GENDER AND FOOD INSECURITY: FOOD ENTITLEMENT IN RESOURCE SCARCE AREAS IN THE FAR-WESTERN REGION OF NEPAL

Abstract

In spite of being the principal producers of food, women and child girls are often suffer from malnutrition and hunger. Most of the discussions regarding their food insecurity have focused so far on the intra-household access and distribution of food. This article analyzes the broader spectrum of gender dimensions of inter and intra-household entitlement to food. This study conducted in the far-western region of Nepal, which is established as a resource poor region, shows the institutions such as patrilinearity, patriarchal inheritance law, patrilocality and early marriage, the cultural norms, discriminatory food distributional practices, caste and ethnicity still function among some categories women in terms of land ownerships, share tenancy, acquiring sufficient and nutritious food, wage and employment, and credit, resulting their entitlement failure. At a time, this article discusses how new initiatives such as market, women’s self-help agencies, Government’s new policy and NGOs have been playing crucial role to change in the institutions that resulted into women’s capability enhancement.