Module Five: Gender and Global Food Security · 2019. 11. 8. · Gender and Global Food Security....

Module Five: Gender and Global Food Security

Teacher’s Guide and Seven Engaging Units on Gender and Global Issues for High School Social Studies Classrooms

A Global Education Resource for a New Generation of Leaders

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Created by Oxfam Canada www.oxfam.caFunded by CIDA Global Classroom Initiative

Module 5FINAL.indd 1 11/30/10 11:29:46 AM

Acknowledgements

Gender Justice for Global Development gratefully acknowledges the support and contributions of the following organizations:• CanadianInternationalDevelopmentAgency(CIDA)• OxfamCanada• NovaScotiaDepartmentofEducation• HalifaxRegionalSchoolBoard• SocialStudiesTeachersAssociationofNovaScotia• MountSaintVincentUniversity

Project coordination, research and writing: JanetRhymesandCorrieMelanson

Multi-media and Web Assistance: RogerMusselmanandAudraWilliams,OxfamCanada

Communications Consultant: Alexandra Lopoukhine, Oxfam Canada

Graphic Design: Deborah McGowan, Full Well Productions

Reviewers• VickyLaramée,AnnaBorgognoniandLouiseRahemtulla,CIDA• JenniferBurke,SocialStudiesConsultant,NovaScotia

DepartmentofEducation• SandraMartin,Teacher,SouthShoreDistrictSchoolBoard

andSocialStudiesTeachersAssociationofNovaScotia• CathyCarreau,Consultant,EnglishProgram,

HalifaxRegionalSchoolBoard• ValdaLeighteizer,FacultyofEducation,

MountSaintVincentUniversity

Assessmentrubrics:Therubricsinthisresourcehavebeenadaptedfrom rubrics retrieved from the Alberta Assessment Consortium (AAC)website. As such, theymaydiffer in structure and contentfrom those found in the AAC collection. Please visit www.aac.ab.ca for information andmaterials to support quality classroomassessmentpractices.

TheopinionsexpressedinthisdocumentarethoseoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsofCIDA,OxfamCanada,theNSDepartmentofEducation,theHalifaxRegionalSchoolBoard,MountSaintVincentUniversityor theSocialStudiesTeachersAssociationofNovaScotia.Contentsmaynotbe reproduced forcommercialpurposes; however, reproduction for educational purposes, with acknowledgementtoOxfamCanada,ispermitted.

Credit: Carlo Heathcote/Oxfam

Local Dakaro children both work and play in the field next to Oxfam’s office - during the food security crisis in Niger.

Credit: Ami Vitale/Oxfam

Manena Walet Issafeytane, the animatrice for the village of Intedeyni, stood by the blackboard in the classroom.

“My father was very forward-thinking. And when I was old enough to go to secondary school he took me to Menaka [the nearest small town], because the Headmaster of the school there was married to my father’s sister. I guess I was really lucky, I had relatives who understood the importance of education and I was able to stay with them so that I could carry on with my schooling.

“I am like a ‘mum’ to everyone, and I try to visit the families as often as possible to listen to any problems they may be having – especially if it affects their children’s schooling. I am constantly talking to parents about the advantages of sending their children to school, but I also talk to people about health matters. I even do sessions about HIV and AIDS and how to protect against catching and spreading these illnesses.

Credit: Shailan Parker/Oxfam

UMBVS: Bhojasar worksite, digging Bhura Naadi: women who are working on the pond, listening to the discussion with Kamla bai.

Credit: Toby Adamson/Oxfam

Kim Rowe, Oxfam story gatherer at Glastonbury 2005. The feeling at Glastonbury this year was that together, people really can not just make a difference, but can be that difference. Momentum for Make Poverty History had been building all day on Saturday as the Big Moment with Bob Geldoff and Michael Eavis drew closer. Oxfam staff had been feeling the enthusiasm of the hoards of people all putting their names forward to become part of Make Poverty History in this special year.

