Latest news with #breadwinner
The Guardian
11-08-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Growing pains: can rice production in Africa keep up with demand?
Salmata Ouattara remembers 2023 as the turning point for her rice farm. June is usually the peak of the rainy season in Ivory Coast, but in the preceding years she and other farmers in M'Be on the outskirts of Bouaké, the country's second biggest city, would wait weeks for rainfall. Then in September, they would watch helplessly as their farmlands were flooded. Some abandoned their farms, frustrated by fluctuating crop yields. For Ouattara, that was not an option. As her family's breadwinner, proceeds from the farm catered to the needs of her three children as well as requests from other relatives. Then another farmer mentioned a concept called Smart Valleys that had helped solve similar issues and double his income. 'Before, I made 2 tonnes a year [and] earned at least 400,000CFA [west African francs, equivalent to £528.60],' said Ouattara, who has since added maize, tomatoes and cucumbers to her portfolio. 'But as soon as we put Smart Valleys into practice, I made 4.5 tonnes, which makes me 900,000CFA (£1,189.34).' Smart Valleys is a low-cost initiative by the nonprofit organisation Africa Rice that aims to help farmers get better control over the water on their land, for example by using channels, in order to reduce flooding and increase yields. It also helps farmers diversify crop production. The programme – backed primarily by Japan's agriculture ministry – focuses on inland valleys, low-lying areas between hills with fertile soils that are ideal for agriculture but rarely cultivated due to poor water control. Its head, Elliott Dossou-Yovo, said the valleys cover 190m hectares in sub-Saharan Africa, of which only 10% is cultivated. 'In the past, farmers were trying to produce rice only once a year and failing,' said Dossou-Yovo. With his team's support, fields that used to be abandoned during the dry season are cultivated with alternative crops, thereby diversifying farmers' portfolios and increasing their incomes. Africa Rice, established in 1971, set a goal to double rice production within a decade in 2009, when it changed its name from West Africa Rice Development Association. Since achieving that target, it has ambitiously turned to self-sufficiency for member states by 2030. The core of its work happens a few miles away from Ouattara's farm at an 800-hectare research campus, where there are facilities including testing sites, a seed science lab and gene bank with 22,000 rice varieties used by scientists to develop improved strains. Funders include the Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and donor partners including Islamic Development Bank and African Development Bank, though member states also make contributions. The need for Africa Rice arose because in the 1960s and 70s, rice consumption and population growth surpassed food production rate in west Africa, Baboucarr Manneh, its Gambian-born director general, said. Today, rice that was previously reserved for feasting occasions, is arguably the continent's most popular staple. 'Rice is very popular because it is easy to cook,' he said. 'It used to seem like a luxury food to many consumers, compared with maize and millet. If you go to Sierra Leone, they used to consume a lot of roots and tubers etc, but people now associate those foods with poverty so they prefer rice.' Sali Atanja Ndindeng heads the rice sector development programme, which develops new varieties in conjunction with market trends and analyses samples received from partner institutions in member countries to help identify good grain quality. 'Our goal is to make rice not just an energy-dense food, but a nutrient-dense food … and at the same time, reduce the impact of rice causing peaks in glucose levels when people consume it,' he said. One way to do this, the team thinks, is to promote the consumption of parboiled rice – which some studies have shown has a lower impact on blood sugar levels – in countries such as Ivory Coast, where it is historically unpopular, to mirror countries like Nigeria where it is prevalent. Ndindeng's teams also make pop rice that can be ground to instant flour for children to eat with milk and chocolate as well as rice crackers integrated with local items including ginger, hibiscus, soy and tamarind which are high in zinc and iron, to tackle deficiencies in those micronutrients. Many barriers are holding back member countries from reaching self-sufficiency. For years, cheap imports have flooded African markets from Asia, where producers benefit from heavy subsidies. Africa imports about 40% of rice it consumes – about 15 to 16 million tonnes every year. More than half of the imports come from India alone. In July 2023, India banned rice exports, citing the need to consume more locally. 'That created a panic in Africa,' said Manneh. 'African ministers had to go to India to negotiate.' Only a fifth of rice fields in Africa use irrigation, with the rest relying on unpredictable rainfall, so member states are being guided on building climate-resilient systems. Tanzania is self-sufficient and exporting within east Africa. In west Africa, Nigeria, is close to doing so. Manneh is hoping for more success stories on a national level, but also on an individual level with farmers such as Ouattara, who are still stunned by what science is doing for their lives. 'They welcomed me … They guided me and I thank them,' she said.
