The role of women in Jubraka farming and household food security in Kadogli (South Kordofan State, Sudan).

The role of women in Jubraka farming and household food security in Kadogli (South Kordofan State, Sudan). Abstract: Field data for this exploratory, descriptive study was collected bystructured interviews from a sample of 100 women farmers in fourvillages around Kadogli during June and July 2005. The study attemptedto investigate the role of women in the traditional household farm(Jubraka) and household food security. The results showed that women, inall ages, successfully practice household farming (despite theadditional burden it places on them) producing different types of crops,which contribute substantially to the household food security. Cropsproduced were mainly cereals and vegetables for subsistence in mostcases. Jubraka area ranged between 1 and five feddans in most cases,with few ones measuring less than one feddan. The Jubraka is fullymanaged and run by women, who also have full control on its outputs andreturns. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Introduction Despite their great contribution to global food security, womenfarmers are frequently underestimated and overlooked in developmentstrategies (FAO, 2000; Arkesting, 1998). In the traditional rainfed sector in Sudan, both men and womenparticipate in all cultural practices, while women carry out most of theplanting, weeding and food processing (Ministry of Agriculture, 1989).Women Also bear almost the entire burden of household work includingwater and fuel wood collection and food processing and preparation (FAO,1994). Women's participation is significant in subsistence foodproduction for household consumption. In Western and Southern Sudan,women are traditionally responsible for household food security. This isbest demonstrated in the fact that women of this region control, operateand manage (Jubraka) or multicrop home gardens. Traditionally, theJubraka is a small area backyard garden that is attached to every familyhousing compound. Basically they are cultivated with the crop varietiesthat grow quickly and cover the daily need of food. such as sorghum,short season maize, okra and some other vegetables to break the foodgapwhich occurs every year from July to September. In some cases theJubraka provides space and fodder for farmyard animals (Ministry ofAgriculture, 1996; Elfadel, 2004). Women are responsible for providing the food for their families, ifnot by producing it, then by earning the income for its purchase. Foodsecurity has tended to emphasize access to food rather than mereavailability of food. It also explicitly incorporates the need for ahealthy diet complete with necessary vitamins and proteins rather thansimply sufficient calories. Despite the mounting evidence that Jubrakagardens yield surprisingly significant nutritional and economic benefitsto gardening households and societies, they have been ignored as alegitimate area of research. So there is a need to draw attention of thepolicy makers to the role that women play in the Jubraka system tosupport their families. Therefore, this study was an attempt toinvestigate and identify the role of women in household farming(Jubraka) and food security in Kadugli area, Sudan. Materials and Methods The Study Area Field data for this study was collected from rural Kadogli localityduring June and July 2005. Kadogli is one of the major cities in SouthKordofan State that is located in the Nuba Mountains one thousand andfive km (1005 km) Southwest of Khartoum city. It is connected to thesurrounding rural areas by paved roads and/or all-weather roads. The total population of Kadogli is 319,000 persons in the year 2005(personal contacts in Kadogli Locality).The main tribes are ancient Nubaand other minor ethnic groups including some Bagara, and Falata. Theaverage rainfall in the area reaches 24" per annum, mainly betweenJune and October (CARE, 1986). Rainfall is not evenly distributedbetween months and locations. Kadogli is a hilly area with some fertile plains between thosehills. The natural vegetation is poor savannah characterized by lightleaf trees and medium spear grass. The continuous source of water ishand pumps. Other sources include seasonal streams and water coursesbesides scattered water ponds that are fed by the rain. Sampling and Data Collection One hundred women farmers who practice backyard gardening (jubraka)were selected randomly from four villages in the study area. Womenfarmers from each of the four villages were proportionally assigned tothe sample. Systematic random sampling was then applied to select therespondents in each village. Data was collected by structured interviews face to face by thesecond author using one type of questionnaires (as most of therespondents were illiterate). Results and Discussion General Characteristics of Women Farmers Table 1 shows the distribution of respondents by frequency andpercentage for age, educational level, marital status and family size.Almost similar numbers of jubraka farmers were