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Module 5: Gender and Global Food Security

Course: Global Geography 12 and Advanced Global Geography 12

Curriculum Connection

UnitOne:TheGlobalGeographer

UnitTwo:ThePlanetEarth

UnitFour:ResourcesandCommodities

UnitSix:CultureandPolitics

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

1.4examineallissuesfrommultipleperspectivesandwithregardtotheexperiencesofyouth.

2.2evaluatetheplanetarystateofhealth

4.1analyzefactorsthataffecttheglobaldistributionandconsumption of food

6.2 investigate the extent to which the environment has been/is affected by cultural attitudes and practices

Overview

Thisseriesoflearningtoolshelpstudentsexplorefoodsecurity through a gendered lens in communities around theglobe.Itprovidesreal-worldexamplesofwomen,menandorganizationsovercomingchallengestoaffectchange.Students are also provided with concrete actions they can takeasactive,globalcitizens.

Credit: Andy Aitchison/Oxfam

Oxfam activists campaigning in Parliament Square, London during a World Food Day stunt. They are wearing white masks, holding empty bowls and wearing t-shirts that read ‘967m hungry’, symbolizing the nearly one billion people who are malnourished in the world today.


Gender and Global Food Security

Focus Questions

What are the connections among food security, 1.geography and gender?

Is it important to consider the different impacts 2.on and needs of both women and men in the response to food insecurity? Why or why not?

Howarewomen,men,andorganizationsaround3.the world responding to food insecurity?

Suggested Teaching Time

4-5hours

Credit: Josephine Imelda/Oxfam

“When I was young, rice was 500 rupiahs per litre, then it rose to 700,” says Mrs Suri, a 50-year-old widow with seven children. “The most expensive was 1,500 (about 8p) during the financial crisis in 1998. I never imagined it would climb to 5,300 rupiahs.”Programme Information

Mrs Suri is a member of one of two women’s groups in the area set up with help from Oxfam. These groups provide women with alternative sources of income, so they can support their family when their husband is unable to earn money from the sea. They have set up small grocery shops, and have food vendors selling meatballs and ice juices.



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Introduction

Food security exists when all people at all times have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient,safeandnutritiousfood.(FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations,UNFAO).Foodinsecurityisadailyrealityformoreandmorepeoplearoundtheglobe.

AccordingtotheUN’sWorldFoodProgram,thenumberoffoodemergenciesaroundtheglobehasincreasedfromanaverageof15peryearduringthe1980stomorethan30peryearsince2000.Morethanonebillionpeopleareundernourishedworldwide.Thelargeincreaseinthenumberofundernourishedpeoplein2010underlinestheurgencyoftacklingtherootcausesofhungerswiftlyandeffectively.

Worldwide,womenbeartheprimaryresponsibilityfortheirfamilies’health,educationandnutrition.Overhalfoftheworld’sfoodisproducedbywomenandover80percentindevelopingcountries.Womenaretheproducersoftheworld’sstaplecrops—rice,wheat,maize—whichprovidesupto90percentoftheruralfoodintakeglobally.Ruralwomenmakeatremendouscontributiontofoodandagriculturalproduction.Theyalsoplayacrucialroleindeterminingandguaranteeingfoodsecurityandwell-beingfortheentirehousehold.

However,despitethecriticalrolewomenplayinfoodproductionandmanagement,theyexperiencepersistentpovertyandfoodinsecurity.Womenaregivenlittleaccesstothelandandcreditloansnecessarytomaximizetheirproduction.Asthepriceoffoodskyrockets,thepoorestfamiliesarethemostaffected,resultinginreducednutrition.Women,whoareresponsibleforthenutritionoftheirfamilies,oftenfeelthebruntofthisburden.

Policy makers and development planners continue to perceive farmers and food producers as male, rendering trade policies and agreements gender blind when it comes to assessing the relationship betweentrade,inequalityandpoverty. Ensuringthatwomenfarmerscanaccesstheresourcestheyneedtogrowfoodandothercrops—suchaslandandwater,fertilizersandseeds,andcreditandtraining—iscrucialtoendinghunger,improvingchildnutrition,andincreasingglobalfoodsecurity.

Woman registered for food distribution in Malambo receiving a measure of maize from one of the monitors.

