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From the field: Empowering women to improve family food security in Afghanistan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2014

Clair Sophia Wilcox ,
Stephanie Grutzmacher ,
Rebecca Ramsing ,
Amanda Rockler ,
Christie Balch ,
Marghuba Safi  and
James Hanson
Clair Sophia Wilcox
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Stephanie Grutzmacher*
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Rebecca Ramsing
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Amanda Rockler
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Christie Balch
Affiliation:
Crossroads Community Food Network, Takoma Park, MD, USA.
Marghuba Safi
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
James Hanson
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: grutz@umd.edu
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Abstract

Kitchen gardens may improve family food security and nutrition. While these gardens are the domain of women in Afghanistan, women face unique challenges accessing training and resources to maximize small-scale agricultural output. The University of Maryland's Women in Agriculture Project builds capacity among female extension educators to work with vulnerable women to implement and maintain kitchen gardens. Extension educators use experiential methods to teach vegetable gardening, apiculture, small-scale poultry production, post-harvest handling and processing, nutrition and marketing through workshops, demonstration gardens and farmer field schools. This paper explores contextual factors related to women's food security and agricultural opportunities, describes key project activities and approaches and discusses project success and challenges, sustainability and implications for future programs.

Keywords

kitchen gardenfood securitycapacity-buildingwomenAfghanistandevelopmentfarmer field schools
Type
From the Field
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 30 , Special Issue 1: Innovations and Trends in Sustainable Urban Agriculture , February 2015 , pp. 15 - 21
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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