The World Food Summit Declaration² recognized the pivotal role of women in the food security system for the first time in an international forum of such magnitude. No less significant was the World Food Summit’s declaration regarding the participation of the poor in the economic and social development of their communities as a fundamental strategy to ensure food security in the Developing World. Within this context, South Asia is a prime focus for household food security (HFS) interventions since it is the region with the largest number of poor in the world.

The current study examines, through primary evidence, three of IFAD’s projects in South Asia, namely, the Production Credit for Rural Women Project in Nepal and, in India, the Tamil Nadu Women’s Development Project and the Andhra Pradesh Tribal Development Project. The study looks in particular at the extent to which food security has been possible for households in general and poor women in particular, with specific reference to the processes and patterns associated with achieving HFS. Through the microcosm of the household, which is traditionally an extended conjugal unit, the study attempts to understand:

(a) the extent of male-female entitlements and their impact on women’s access to food and livelihood in terms of energy and time;

(b) the intrahousehold allocatory practices embedded in the social and cultural fabric and institutions of South Asia, including the nutrition implications, and the impact of such practices on women in their quest for HFS;

(c) the impact of macro policies on the household and the extent of the vulnerabilities caused by the related changes;

(d) the critical interventions and project strategies that have provided leverage to women within the household for coping and adapting in the face of poor entitlements, cultural asymmetries, institutions and adverse macro-policies; and

(e) programme planning approaches and successful models in South Asia. An assessment is made of the significance of the ‘women-only’ component and the integrated type of project approaches, with particular relevance to gender and HFS issues in poor households.

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1/ This paper presents only the substantive Executive Summary of the very extensive research paper by Dr. Azad, which goes beyond the requirements of length for the staff working paper series. The research for this staff working paper was funded through supplementary funds provided by the Government of the Netherlands.

2/ The World Food Summit was held at FAO Headquarters in Rome in November 1996.