A. Webb Girard

Bio: A. Webb Girard is an academic researcher from Emory University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Empowerment & Women's empowerment. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 37 citations.

The women’s empowerment in livestock index

Abstract: The empowerment of women in the livestock sector is fundamental to achieve gender equality. It also is instrumental for increased household productivity and improved household health and nutrition. Diverse strategies exist to empower women, yet these strategies are difficult to prioritize without a reliable and adapted means to measure women’s empowerment. One quantitative measure is the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). Despite its reliability in certain agricultural contexts, the WEAI requires adaptation in settings where livestock farming is the dominant form of livelihood. Using the WEAI as a starting point, a multidisciplinary team of researchers developed the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI), a new index to assess the empowerment of women in the livestock sector. This paper presents the WELI and the dimensions of empowerment it includes: (1) decisions about agricultural production; (2) decisions related to nutrition; (3) access to and control over resources; (4) control and use of income; (5) access to and control of opportunities; and (6) workload and control over own time. The paper illustrates the use of the WELI by introducing pilot findings from dairy smallholders in four districts of northern Tanzania. The paper addresses considerations for the appropriate use and adaptation of the WELI to balance the needs for context specificity and cross-cultural comparisons; it also discusses its limitations. The paper recommends participatory and qualitative methods that are complementary to the WELI to provide context-specific insights on the processes of women’s empowerment in the livestock sector.

Exploratory assessment of the relationship between dairy intensification, gender and child nutrition among smallholder farmers in Buret and Kipkelion Districts, Kenya

Abstract: January 2011 Authors Shreyas Shreenath, Amanda J. Watkins, Amanda J. Wyatt, Anna Yearous‐Algozin, UshaRamakrishnan, Aimee Webb‐Girard, Kathryn Yount, Isabelle Baltenweck, Jemimah Njuki, and Thomas Randolph Acknowledgments The student authors gratefully acknowledge Craig Hadley, Peter Little, Clair Null, UshaRamakrishnan, Aimee Webb‐Girard, and Kathryn Yount, faculty advisors from Emory University, who along with the three ILRI authors, initiated this study and provided detailed comments and suggestions on all phases of the study and this report. The student authors thank them for the opportunity and encouragement. The students wish to thank the Kenyan colleagues who assisted with data collection and improved the end product immensely with their insight and commitment: Erastus Kang’ethe, SamwelMbugua, Immaculate Omondi, TurryOuma, BrianSamoei, Eddie Kipgn’eno, and Desmond Rono. The students’ research expenses were generously provided by the Global Health Institute at Emory University. Field work and ILRI staff were funded by EADD. The authors also thank the assistance of the EADD Kenya Country and Regional Offices for their assistance. Disclaimer This material was funded by and is the absolute property of the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) Project. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the EADD Project. The mention of specific organizations or their services, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by EADD in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

Viewpoint: The case for a six-dimensional food security framework

Abstract: The definition of food security has evolved and changed over the past 50 years, including the introduction of the four commonly cited pillars of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability, which have been important in shaping policy. In this article, we make the case that it is time for a formal update to our definition of food security to include two additional dimensions proposed by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition: agency and sustainability. We show that the impact of widening food system inequalities and growing awareness of the intricate connections between ecological systems and food systems highlight the importance of these additional dimensions to the concept. We further outline the ways in which international policy guidance on the right to food already implies both agency and sustainability alongside the more established four pillars, making it a logical next step to adopt a six dimensional framework for food security in both policy and scholarly settings. We also show that advances have already been made with respect to providing measurements of agency and sustainability as they relate to food insecurity.

Milk availability: current production and demand and medium-term outlook.

Abstract: 11 2.1 Trends in food consumption patterns – the role of livestock and dairy products 11 2.2 Drivers of increasing consumption of milk and livestock products 20 2.3 Trends in milk production patterns 22 2.4 Effects of technological changes on milk production and processing 26 2.5 Trends in international trade in livestock products 28 2.6 Future trends in production and consumption of dairy products 30