How can women empowerment through livestock value chains enhance maternal and child nutrition in Northern Kenya?
At last week’s National Food and Nutrition Symposium held at the Kenya School of Government, Jennifer Adere, a Nutrition Specialist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) presented findings from a background study that sought to understand the pathways through which livestock influence women’s empowerment and maternal and child nutrition.
Themed ‘mainstreaming nutrition innovations for sustainable development’, the two-day symposium held on 23 and 24 November 2016 brought together actors in nutrition and food security to identify evidence-based innovative and sustainable opportunities that can enhance the food and nutrition situation inform nutrition development policy in Kenya.
The study, conducted in Marsabit and Isiolo Counties, identified livestock products and market participation as the main women empowerment domains in drylands livestock production systems. the authors conclude that increased women’s engagement in production and sale of livestock products can significantly improve feeding practices, and the nutritional status of communities.
This study was conducted under the livestock component of the Feed the Future Kenya Accelerated Value Chain Development (AVCD) program
