Being vulnerable in a vulnerable activity: women market gardeners of Kinshasa

Abstract

ABSTRACT Market gardening is an important contributor to food security and to the livelihoods of households in sub-Saharan Africa. Women represent an important share of this activity. Our goal in the present article is to draw attention to an overlooked area of the world that echoes many other situations. What is it like being a woman market gardener in Kinshasa? Using a qualitative methodology, we show that this strongly gendered activity is an important opportunity for women. However, they face a multiplicity of threats, intensified by their gender, regarding access to land, possibilities to organize, gender norms, and rights.