Rural Women in the Northern Triangle of Central America Play a Key Role in the Food and Nutritional Security of Their Families
A closer look at the capacity for resilience in food and nutritional security of female-headed rural households
In rural areas, single-parent homes headed by women are the result of various circumstances that cause families to break apart, such as migration, violence, gender and socioeconomic inequity, as well as family and social conflicts. These homes face a complex reality that increases their economic and social vulnerability, making it more difficult to participate in sources of employment or to benefit from some of the social policies that guarantee a stable and sustainable status of food and nutritional security.
A study on the capacity for resilience in food and nutritional security of rural households in the Central America’s Northern Triangle1 was carried out through the Information Systems Program for Resilience in Food and Nutritional Security in the Region of the Central American Integration System (PROGRESAN-SICA).
The study estimates the Resilience Capacity Index for single-parent households headed by women as well as traditional households, based on four pillars: assets, access to basic services, adaptability, and social protection networks. The Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis (RIMA-II) methodology, promoted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), was applied in order to conduct the analysis.
According to the results, one out of every three homes in El Salvador, and about one out of every five in Guatemala and Honduras, is a single-parent, female-headed household.
In Guatemala and Honduras, single-parent households headed by women have a greater capacity for Resilience in Food and Nutritional Security (FNS) than traditional households, which is not the case in El Salvador.
In rural areas of Guatemala and Honduras, single-parent households headed by women have a greater capacity for Resilience in Food and Nutritional Security than traditional households.
The main findings of the study are summarized below:
One out of every three homes in El Salvador, and close to one out of every five in Guatemala and Honduras, is a single-parent, female-headed household. In rural areas of Guatemala and Honduras, single-parent households headed by women have a greater capacity for Resilience in Food and Nutritional Security than traditional households. In El Salvador, the opposite is true. Boosting the adaptability and access to social protection networks of single-parent households is necessary in order to increase Resilience in FNS.
Impact of the capacity for Resilience in FNS and public policymaking to support its development and stability
Limited capacity for Resilience in FNS primarily affects vulnerable households, which are exposed to negative situations that prevent them from acquiring sustainable livelihoods, accessing services required for development, and gaining protection from existing private and public networks. This situation is manifested by food and nutritional insecurity, which is measured by food consumption indicators that reflect the essential nutrients required for the adequate physical development of each family member.
The fact that households are more resilient as a result of strategies developed and implemented by women heads of households is noteworthy.
The fact that households are more resilient as a result of strategies developed and implemented by women heads of households is noteworthy, especially given the conditions and struggles that hinder women’s ability to participate fully in their social and economic context, including their work, family and domestic responsibilities, as well as their constant struggle to take full advantage of their right to a level playing field.
It is therefore necessary to develop public policies geared toward women, especially heads of households, to guarantee long-term effects on human capital.
These actions should strengthen the capacity for Resilience in FNS, by driving employment as well as promoting programs that improve access to paid work, reconcile work and family responsibilities, and work to reduce poverty based on the unique structure and characteristics of female-headed families.
All three countries should develop programs that improve access to basic services; social investment programs that include actions aimed at generating income and boosting the positive effects of adaptability in households.
In the short term, it is important to develop public policies to generate investments that can assist in reversing the negative effects of each of the aforementioned pillars, which influence the capacity for Resilience in FNS of female-headed households. Strengthening government-led social protection networks is especially important in Guatemala.
All three countries should develop programs that improve access to basic services; social investment programs that include actions aimed at generating income and boosting the positive effects of adaptability in households, through the participation of women heads of households; and actions aimed at generating information to monitor the capacity for Resilience in FNS through national household surveys.
1 Sibrian, R. and Patricia Palma. Una aproximación de la capacidad de resiliencia de la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional en hogares liderados por mujeres en el área rural de países del triángulo norte de Centroamérica. PROGRESAN-SICA. July 2018.
