Socio-cultural norms in the local food system and potential implications for women’s dietary quality in rural Northern Ghana

Abstract

Women’s activities within the local food system are linked to their dietary quality. Their ability to consume a nutritious diet may be influenced by socio-cultural norms; often, the influence of these norms has not been adequately studied. This study examined how socio-cultural norms linked with rural food systems can potentially exert adverse effects on women’s diets. The study was conducted in two rural communities, Yilkpene and Kpachilo, in Northern Ghana, between May and July 2016. Both selected study communities were chosen because they had similar population sizes, dietary patterns, and access to social services. Using a qualitative approach, sixteen key informant interviews with community and institutional leaders, 11 focus group discussions comprising 87 community members, and forty 24-hour dietary recall interviews with women of reproductive age were used to explore the nature of the local food system linked with sociocultural norms. Transcribed interviews were coded and analyzed, thematically, using pre-determined and emerging themes. A total of 143 women and men participated in the study with women dominating the sample. The components of the food system in both communities were constructed, primarily, around men. Quantities, quality, and varieties of produce, its distribution, and intra-household allocation were dominated by male perceptions and practices that determine access and ownership of productive resources, and pre-determined roles and responsibilities of household members. Men dominated production of economic crops (cereals, and legumes); women produced vegetables, and limited quantities of legumes and cereals, mainly for home consumption. Men controlled allocation of cereals for household meal preparation; more expensive complementary ingredients were provided by women. Although women prepared household meals, men received the ‘lion’s share’ of nutrient-dense components. Forty-five percent of women could not meet minimum dietary diversity of at least five food groups in their diets. The local food system in Northern Ghana is dominated by gender-driven socio-cultural norms, which constitutes a potential barrier to women achieving dietary adequacy. Interventions should deliberately address these culturally-established barriers, especially in contexts where subsistence farming is the main source of livelihood.