distributed between thedifferent age groups; except for the age group 51 to 60 years whichrecorded the highest percentage (29%). This shows that age is not abarrier in such farming activity as the area to be worked would notconstitute a limiting factor. Women find themselves committed to theirfamily food security and have to share this responsibility with otherfamily members regardless of their age. FAO (1998) reported that poorpeople practice this type of farming as a good strategy for foodsecurity regardless of their age, ethnic group or gender. The majority of the respondents (75%) were illiterate, whereasthose who had primary and secondary education represented 24% of thejubraka farmers. The low educational level can be better viewed withreference to the gender issue. Since the household cultivators aremostly women, it is expected that they will have low or no education. Afew decades ago women's education was considered not important andvalueless culturally and socially by society's norms and believes.This may also account for the lack of economic resources which at a timelead to the preference of males' education. The same trend ofhousehold farmers' education was reported by Faustino in Juba, inSouthern Sudan (2005). Married women farmers represented 79% of the study sample, whiledivorced and widowed ones presented 4% and 17%, respectively. All thesewomen were involved in maintaining food security and providing income tothe family because they either have children, or live in extendedfamilies within the same household. Married women are expected to bemore involved in household food production as a strategy to cut down thefamily budget and expenditure on some food items on one hand, or to gainmore cash income by selling part of their products on the other.Divorced and widowed individuals participate in household foodproduction as part of their commitment towards their families. Almost half of the families (49%) have a number of family membersbetween 6 and 10 which is considered medium to high. Those who have 5members and less represented 40% of the families. Large families (11 to15) members represented 11% of the families. Small families are notlikely to be found in Kadogli as most of the families are extended. Bigfamilies motivate household food production for food security as well asfor financial purposes. This result is in accordance with FAOpresentation (2000). Jubraka Type, Area and Production purposes: Unlike the general classification of home gardens (front andbackyard gardens), the majority of home gardens (Jubrakas), in Kadogli(60%) surround the houses. This is due to the fact that most of thehouses in Kadogli do not have front or backyards, if they have any atall. House orientation and buildings alignment decide the type of homegardens. However, front and backyard gardens represented 11% and 29%,respectively. Around the house Jubraka can be easily managed and thearea under cultivation could be larger which will consequently reflecton more production. In general, farm size ranged between less than one feddan (1 feddan= 0.24 ha) and five feddans. This reflects the limited access to land inhome gardening. The relatively small size is mainly due to the nature ofthis type of production (household level). The majority of cultivators(77%) farmed land less than two feddans. The area available for farmingis governed by the individuals' capacity, size of residential areaand the available space in the vicinity of the housing compound.Respondents who had relatively larger area than others (more than twofeddans) represented 23% of the sample. Larger farming areas are becausewomen live in the out skirts of the village; hence they have vast areabehind their houses that can be farmed. The reason behind this relatesto the dense- unorganized nature of Nuba Mountains villages. The distribution of soils in the area is complex. The nature ofsoils corresponds more or less with their location in respect to hills,foot slopes and plains. All of which, except for the dark crackingclays, have limiting physical and or chemical properties that renderthem low for agricultural potential in crop farming. The findings showthat the soil is sandy for 47%; loamy for 31% and clay for 22%. Soiltype decisively affects the types of crops grown, their productivity andthe farm size. The majority of women farmers (71%) grow cereals and vegetables forsubsistence and marketing, while the rest (29%) grow cereals forsubsistence only. This shows that household farming (Jubraka) increasedthe quantity of food availability which may reduce the food insecurityby providing access to food for the households, or by providing theincome needed to purchase that food. All women practice householdfarming as a coping strategy for crops delay to fill the gap till theharvesting time of the main rainfed farms. However, this result showsthe importance of household farming in family diet and food security asmentioned by FAO (1998). Faustino (2005) reported closer results inJuba. All the women who sell part of their products have