Gender Nutrition Nexus: Addressing Inequities through Agriculture, Education, and Inclusive Health Strategies

Abstract

The interactions between nutrition and gender are a highly vital determinant of the general wellness of human beings. Nutrition is the process of intake, absorption, and utilization of the food, which is closely connected to the physical, mental, and social health outcomes. The gendered nutrition is also affected by cultural practices. Conventional gender roles and social practices tend to dictate food distribution in family, rate of meals and variety of food. Women and girls are also victims of systematic inequalities in access to nutrient-rich foods that reinforce gender-based health inequities in most settings. Intersectional elements of socio-economics relate to gender to worsen the nutritional situation. The disparity in income, education, employment, and access to healthcare hurts women and marginalized gender disproportionately, reducing their capacity to access healthy and sufficient diets. These structural inequities are the components of nutrition security and health equity addressed. Agriculture is very crucial in determining diets and nutritional outcomes of the household. Ag-based extension which is gender and nutrition sensitive can be used to encourage the production and consumption of nutrient-rich food, promote equal intra-household food distribution, and eliminate gender-based barriers in food systems. The incorporation of gender and nutrition in the extension services enhances the building of resilient and inclusive institutions and programs that are attuned to nutrition. Some of the main suggestions are the use of a family oriented approach to guide malnutrition, intensifying nutrition education among workers at the grassroots level, encouraging the use of nutrition garden at both home and school, incorporating local food nutrition into school curriculum and creating awareness to both male and female level workers in the villages.