The Guardian
11-08-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Growing pains: can rice production in Africa keep up with demand?
Salmata Ouattara remembers 2023 as the turning point for her rice farm. June is usually the peak of the rainy season in Ivory Coast, but in the preceding years she and other farmers in M'Be on the outskirts of Bouaké, the country's second biggest city, would wait weeks for rainfall. Then in September, they would watch helplessly as their farmlands were flooded. Some abandoned their farms, frustrated by fluctuating crop yields. For Ouattara, that was not an option. As her family's breadwinner, proceeds from the farm catered to the needs of her three children as well as requests from other relatives. Then another farmer mentioned a concept called Smart Valleys that had helped solve similar issues and double his income. 'Before, I made 2 tonnes a year [and] earned at least 400,000CFA [west African francs, equivalent to £528.60],' said Ouattara, who has since added maize, tomatoes and cucumbers to her portfolio. 'But as soon as we put Smart Valleys into practice, I made 4.5 tonnes, which makes me 900,000CFA (£1,189.34).' Smart Valleys is a low-cost initiative by the nonprofit organisation Africa Rice that aims to help farmers get better control over the water on their land, for example by using channels, in order to reduce flooding and increase yields. It also helps farmers diversify crop production. The programme – backed primarily by Japan's agriculture ministry – focuses on inland valleys, low-lying areas between hills with fertile soils that are ideal for agriculture but rarely cultivated due to poor water control. Its head, Elliott Dossou-Yovo, said the valleys cover 190m hectares in sub-Saharan Africa, of which only 10% is cultivated. 'In the past, farmers were trying to produce rice only once a year and failing,' said Dossou-Yovo. With his team's support, fields that used to be abandoned during the dry season are cultivated with alternative crops, thereby diversifying farmers' portfolios and increasing their incomes. Africa Rice, established in 1971, set a goal to double rice production within a decade in 2009, when it changed its name from West Africa Rice Development Association. Since achieving that target, it has ambitiously turned to self-sufficiency for member states by 2030. The core of its work happens a few miles away from Ouattara's farm at an 800-hectare research campus, where there are facilities including testing sites, a seed science lab and gene bank with 22,000 rice varieties used by scientists to develop improved strains. Funders include the Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and donor partners including Islamic Development Bank and African Development Bank, though member states also make contributions. The need for Africa Rice arose because in the 1960s and 70s, rice consumption and population growth surpassed food production rate in west Africa, Baboucarr Manneh, its Gambian-born director general, said. Today, rice that was previously reserved for feasting occasions, is arguably the continent's most popular staple. 'Rice is very popular because it is easy to cook,' he said. 'It used to seem like a luxury food to many consumers, compared with maize and millet. If you go to Sierra Leone, they used to consume a lot of roots and tubers etc, but people now associate those foods with poverty so they prefer rice.' Sali Atanja Ndindeng heads the rice sector development programme, which develops new varieties in conjunction with market trends and analyses samples received from partner institutions in member countries to help identify good grain quality. 'Our goal is to make rice not just an energy-dense food, but a nutrient-dense food … and at the same time, reduce the impact of rice causing peaks in glucose levels when people consume it,' he said. One way to do this, the team thinks, is to promote the consumption of parboiled rice – which some studies have shown has a lower impact on blood sugar levels – in countries such as Ivory Coast, where it is historically unpopular, to mirror countries like Nigeria where it is prevalent. Ndindeng's teams also make pop rice that can be ground to instant flour for children to eat with milk and chocolate as well as rice crackers integrated with local items including ginger, hibiscus, soy and tamarind which are high in zinc and iron, to tackle deficiencies in those micronutrients. Many barriers are holding back member countries from reaching self-sufficiency. For years, cheap imports have flooded African markets from Asia, where producers benefit from heavy subsidies. Africa imports about 40% of rice it consumes – about 15 to 16 million tonnes every year. More than half of the imports come from India alone. In July 2023, India banned rice exports, citing the need to consume more locally. 'That created a panic in Africa,' said Manneh. 'African ministers had to go to India to negotiate.' Only a fifth of rice fields in Africa use irrigation, with the rest relying on unpredictable rainfall, so member states are being guided on building climate-resilient systems. Tanzania is self-sufficient and exporting within east Africa. In west Africa, Nigeria, is close to doing so. Manneh is hoping for more success stories on a national level, but also on an individual level with farmers such as Ouattara, who are still stunned by what science is doing for their lives. 'They welcomed me … They guided me and I thank them,' she said.
