often concentrate on large-, medium- and small-scale agriculture which are presumed to be male dominated. However, women's contributions to food and nutritional security are grossly undermined in academic and policy debates, therefore they are largely deprived of support programs and provisions to uplift agriculture to mitigate hunger and malnutrition. In addition, social and cultural norms hamper active participation of women in agricultural sector and decision-making, further averting opportunities to voice their grievances and shape strategies to stimulate reforms that foster equitable distribution of resources and opportunities. Interestingly, women tend to have more autonomy and authority when it comes to managing their home gardens. Considering this premise, the chapter elaborates the vital role women play in enhancing household food and nutrition security through their home gardens in a variety of perverse situations by supplementing food availability, access and utilization. The analysis underlines the various socioeconomic and environmental benefits brought about by home gardening to the women's family and the community. While highlighting experiences from developing countries around the world, the chapter also recognizes the barriers women face in improving the productivity, sustainability and development of their home gardens. Addressing these limitations can lead to significant advantages with respect to coping with food and nutritional insecurity and improving the standard of living of families. Women's work in agriculture systems including home gardens has become more prevalent as the global economy shifts in developing countries, forcing men to seek employment in urban areas. The analysis underlines the various socioeconomic and environmental benefits brought about by home gardening to the women's family and the community. Women preserving actual diversity in their gardens is equally important to the indigenous and cultural knowledge that home gardens help women preserve. While more research is needed to establish definitive links between home gardening and improved nutrition, emerging literature suggests that development of home gardens can lead to positive nutritional outcomes. Women's agricultural knowledge and preference for culinarily and nutritionally useful plants in home gardens can also impact biodiversity in agricultural crops if they are involved in seed selection and seed storage. Community gardens may s