Aspects of food and nutrition (in)security experienced by shellfish gatherers women

Abstract

Introduction: Artisanal fishing enables both income generation and the extraction of products for subsistence, and is a strategy for the continuity of the lives of fishermen and shellfish gatherers women. The eating practices of these populations are related to culture and tradition and are linked to socioeconomic and demographic conditions. Objective: understand the relationship between dietary practices and the situation of Food and Nutrition Security and the health conditions of shellfish gatherers women from Island Itaparica, Bahia. Methods: this research used the qualitative, descriptive, analytical approach was used. Individual in-depth interviews were carried out and the Brazilian Scale of Food Insecurity was applied to enable the classification of the food security situation and measure the difficulty of shellfish gatherers in accessing food, in addition to the field diary that was adopted as an important tool for the process of immersion in the subject field. The analysis of the narratives was based on approximations with hermeneutics-dialectics. Results: The shellfish gatherers women participants of this study are black women, aged between 22 and 70 years old, all have children and find shellfish farming a strategy to provide for their families. Discussion: Socioeconomic vulnerability exposes this population to a nutritionally inadequate diet, which reflects negatively on health conditions. All interviewees live in a situation of food and nutrition insecurity. The risk of hunger is a permanent aspect among these women, and artisanal fishing is the main strategy for coping with food insecurity.