NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

FAO Regional Conference for the Near EastThirty-Second Session

24 – 28 February 2014, Rome, Italy

Addressing the Gender Gap in Agriculture and the Rural

Sector in the Near East and North AfricaAgenda Item 11: NERC/14/6

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Outline of Presentation

• Introduction

• Challenges to address the gender gap in agriculture and the rural sector

• Activities carried out in the region by FAO

• Regional strategic measures to address gender gap and women’s empowerment in the region

• Guidance sought

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Introduction

Agriculturea. Unable to sustain rural livelihoods

b. Increased male migration

c. Women’s roles as food producers has increased

Women’s predominance in agriculture - access to productive resources, and services that need to be more gender sensitive

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Challenges to reduce gender gaps in agriculture and the

rural sector

• Gender gap in the NENA region remains a main challenge

• Investments in girls’ and women’s education and health

• Legal constraints within and outside the household

• Gender gaps in the region

a. Land and other livelihood opportunities

b. Education is less accessible to rural women

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

• Entry barriers in non-traditional value chains

• Land tenure rights and access to loans and credits

• Access to information and knowledge transfer, extension and advisory services

Challenges to reduce gender gaps in agriculture and the

rural sector

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

• Insufficient research and data

• High unemployment rates especially among young women

• Remuneration and salaries

• Access to social protection programmes

• Occupational safety and health in agriculture and the rural sector

Challenges to reduce gender gaps in agriculture and the

rural sector

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

• FAO’s Policy on Gender Equality endorsed (2012)

• Implementation of FAO’s Gender Equality Policy in the Region/ Gender Audits

• Gender and Rural Development Network in Tunisia

• A regional network and website on Gender Equality and Rural Women’s Empowerment launched (2013)

FAO’s Activities Carried Out in the Region Cont’d

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

• Country initiatives to address gender gaps. Few examples:

- Tunisia: FAO supported the sustainable livelihoods of over 3000 women involved in clam harvesting

- Egypt: on-going FAO-Government Cooperative Programme on food-secure environment to increase women and youth access to skills and knowledge to improve their diets

FAO’s Activities Carried Out in the Region Cont’d

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

- Oman: proposal to strengthen the Rural Women Department to support the economic empowerment of women producers and entrepreneurs in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries

- West Bank and Gaza Strip, women cooperatives incorporated into a Junior Farmer Field and Life School Project (this was done through training by FAO in nutrition, food processing, marketing and other skills from extension workers)

FAO’s Activities Carried Out in the Region Cont’d

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

What’s Next?

Regional Measures to Mainstream Gender in the

Region

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

FAO: support to Member States in formulating and implementing a regional gender approach to increased food security and rural development:

• Formulate and implement gender-sensitive food security & rural poverty reduction policies, sustained by adequate budget allocations

• Inclusive economic growth

• Policy land reforms

Regional Measures to Mainstream Gender in the

Region

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

• Build legal awareness on land and water rights – provide support to acquire personal identification documents

• Advise and support for the design and implementation of approaches to improve the access to natural resources and sustainable management

• FAO’s role as knowledge broker, South-South cooperation, and exchange among NENA countries

• Cooperation and partnerships with regional bodies, private sector and civil society organisations

Regional Measures to Mainstream Gender in the

Region Cont’d

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

• Strengthening rural institutions essential for poverty reduction, and economic development of small producers:

• Capacity development support of gender-sensitive approaches

• Investment in agricultural extension services, focusing on female extension agents

• Policies and programs to sustain women producers’ organizations

• Improve research in crops, livestock, fisheries and technology to support women’s activities

• Access to ICTs for women and youth

Regional Measures to Mainstream Gender in the

Region Cont’d

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

• Human capital of women, men, boys and girls

• New policies and strategies to support women and youth in rural areas in developing skills needed to enhance their employment opportunities

REGIONAL MEASURES TO MAINSTREAM GENDER IN THE

REGION Cont’d

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

• Strengthening the capacity of national stakeholders to collect and analyse gender disaggregated data

• Enhance data generation on small-scale producers and value chains at different levels

• New policies and strategies to support women and youth in rural areas in developing skills needed to enhance their employment opportunities

Regional Measures to Mainstream Gender in the

Region Cont’d

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Economic empowerment of women and girls• Institutional and policy environment that promotes

decent work for women

• Increase the labour productivity and employment opportunities / training, extension, social services and labour saving technologies

• Policies to better integrate women in the value chain

Regional Measures to Mainstream Gender in the

Region Cont’d

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Economic empowerment of women and girls• Ensure non-discriminatory business and contractual

laws

• Build social capital among women entrepreneurs (cooperatives, self-help groups and rural women’s business associations)

• Market information for women through national communication networks

Regional Measures to Mainstream Gender in the

Region Cont’d

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Regional Measures to Mainstream Gender in the

Region Cont’d

• Social protection programmes: service roads, rural clinics, rural water supply networks

• Partnership with civil society organisations and other development & UN organizations is crucial • Needs of rural women, youth, and displaced people

• Design interventions that promote investment in rural women’s human capital

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Initiatives in the region

• Food security and nutrition• Water scarcity• Small-scale producers

Address the needs and requirements of rural women and men through gender mainstreaming in these regional initiatives

Inclusive approach to achieve better food security and nutrition

GUIDANCE SOUGHT

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Thank You