South China Morning Post
10-08-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
How we can support silently stressed-out men around us
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@ or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification As a middle-aged man and a breadwinner, I totally understand the struggles facing men ('Silence is deadly for Hong Kong men as suicide rate worsens over past decade', July 26 ). From a young age, men are taught by family and society that they must act tough in the face of adversity. As whining about a challenge or hardship might be perceived as a sign of weakness, suppressing their feelings is almost second nature to many men. Such gender stereotypes fuel high expectations of fathers, who feel the need to show they have brawn and brains and can be strong role models for their children. After a day at work, some men feel they have to leave their stress at the door when they go home, or at least put on a happy face for the family. While it is true that bringing work pressure home might affect domestic relations and is best avoided, a prolonged bottling up of feelings might backfire. It doesn't help that men are neither trained nor encouraged to express their emotions and seek professional help; mental health is often regarded as a taboo. Inappropriate advice from well-meaning people could just be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and a prime example is the seemingly innocuous suggestion: 'Don't give yourself so much pressure.' While this seems encouraging on the surface, it could sound like victim-blaming to someone who has mental health issues. What should be done instead to identify male family members who could be facing mental health issues?
Independent Singapore
23-07-2025
- General
- Independent Singapore
‘I fund holidays and nice things, but nobody does it for me': Singapore woman considers divorce as PR husband fails to pull his weight in marriage
SINGAPORE: A woman took to social media on Tuesday (Jul 22) to vent her frustrations about her marriage, saying she's seriously considering divorce because she can't count on her husband to do… well, anything. In a post on the r/asksingapore subreddit, the woman shared that she's been the main breadwinner throughout their entire marriage. 'I am pretty much the sole breadwinner since we got married, and I feel very annoyed by this because I fund holidays and nice things, but nobody does it for me. Why am I working so hard to fund things for everyone else?' she wrote. 'He is a PR, and I think there are some issues with finding a good, suitable, or compatible job here… but let's not go down that path.' She added that while her husband is technically a stay-at-home dad, he doesn't actually take on the responsibilities that come with the role. 'He is a SAHD who doesn't do any SAHD jobs, so frankly I don't really feel comfortable with my kid staying overnight with him or being taken overseas by him, because all he can do is play with the kid until he gets bored. Then it's just phone, computer, and they'll probably survive on McDonald's and pizza,' she said. The woman mentioned that although her husband has never cheated on her and is not a 'bad guy,' she has fallen out of love with him due to his shortcomings. She also shared that she doesn't want to stay in the marriage solely for the sake of their child, as she fears she would end up feeling 'unhappy and trapped,' adding, 'I [also] suspect there will still be some trauma caused to the kid regardless, since there is always some level of tension at home.' Not knowing how to handle the situation, she turned to fellow Reddit users for advice, asking if there were any support groups she could join or anyone she could speak to who might help guide her through the process. 'Sit and talk about it. Find a solution together.' Enraged that her husband made her shoulder the entire burden throughout their marriage, many users urged her to leave him. Some said they might have understood if he had simply failed to find a job, given how tough the job market is. But completely ignoring all stay-at-home dad responsibilities? That, they said, was simply unacceptable. A few even called him a 'leech.' One said, 'She didn't marry a man; she married a leech. And what responsibilities did this man contribute? Donating his sperm to bring about the kid?' Another commented, 'If you think clearly about it (which is tough to do when you're in that situation), you're already Dad and Mom to your kid and another kid (immature adult). At least if you leave, not only will you be happier and your mood a lot better, but you will also have a chance of getting a real dad for your kid, if you choose to later.' A third wrote, 'No offence, but what made you have a kid with