full control onits selling process and on its returns. This shows that women areempowered in this aspect, unlike many other examples in the country andeven iv. the region. Crops Produced and Period of Consumption Distribution of women farmers by types of crops produced is shownin Table 3. All farmers cultivate cereals (sorghum, millet and maize)which are the main staple food and most important crops to householdscropping plans in the study area. It is worth mentioning here that thevarieties grown are early maturing short season ones. Vegetables (bulbsand green leafy vegetables) were produced by 98% of the women. The shortseason and low water requirements motivate farmers to produce these typeof crops. The surplus of these vegetables is sold in the market and ithas high return that can cover other needs of the family. On the otherhand, cash crops (Karkadi and groundnuts) are grown by most farmers(95%), though in small areas. This is probably to assist in the familybudget after selling. The types of crops grown show a widediversification in terms of nutritive value. This adds to the goodnourishment of these households as mentioned by FAO (2000). More than half of the farmers (54%) consume their product in aperiod ranging between 5 and 7 months (Table 3). This reflects theimportance of Jubraka production especially to those who don'tpractice rainfed agriculture. The other 46% are families that consumetheir production in periods between 1 to 4 months. This shows thathousehold farming contributes substantially to family budget by cuttingdown sizable portions of the family expenditure on food. The length ofthe period during which the product is consumed depend on the yield,family size and the quantity of the sold product. Apparently, thejubraka production would suffice for a short period; yet this adds muchto "sub-subsistence" rather than a "subsistence"level of agriculture. During the-past two decades the traditionalsubsistence "rainfed" sub-sector shifted to be asub-subsistence farming sector due to the deterioration in soilfertility and rainfall scarcity. In such a situation, household farmingwould supplement the "bildat"* production and secure familiesagainst any uncertainties, delays and/or failure in the production. Time Consumed in Farming and Domestic Activities (1) Most of women farmers (74%) spend from one to three hours infarming daily; while the rest (26%) spend less than one hour in farming(Table 4). The time spent in farming is proportional to the areacultivated, crops grown and soil type. However, this in addition to thetime consumed in domestic activities will place pressure on women'stime budget and burdens. Regarding the time consumed in household activities, the resultsshow that the time taken for water fetching ranged between 1-3 hours forthe majority of the farmers (57%), while those who spent 4-6 hoursconstituted (43%). The time spent in water fetching is related to thedistance between the house and the water source. Two farmers did notcollect water; they just bought it from water vendors at their doorstep. The time consumed in fire wood gathering was from 1-5 hours for 72%of the women and from 6-12 hours for 28% of them. Seven women were notincluded in the frequency calculations as fire wood was brought to themby other people. Women took longer time in wood gathering because of thefar distance between the village and the mountain. Deforestation anddesertification lead to increasing the women's time spent ingathering fuel wood (FAO 2004). Domestic activities (cooking, cleaning, and child care) are underwomen's responsibility normally. This took between 4-6 h/day for91% of the women farmers, while for the rest (9%) it took from one tothree hours. On average, most of the women spent 9 hours daily infarming, domestic activities and water and fuel wood fetching, while therest spent more than this. The fact that women have to participate insome operations in large scale farming "bildat" with men drawsattention to the burdens falling on their back. Moser (1993) illustratedsimilar trends. Assistance Received by Women in Farming and Domestic Activities Most of the women farmers (83%) get assistance in Jubraka farming(Table 5). They were assisted by their husbands and children and in somecases by their female neighbors. The assistance of husbands is expectedonly when men have spare time that can be utilized in other activities. In addition to the activities related to agriculture, women havedomestic work and other income generating activities. Women can receivesome assistance from their daughters and sisters to minimize the burdenon their back mainly in (cooking, fetching water, collection of firewood and other. works). More than half of the women (57%) were assistedby their daughters and sisters in all domestic activities; whileslightly more than two fifths (43%) of them did not receive anyassistance, probably because they live in nuclear families and theirdaughters are still too young to work. Fig. 1 shows that the majority of women farmers (92%) think thefarming in