AERC-OXFAM-IDRC Project

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Mainstreaming Gender for Enhanced COVID-19 Rural Livelihood Recovery in Zambia
(African Economic Research Consortium, 2022-06) Manda, Simon
COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the role and importance of women in driving livelihood and resilience, particularly in agricultural settings. Pandemic-related restrictions have affected agricultural livelihoods whilst exposing inequalities across gender. Frequently cited statistics show, across sub-Saharan Africa, women contribute 60–80% of labour, producing food for household consumption and for sale. In Zambia, the agricultural sector is dominated by women, yet land and other economic opportunities often marginalize women (Manda 2022). Women constitute 64% of the rural population and approximately 80% of food producers (GRZ 2010; FAO, 2018). Living conditions reveal diverse gender based vulnerabilities (ZAMSTATS 2015). Without fittingly relevant policy interventions, COVID-19 is more likely to worsen gender divides and inequalities in several key productive sectors such as agriculture. Whereas sector-specific policies can help mitigate impacts of COVID-19, little is known about the impacts of the pandemic across gender and how policies play out.