Food bowl division and social change

Effective, local food sharing mechanisms are vital if the nutritional needs of small-scale communities are to be met. Changes in the ways in which food entitlement are decided by villagers in Keneba, The Gambia are described. Membership of the consumption unit (sinkird) is the chief means by which individuals gain food security. Consumption units are kin-based, but outsiders can negotiate membership. The impact on sinkiro structure of two research stations based in the village is analysed. Changes in women's position within the wage economic sector are reviewed, and the increased level of female responsibility for sinkiro provision analysed. Strategies of crisis management are linked to economic change and shifting gender relations. The sinkiro endures in a rapidly changing environment in which the long-term food security of many African communities is threatened.