Empowering Middle-Aged Women to Bolster Food Security in their Communities

Abstract

Much of the world exists in a state of hunger crisis. There is an absence of public infrastructure, economic resources, and opportunities for communities struggling against poverty to find assistance. In the Philippines, there is a considerable divide between urban resources and those of their rural counterparts. Gender-based discrimination leads to a shortage of aid in the agricultural and business sectors Organizations are working towards effectively identifying women without economic power and engaging them in careers that simultaneously grow natural resources for health and economic stability. However, many localities are still trapped in poverty despite the existing ecosystem of aid. A team of researchers at Lehigh University has created the Zero Hunger College, based in the Philippines, to address the challenges of malnutrition and lack of community outreach. It is a residential school that aims to address malnutrition and community economic growth from the ground up. This initiative allows middle-aged women to travel to metropolitan Manila and work alongside fellow students and knowledgeable professionals to combine Indigenous knowledge in agriculture and modern agri-technology. Upon attending this four-month program, these women can return to their communities with the ability to lead their community members out of poverty and into lives of greater food security with fewer problems caused by malnutrition.