World Food Policy Volume 2, Number 1, Spring 2015 | Page 89
World Food Policy
of farmers, notably women (FAO 2012),
but also sometimes a deepening of gender
inequalities within the household. On
some cotton farms in Mali, without
any strong land tenure constraints,
motorization led to an increase in the area
farmed, and consequently to the amount
of labor needed for sowing, weeding, crop
thinning, and harvesting, largely provided
by women (Girard and Dugué 2009).
However, very obviously female
labor also has some positive effects
in terms of autonomy (Ukwuani and
Suchindran 2003; Arimond et al. 2011;
Leroy and Frongillo 2007). What matters
is that, a balance is found so that women’s
involvement in ADIs does not result in a
workload that is harmful to their health
and to that of their children. A balance
must also be found between agricultural,
other productive, and care activities.
When women have little control over the
income of a farm, care has to be taken to
guarantee they have enough time for their
productive activities ensuring them an
income or their own crops.
income from the sale of animal products
or animal rental, manure and draught
power, savings, social status afforded by
the ownership of animals, etc.), it may also
generate risks for nutrition (Randolph
et al. 2007). Diarrheal diseases, which
are closely associated with malnutrition,
are linked in half the cases to animal
pathogens or foodstuffs of animal
origin in poor countries (Grace 2011).
In addition, given population growth
and increased demand from the urban
population, there is a tendency for the
number of livestock animals to increase,
especially monogastric animals which are
more at risk of transmitting pathogens in
countries without operational veterinary
services. The gradual intensification of
animal production is also accompanied
by a longer and more complex food chain,
and an increased risk of gastro-intestinal
zoonosis responsible for diarrhea (ILRI
2012).
• Risks linked to aflatoxin in maize–
groundnut systems
I
VI - Health risks and environmental degradation
n tropical zones, where the diet is largely
maize and groundnut dependent,
chronic exposure of the population to
aflatoxin is massive. It involves 85%–
100% of children in African countries
of the Gulf of Guinea (Khlangwiset,
Shepard, and Wu 2011). Many studies
have shown a link between chronic
malnutrition and the exposure of unborn
children to aflatoxin, or sub sequently
through breast feeding or weaning foods.
The biochemical mechanism involved
remains to be identified, but the strong
and regular links observed between the
level of exposure to aflatoxins and the
prevalence of chronic malnutrition argues
S
ome farming practices may entail
risks for the environment (air, water,
soil, biodiversity) term and/or the
health quality of foods, thereby affecting
the health of individuals and their
nutritional status.
• Risks of zoonosis associated with livestock
farming
W
hile livestock farming is a
strategy for alleviating poverty
and malnutrition (quality foodstuffs,
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