fubraka adds more burden to them. This is due to the factthat some of them do not receive any assistance in farming and in otherhome responsibilities (42%). The second reason was the drudgery offarming work (39%). Farming as an additional job was the reason for 6.0%of the women. Those who had a positive perception towards farming wereeither assisted fully in farming (3%), or they farm in small plots (5%). [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Conclusion Based on the findings of this study the following conclusions aredrawn: --Kadogli women successfully practice household farming producingdifferent types of crops. --The household farm (Jubraka) is fully managed and run by women,who also have full control on its returns. --The Jubraka products contribute substantially to the householdfood security in Kadogli; either by providing food stuff, or byproviding the money needed to -purchase it. --In most cases, Jubraka farming represents an additional burden tothe women. However, they still practice it as part of their heritage. References: --Arkesting, M. (1998). Women and Food Security: Overview andsituation in China. Resource Center for Urban Agriculture and Forestry(RUAF). WWW.ruaf.org. --CARE (1986). Re-establishment of Household Garden. CAREInternational Organization, Kadogli, South Kordofan. --El Fadil. W. (2004). Sudan Gender Profile (March 2004). SudanGender National office. Khartoum, Sudan. --FAO (1994). Fact sheet, Sudan. Women Agriculture and RuralDevelopment. World Bank 1994. --FAO (1998). Issues in Urban Agriculture. FAO. Spotlight Magazine.The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.http://www.fao.org. --FAO (2000). Issues in Gender and Agriculture. FAO. SpotlightMagazine. http://www.fao.org. --FAO (2004). Women and Agricultural Production, SpotlightMagazine. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.http://www.fao.org. --Faustino. K, (2005). Urban Agriculture and Household FoodSecurity. Unpublished B. Sc. thesis. School of Rural Extension,Education and Development, Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman-Sudan. --Ministry of Agriculture (1989). Based line survey of thetraditional rainfed sector. Khartoum, Sudan. --Ministry of Agriculture (1996). Ten year plan of action, women inAgriculture and food security in Sudan. Khartoum. --Mosar. R. (1993). Urban Agriculture in Africa Conference. Facultyfor agriculture and gardening, Sociology. Humboldt University-Berlin. (1) * Bildat are the rainfed farms outside the villages. Theirareas are generally larger than the Jubrakas and are separated mainly bymen to produce food and cash crops. Elsamawal Khalil Makki and Belgis Attia Gebreel, School of RuralExtension, Education and Development, Ahfad University for Women,Omdurman, Sudan.Table 1: Frequency distribution and percentages of Jubraka Farmersby General CharacteristicsAge Educational LevelAge F % Educational F %groups Levels20 to 30 15 15 Illiterate 75 75%years31 to 40 17 17 Khalwa 1 1%years41 to 50 19 19 Primary 22 22%years51 to 60 29 29 Secondary 2 2%years61 years 20 20 University 0 0and aboveTotal 100 100 Total 100 100Marital Status Family SizeMarital F % Family F %Status SizeSingle 0 0 > 3 0 0Married 79 79% 3-5 40 40%Divorced 4 4% 6 -10 49 49%Widowed 17 17% 11-15 11 11%Separated 0 0 More than 0 0 15Total 100 100 Total 100 100Source: Field Survey (June, 2005)Table 2: Frequency distribution and percentages of Jubraka Farmersby Jubraka Type, Area, Soil Type and Production PurposeJubraka Type Jubraka aeaType F % Area F %Front Yard 11 11% < 1 Fed 34 34%Back yard 29 29% 1-2 43 43% FedAround 60 60% 2.1-5 23 23%the house FedTotal 100 100% Total 100 100Soil Type Production PurposeSoil F % Purpose F %Clay 22 22% Subsistence 29 29Sandy 47 47% marketing 0 0Loamy 31 31% Subsistence 71 71 and marketTotal 100 100% Total 100 100%Source: Field Survey (June, 2005)Table 3: Frequency distribution and percentages of Jubraka Farmersby Crops Produced in the Jubraka and Period of ConsumptionCereals VegetablesCategory F % Category F %Yes 100 100% Yes 98 98%No 0 0% No 2 2%Total 100 100% Total 100 100Cash Crops Period of ConsumptionCategory F % Period F %Yes 95 95% 1-4 months 46 46No 5 5% 5-7 months 54 54Total 100 100% Total 100 100%Source: Field Survey (June, 2005)Table 4: Frequency distribution and percentages of JubrakaFarmers by Time consumed by Women Farmers in Farming andDomestic ActivitiesFarming activities time Firewood Collection timeTime F % Time F %> 1 hour 26 26 1-5 (h) 67 721-3 hours 74 74 6-12 (h) 26 28Total 100 100 Total 93 100Domestic activities time Water collection timeTime F % Time F1-3 (h) 9 9.1 1-3 (h) 57 58.14-6 (h) 90 90.9 4-6 (h) 41 41.9Total 100 100 Total 98 100Source: Field Survey (June, 2005)Table 5: Frequency distribution and percentages ofJubraka Farmers by Assistance Received by Women in Farmingand Domestic ActivitiesAssistance Received Assistance Receivedin Farming Activities in Domestic ActivitiesCategory F % Category F %Yes 83 83 Yes 57 57No 17 17 No 43 43Total 100 100 Total 100 100Source: Field Survey (June, 2005)