WOMEN'S ROLE IN HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY IN RURAL SRI LANKA

Abstract

Food security has been prioritized in the domestic economic policies of many developing nations. Nations gain from having a healthy population since it immediately increases labor production and lowers spending on health-related concern. Achieving food security is essential for a healthy nation since the nutrition that people consume heavily influences how healthy the population is. Many studies have identified that women play a significant role in reducing food insecurity in their own households, hence there has been an increasing trend to focus food security policies on women's empowerment. Despite the fact that women are culturally allocated higher responsibility in practically all household tasks, including household food management, there is a dearth of research on the role of women in achieving household food security in Sri Lanka. Hence, this study aimed to analyze the women's role in household food security in rural Sri Lanka. This study is conducted using qualitative data analysis using descriptive methods. The sample for this study will include 20 families, purposively selected. This research essentially dependent on primary data. Primary data will be collected through semi – structured in – depth interviews with the selected sample. The study identified that women play a significant role in ensuring household food security in all four dimensions of food security; they contribute significantly to farming household food availability, their contribution to income plays an essential role in household food access, particularly in low-income households, and their nutritional knowledge is also important in the proper utilization of food in households. Accordingly, these findings suggest that women's contributions to food security are essential, and that policymakers should prioritize women's empowerment and education with the objective to improve food security.