this guy?' Still, despite all the backlash, there were a handful of users who weighed the situation much more carefully and advised the woman to seek professional help before ending the marriage. One wrote, 'Go for couples counselling to lay out your issues and work through them—it'll help whatever the outcome is. Probably the best way to approach things is to say, 'We need to get counselling' rather than 'I want a divorce.'' Another added, 'Love and marriage always require efforts from both parties; hence, communication with each other is important. My honest suggestion is to try and work it out. Sit and talk about it. Find a solution together. Just like how you guys solved past problems.' In other news, a man shared on social media that he is now having second thoughts about applying for a (Build-to-Order) BTO flat with his wife after she repeatedly lied about using a male online streaming app and spending over S$3,000 on virtual gifts. On Monday (Jul 21), he took to the r/SingaporeRaw subreddit to seek advice. In his post, he said that when he first caught her sending expensive gifts to male singers from China, she dismissed his concerns and deleted both the app and her messaging accounts so that he 'could not see their conversations.' Read more: Man reconsiders BTO plans after wife repeatedly lied about using male online streaming app and spending over S$3k on virtual gifts Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only) divorce question – with young kid and PR spouse byu/Firm-Highlight1267 inaskSingapore
The Sun
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I know how it will sting Wayne Rooney that Coleen is now breadwinner – my men were put in their place financially, too
WHEN it comes to relationship experience, I am a self- declared scholar. Variety is the spice of life and I've had all kinds — big and small, serious and fleeting, good, bad, heartbreaking and passionate, and sometimes even indifferent and insignificant. 8 8 8 But the one thing that has remained constant in my adult life — dating back as far as my early 20s — has been the fact that I have always earned more than the men I've been with — I've more or less always been the main breadwinner. And the news this week that the relentlessly loyal Coleen Rooney may soon overtake hubby Wayne in the earnings stakes brought me great joy. She has had massive success over the past few months, thanks mostly to her stint on I'm A Celeb. Her business ventures are booming far past those of Wayne, who was reportedly on £500k a year as Plymouth Argyle manager before he left at the end of last year. Oh my, how the tables have turned. Long gone are the days when Coleen was a mere gymslip of a girl dedicated to her undeniably plain but talented school boyfriend, Wayne, whose star was so sharply in the ascendence that there was no hope in hell that she would be able to keep up with his fame, let alone his finances. And yet she went on to raise four lovely boys and keep a stable and consistent home for her hubby while he was pushing the marriage fidelity boundaries over and over again. Throughout, Coleen stayed loyal and true to herself and steadfastly put up with all his shenanigans over decades. That must really suck She maintained a dignified silence while gradually starting to carve out her own career on the sidelines. Wayne, on the other hand, who was always used to the adoration and adulation of football fans, is now a not overly successful jobbing football manager for minor clubs, while Coleen walked away from her stint in the TV jungle to the sound of success and more lucrative work offers. Ouch. That must really suck for him, despite his popularity as one of the many ex-pros on the TV punditry merry-go-round. He is probably mighty proud of Coleen, but Lord, it must really sting to be known as Mr Coleen Rooney after all this time. I bet even he couldn't have foreseen this turn of events. And Coleen is not the only one. Hailey Bieber — formerly of fairly sparse and sporadic Baldwin fame — is now a billionaire thanks to selling off her cosmetics company and achieving fame in her own right. Meanwhile, her pop star hubby Justin is more often than not seen looking dishevelled and lost leaving the gym or just smoking a bong because he's got nothing much else to do. Then there's Kim K, who we all thought might be in it for the fame and the pay- day when she tied the knot with Kanye, but she is now the one basking in the glory of her own sunshine and bathing in squillions, while her ex has been cancelled and is but a vague memory. And without wishing to exaggerate her success, Duchess Meghan of Sussex is trying to make a killing selling raspberry jam in the hope that Jeff Bezos starts to stock her goods, while Harry, the spare heir, is mostly sitting around twiddling his thumbs wondering what he can moan about next. Traditionally, we have the view of women that some will attach themselves to a wealthy man, regardless of the personal price they may pay. Like Anna Nicole Smith, whose oil tycoon husband J Howard Marshall — 63 years her senior — passed away the year after they married in 1994. She got a lot of flak for that. Sometimes there is no price to pay. The man they fall in love with just happens to be a billionaire. But there are men out there who have no qualms about living off a woman. Enjoying a champagne life- style on lemonade money. 