Food-borne disease remains a major public health challenge in Africa and Asia. Most of the foods that carry the highest pathogen risk are produced by smallholder farmers, marketed through the informal sector, and sold in wet markets. Given the significant role of informal markets in African and Asian food systems, attention is invested in understanding (1) how the people that participate in informal markets are exposed to risk, and (2) how they manage risk. We conduct a participatory risk analysis with a gender lens in 20 livestock and fish value chains to study whether gender-based differences influence risk of food-borne disease. We find that socially constructed gender roles are more important determinants of health risk than biological differences between men and women. Variations in risk exposure between men and women are mainly due to gender-based differences in occupational exposure, and secondarily to differences in consumption patterns. Women are important but under-recognized risk managers in the realms of food production, processing, selling, preparation, and consumption. Understanding the influence of gender on risk exposure and management is essential for improving food safety in informal markets.

Foodborne diseases (FBD) are an important externality of agriculture and food systems, but only recently have they risen up the development agenda as the result of growing awareness of the health and economic burdens of FBD and how they relate to food systems with a focus on low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC), particularly African nations. The health burden of FBD is comparable with that of malaria, and over 90% falls on people in LMIC, with an economic burden of more than US$100 million per year. FBD have many other, less well-estimated effects on nutrition, gender, equity, and the environment. While understanding of food safety in domestic markets of LMICs has advanced greatly, risk management is in its infancy. This Research Topic will bring together leading regional perspectives on food safety in LMICs.

Over the past decade, interest in gender equality and women’s empowerment has grown rapidly, creating a unique opportunity to institutionalize gender research within agricultural research for development. This book, edited by researchers from the CGIAR Gender Platform, reviews and reflects on the growing body of evidence from gender research. It marks a shift a way from a traditional focus on how gender analysis can contribute to improved productivity, flipping the question to ask, How does agricultural and environmental research and development contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment? Chapters synthesize the wide range of CGIAR and other research in this area, covering breeding research and seed systems, value chain participation, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, natural resources, climate adaptation and mitigation, the “feminization” of agriculture, women’s role in agricultural research, and emerging gender transformative approaches.

Throughout the developing world, women, working together with men, play the dual roles of agricultural producers and household caregivers and are the key to securing household food security and nutrition. At the same time, the division of rights, resources, and responsibilities between men and women often results in higher vulnerability of women and girls to undernutrition, micronutrient malnutrition, poor health, and a general lack of time to accomplish their daily tasks. As the global community mobilizes in support of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on gender equality and women’s rights, at least 11 of the 17 SDGs include indicators related to gender dynamics-the social relations between men and women. SDG2, ending world hunger, explicitly mentions addressing the constraints for women who are small-scale food producers and the nutritional needs of women and adolescent girls. To monitor progress toward these goals, significant global commitments have been made to close the gender data gap. Closing this data gap means paying close attention to gender dynamics in all of IFPRI’s strategic research areas.

The status of women in agrifood systems report uses extensive new data and analyses to provide a comprehensive picture of women’s participation, benefits, and challenges they face working in agrifood systems globally. The report shows how increasing women’s empowerment and gender equality in agrifood systems enhances women’s well-being and the well-being of their households, creating opportunities for economic growth, greater incomes, productivity and resilience. The report comes more than a decade after the publication of the State of food and agriculture (SOFA) 2010–11: Women in agriculture – Closing the gender gap for development. SOFA 2010–11 documented the tremendous costs of gender inequality not only for women but also for agriculture and the broader economy and society, making the business case for closing existing gender gaps in accessing agricultural assets, inputs and services. Moving beyond agriculture, The status of women in agrifood systems reflects not only on how gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to the transition towards sustainable and resilient agrifood systems but also on how the transformation of agrifood systems can contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the available evidence on gender equality and women’s empowerment in agrifood systems that has been produced over the last decade. The report also provides policymakers and development actors with an extensive review of what has worked, highlighting the promise of moving from closing specific gender gaps towards the adoption of gender-transformative approaches that explicitly address the formal and informal structural constraints to equality. It concludes with specific recommendations on the way forward. Last update 03/08/2023

The new Kenyan government faces a complex domestic and global environment, and it is widely expected to address key food and agricultural challenges with a new set of policies and programs. This policy brief presents key recommendations from a forthcoming book, Food Systems Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future, which provides research-based “food for thought and action” to support the Kenyan government’s efforts to improve food security.

One Health, the concept of combined veterinary and human health, has now expanded beyond emerging infectious diseases and zoonoses to incorporate a wider suite of health issues. Retaining its interdisciplinary focus which combines theory with practice, this new edition illustrates the contribution of One Health collaborations to real-world issues such as sanitation, economics, food security and vaccination programmes. It includes more non-infectious disease issues and climate change discussion alongside revised case studies and expanded methodology chapters to draw out implications for practice. Promoting an action-based, solutions-oriented approach, One Health: The Theory and Practice of Integrated Health Approaches highlights the lessons learned for both human and animal health professionals and students.