Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Dietary Power And Self-Determination Among Female Farmers In Burkina Faso: A Proposal For A Food Consumption Agency Metric, Zoe Tkaczyk

Geography Honors Projects

While food security is traditionally defined with four pillars, there are increasing calls for an additional two (agency and sustainability) so that we may more comprehensively conceptualize all dimensions of food security. However, the challenge is that it is difficult to effectively measure agency, a person’s control over their food system. Measuring women’s agency is especially critical in Africa South of the Sahara where women play prominent roles in farming and food preparation. This honors thesis explores the feasibility of creating a metric to measure agency within food systems and gender relations using data related to food security and dietary …