Gender difference in nutrition and health in Nigeria’s agricultural households: the role of corporate social responsibility in oil-producing communities

• Date: 14 July 2022
• Pages: 499-522
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-06-2022-0052
• Published date: 14 July 2022
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Inequalities & diverse/minority groups,Sociology,Race & ethnic studies,Minorities,Multiculturalism,Racial identity,Work,economy & organizations
• Author: Joseph Ikechukwu Uduji,Elda Nduka Okolo-Obasi

Gender difference in nutrition and health in

Nigeria’s agricultural households: the role

of corporate social responsibility in

oil-producing communities

Joseph Ikechukwu Uduji and Elda Nduka Okolo-Obasi

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies’ (MOCs)

corporate socialresponsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Itsspecial focus is to investigate the impact of

the global memorandum of understanding (GMoU) on gender difference in nutrition and health in the

Niger Deltaregion of Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach –This paper adopts a surveyresearch technique, aimed at gathering

informationfrom a representative sample of the population,as it is essentiallycross-sectional, describing

and interpreting the current situation. A total of 800 women respondents were sampled acrossthe rural

areas of theNiger Delta region.

Findings –The results from the useof a combined propensity score matching and logitmodel indicate

that CSR of the MOCsusing GMoU model has made significant successin closing the gender difference

in nutrition and health in agricultural household in the Niger Delta region. The findings also show that

mainstreaming gender in nutrition within the field of agriculture is a critical aspect of strengthening

gender and nutrition/health linkages, in recognition of women’s substantial contribution to agriculture

productionand their central role in household food collection,preservation/processingand preparation.

Practical implications –This suggests that mainstreaming gender in nutrition offers opportunities to

integrateagriculture and health approaches in GMoU projects, whichwill require increased collaboration

and coordination between the MOCs’ and CBD clusters in the field of gender and nutrition to exploit

existing complementary and comparative advantages, and to apply a holistic approach in host

communities.

Social implications –This implies that gender and nutrition/health have multiple dimensions and are

highly context-specific;and the pathway towards improved food and nutritionsecurity for all should be a

gender-equitableprocess incorporatedin CSR programmes and projects in sub-SaharanAfrica.

Originality/value –This research contributes to the gender debate in agriculture from a CSR

perspective in developingcountries and rationale for demands for social project by host communities.It

concludesthat business has an obligation to help in solving problemsof public concern.

Keywords Gender, Nutrition and health, Agricultural households, Corporate social responsibility,

Multinational oil companies, Sub-Saharan Africa

Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction

Gender inequalities in earnings, ability to access health and educational accomplishment

are prevalent across the continent of Africa. Women normally have restricted access to

land, learning (education), credit,technology, information and decision-making forums. This

causes direct harm to women as well as their children, and worsens African economies

(African Development Report, 2015). Women have the primary obligation of child raising

Joseph Ikechukwu Uduji is

based at the Department of

Marketing, Faculty of

Business Administration,

University of Nigeria,

Nsukka, Nigeria.

Elda Nduka Okolo-Obasi is

based at the Institute for

Development Studies,

University of Nigeria,

Nsukka, Nigeria.

Received 1 June 2022

Revised 7 June 2022

13 June 2022

Accepted 26 June 2022

The authors are indebted to the

editor and reviewers for

constructive comments.

DOI 10.1108/IJHRH-06-2022-0052 VOL. 16 N O. 5 2023, pp . 499-522, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-4902 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HEALTHCARE jPAGE 499

and depend on developed social networks that function as an informal safety net for the

household (family) in times of emergency. When they are a part of formal employment, they

normally take lower remuneration rates than their male co-workers, even when they have

acquired and use similar skills (Oniang’o and Mukudi, 2002). Because of their triple burden

of productive, reproductive, and social role, women tend to have less time to attend to their

own needs, leisure related or otherwise; also, because of their cyclical loss of iron and their

childbearing, their nutrition status is particularly vulnerable to deficiencies in diet, care, and

health or sanitation services (Chih-Ping,2017). Besides, the nourishment (nutrition) status of

newborns and infants is closely linked with the nourishment status of the mother before,

during and after pregnancy (ACC/SCN, 1997). Poor female nourishment early in life

weakens learning potential, increases procreative and maternal health risks and reduces

productivity. This situation adds to women’s weakened capacity to gain access to other

resources later in life and undercuts efforts to abolish gender disparities; and in essence,

women whose nutrition status are poor end up being caught in a vicious circle of

impoverishment and malnourishment (FAO/ILSI, 1997). Variations in the ability to access

and have control of resources have severe consequences for women’s capacity to make

available food, upkeep and health cum sanitation services to their children, their husbands

and even themselves, but particularly their female children (ACC/SCN, 1999). Women with

less power to influence things within families (households) and community will be incapable

of assuring fair food circulation within the family/household (ICN, 1992). They will also lack

the capacity to visit health clinics when their infants and children are in bad states health-

wise and will lack the time for relating with their infants and other children (World Bank,

2001).

For the time being, Nigeria remains the largest oil and gas producer in Africa. The Niger

Delta where multinational oil companies (MOCs) retain a notable presence has become a

region of ceaseless protest and violent conflicts. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)

is in joint-venture agreements with the MOCs functioning in the oil and gas sector of the

nation. The FGN controls and possesses the land as well as its natural resources in

the subsoil. This is a key basis of conflict in the Niger Delta; and lands can be obtained by

the FGN for use in any way they deem fit (over-riding public purposes) by virtue of the Land

Use Act 1978. The negativeeffects of the undertakings of the MOCs in the region includeoil

spillage, gas flaring, environmental pollution, conflict, negative social impact and violence,

amongst others (Ekhator, 2014). Nevertheless, MOCs partake in a plethora of corporate

social responsibility in the Niger Delta and even other parts of Nigeria. Every year, MOCs

invest in social projects and programmes in communities mostly in the Niger Delta. As the

years pass by, oil companies have enhanced on how they carry out their action with local

communities to convey these projects (Frynas, 2009). In 2006, they brought intofunctioning

a new way of operating with communities called the Global Memorandum ofUnderstanding

(GMoU). The GMoU represents an essential shift in CSR method of MOCs in the region,

putting more emphasis on openness and responsible (accountable) processes, consistent

communication with the grassroots, sustainability and conflict avoidance (SPDC, 2013). A

GMoU is statement written down between MOCs and a group (or cluster) of several

communities in line with local government or clan/historical similarity as advised by the

appropriate state government.Under the terms of agreement with the GMoUs, communities

select the development they want,while MOCs deliver secure funding for five years, making

sure that the cluster development boards (CDBs) have steady and dependable funding as

they carry out the execution of their community development plan (Chevron, 2014). When

2012 came to an end, MOCs have been able to sign agreement with 33 GMoU clusters,

which covered 349 communities, almost 35% of the local communities all over the business

set-ups in the Niger Delta (SPDC, 2018).

Thus far, the extent to which the CSR initiatives of MOCs have assisted in community

development in the region remains a question (Asgil, 2012;Edoho, 2008;Marchant, 2014;

Idemudia, 2014;Aaron, 2012;Slack, 2012). For example, Akpan (2006) has contendedthat

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