'Love has nothing to do with money' is something only ever said by those without it, but attaching themselves to it. My own personal experience in this field is quite extensive and has instructed me over the years that men — many men — love the idea of a woman who is financially and professionally independent. They love a strong woman, especially one who isn't needy or desperate or weak or helpless. They admire a woman who stands on her own two feet or who runs her own race. A woman who makes her own decisions and is capable of not needing a man and instead chooses to be with one is sexy as hell. Some even claim it's a major turn-on. Well, that's what it says on the tin, anyway. If you dig a little deeper, it tends to be a little more complicated. For men. The reality soon starts to grate, intimidate and emasculate — because money is so closely associated with power, and men often feel it is their human and societal right. Having a woman own that power by herself becomes very jarring. And I can only imagine if, like Coleen, a woman usurps that financial position, it means that the man will feel 'less than'. Maybe less manly, less powerful, less able. Who knows? They love a strong woman, especially one who isn't needy or desperate or weak or helpless. As women, we are expected to accept the reverse. We are supposed to naturally assume the role of being the person who earns less — because that's just the way it's always been. I've been married three times and none of my husbands earned more than me. None of them were considered wealthy in their own right. I have no idea whether the appeal for them was my bank balance or my ability to make a mean moussaka. I know money wasn't a thing for my first hubby, who knew me when I was a 'nobody'. Obviously, my ability to earn good money made for an easier relationship in many respects. We didn't have to suffer economic uncertainty. The world was our oyster. 8 8 This was most likely facilitated by my approach to life — that what I gained was also the collective gain. I worked hard for 'us'. I was in one relationship where the disparity was so stark that the situation became unsustainable because the other person did not work. This meant I felt huge resentment towards him for quite plainly and unashamedly 'living off me'. A great sign of the times now is that it's less rare to see a man together with a wealthier woman, though it's still not that common. Financially inferior For some reason, we always 'admire' a man for having the ability to be in a financially inferior position. We always say it takes a 'big man' to stick that out. Which is an insane idea, because women do it all the time, and we're never applauded for managing to be with a richer man than ourselves. No, we're castigated for it, often with claims that we're lazy. This is probably why many men struggle with it. Not all, but many. They see it as a kind of subordination, that they are lower in rank and status — and perhaps, most of all, in importance. And we all know men like to feel important. To be a 'kept man' is seen as possibly the weakest thing a chap can be. Traditionally, when a man has more money, it's often his greatest way of keeping a woman in the relationship. He knows that because women often fear economic vulnerability, they will tend to stay rather than up and leave. It's a man's silent weapon. Wealth so often weaponises relationships. For a man to surrender that power and be at the financial behest of a woman will forever be viewed as admirable. Of course, we still all have affection for Man United and England legend Wayne — he will always remain in our footballing consciousness. But it might be interesting to see if the shift in balance changes the dynamic of his marriage to Coleen. She always seems to call the shots, so I suspect there will be no change in that regard. Here's hoping he will have the humility to accept his wife's change in financial fortune and that he can keep up with her, because I reckon we will be seeing more and more of this as women alter the narrative, at work and in society. To paraphrase Aretha Franklin, sisters really are doing it for themselves.
