Special government programmes are also in place to address the needs of vulnerable rural women. Food security Despite a noticeable improvement in recent years, yields, particularly of food crops, still fall short of attainable levels. The seasonal variations in food availability and uneven access also creates household food insecurity. Combined with population growth which places greater pressure on the land, there has been an increase in indebtedness, landlessness and destitution. The question of intra-household allocation of food is also very important, especially for its gender dimension.
Food insecurity is a critical concern with widespread child and maternal malnutrition.
Recently, women in the poor households have been identified as the 'victims' as well as 'managers' of household food security. Women as producers of food and livestock as well as primary meal makers have important responsibilities to ensure household food security. As primary managers of livestock, women ensure a supply of high-quality protein to the country. Women dominate home garden production thus improving the variety and quality of the family diet. Women adopt diverse and intense household resource-use strategies to cope with food deficit situations, such as during the lean season and natural disasters.