Role of Rural Women in Sustaining Household Food Supplies in Western Sudan.

In the context of rural Western Sudan, where recurrent droughts, socio-economic problems, conflicts, and males’ outmigration, recognition of role women in household food security is a particularly important. The study aimed to assess rural women’s contribution to sustain household food supplies, and thus valuing the potential role of women in achieving household food security. Employing primary and secondary data, the study argues that rural women play a crucial role in sustaining foods for smoothing their household consumption, thus, they contribute more to achieve household food security, more likely than men do. This study indicates that food preparation, processing and preservation, and the daily food consumption quantity and quality are exclusively women responsibilities. The work of rural women as food producer and provider is lack recognition and assessment and thus support and assistance. Understanding the actual contribution of rural men and women in household food security will help designing policies and programs to address the challenges of food security in Western Sudan. The status of rural women as food provider can be enhanced and empowered through adoption of supportive national food policy.