Globally, undernourishment or undernutrition affects more than 149 million children under the age of five. Although Uganda has made notable progress in improving child nutrition indicators, it is not fast enough to meet global targets. Uganda is one of the countries in East Africa with high levels of undernutrition, where approximately 29 percent or three in 10 children under five years of age are stunted. Malnutrition, in all its forms, thus remains a ubiquitous public health concern, particularly among children, women, and persons with disabilities. On average, a typical diet in Uganda is dominated by starchy staple foods such as posho, cassava, and matooke that lack dietary diversity and essential micronutrients. Karamoja, one of the poorest and most food-insecure regions of Uganda, continues to have the highest level of food insecurity in the country, relying heavily on donor food assistance. Therefore, empowerment and collaborative efforts are key to tackling this challenge.
Women’s empowerment is increasingly recognized as a vital factor in achieving global development goals, particularly in eradicating hunger (SDG 2) and advancing gender equality (SDG 5). However, existing studies are often limited in scope, focusing on cross-sectional, country-specific, or child-focused analyses that do not capture the broader, population-level relationship between women’s empowerment and undernutrition across Uganda. Without efforts to address this, the global South may not achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) of zero hunger by 2030.
To tackle this challenge, Falcone and Imbert (2024) propose innovative approaches like food sharing to reduce waste and enhance resource efficiency. Meanwhile, Morone et al. (2025) demonstrate that promoting sustainable consumption models requires an understanding of complex behavioral and systemic interactions within food systems. Food insecurity is not just an economic or agricultural issue but a systemic one influenced by societal behaviors, sustainability practices, and food distribution organization. Therefore, placing Uganda’s undernutrition challenge within this broader context emphasizes the need for multidimensional solutions that go beyond traditional economic levers and consider social and gender-based determinants such as women’s empowerment.
Addressing the complex, interconnected factors influencing nutrition—biological, socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors—through gender-responsive approaches is essential. Empowering women is crucial for improving child nutrition outcomes as it impacts decisions on household food consumption, asset ownership, and sanitation practices.
For instance, Gender-Responsive Agricultural Extension Training services that target women farmers with flexible schedules and female extension agents can help women learn climate-smart techniques, leading to a 20–30% increase in agricultural yields and access to credit. Lastly, in rural agrarian economies, empowering women through cooperatives, extension services, and community organizations can directly enhance household nutrition. In more urbanized settings, improving women’s access to labor markets and financial services may be key to lifting households out of food insecurity.
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