Credit: Ami Vitale/Oxfam

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“Gender based inequalities all along the food production chain, from farm to plate, impede the attainment of food and nutritional security.” World Bank, FAO, 2009



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iiGender and Global Food Security

What’s Inside?

1. Getting Starteda)SuggestedAssessment1

Learning Tool: Cause and Effects Graphic Organizer Assessment Instructions and Rubric10

b)WhatStudentsKnowandWonder1

Learning Tool: Unit Organizer 12

2. Understanding Gender and Food Securitya)LinkingGenderandFoodSecurity2

Fact Sheet: Gender and Food Security 13

Power Point: Gender and Food Security

Reading: Solving the Global Food Crisis Starts with Women’s Rights,MADRE

Reading: SIn Rural Ethiopia, Change has Opened the Door for Women like Mer Zeneb Firkado, Oxfam America

Reading: The Future is Now: The Story of One Young Canadian Farmer, InterPares

Reading: Women Are the Most Severely Affected by the Global Food Crisis,AssociationforWomen’sRightsinDevelopment22

Film: Women Farmers’ Critical Role,FAO(3:40mins.)www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeQzLdDvtTk

Film: Why Women Matter,WorldBank(3:22mins.)www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S0eHdHDo6U

Film: Dig In! Raj Patel on Food Sovereignty and Women’s Rights,(2:13mins.),DigInCanada www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI_F9n_c4yY

b)WhatDoestheDataShow?MappingActivity4

Learning Tool: Women in Agriculture,CountrySummaries24

3. Empathizing: Gender and Food Securitya)InHerOwnWords5

Audio: Landless Women,PanosLondon(5:27mins.)www.panos.org.uk/?lid=19823

Film: Martina’s Story,OxfamGreatBritain(8:19mins.) http://oxfam.qc.ca/en/campaigns/make-your-mark/sisters-on-the-planet/martina


Gender and Global Food Security Gender and Global Food Security

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Reading: Martina’s Story,SistersonthePlanet,OxfamAmerica30

Reading: Declaration of the Via Campesina Second Youth Assembly 31

4. Taking Action for Gender and Food Securitya)PeopleTakingAction:Stories of Change6

Reading: National Association of Small Farmers,Cuba,OxfamCanada34

Reading: The Food Project,BostonUSA35

Reading: Village-Level Women’s Groups,India,InterPares36

Reading: Laxmamma is an amazing farmer,India,InterPares37

Reading: Guatemala: Indigenous Women Join in the Struggle for Land and Equality, OxfamCanada39

Reading:Vandana Shiva and Navdanya,India41

b)StudentsTakingAction:What You Can Do7

5. Wrapping It Up a)CompleteAssessment8

Learning Tool: Cause and Effects Graphic Organizer Assessment Instructions and Rubric10

b)CompleteUnitOrganizer8

Learning Tool: Unit Organizer 12

6. Resources a)WebResources9

b)ReadingsandLearningTools10


Gender and Global Food SecurityGender and Global Food Security

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Gender Justice Around the World

Thisworldmapshowsthelocationofeachcountryfeaturedinreadings,casestudies,audioandvideoclips.

TheFutureisNow,CanadaDigIn!RajPatelonFoodSovereignty,CanadaTheFoodProject,USA

Solving the Global Food, NicaraguaNationalAssociationofSmall Farmers, CubaIndigenous Women Struggle for Land, Guatemala

Asian Women in AgricultureVillage-LevelWomen’sGroups,IndiaLaxmamma is an amazing farmer, IndiaVandanaShivaandNavdanya,India

Landless Women, ZimbabweDeclarationoftheViaCampesina,MozambiqueMartina’sStory,UgandaChangeHasOpenedtheDoorforWomen,Ethiopia

Global WomenFarmersCriticalRoleWhy Women MatterWomen and Food SecurityWomen Are the Most Severely AffectedWomeninAgricultureCountrySummaries,Bangladesh,Bhutan,Cambodia,China,India,Nepal,Pakistan,SriLanka



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1Gender and Global Food Security

1. Getting Starteda) Suggested Assessment

MaterialsLearning Tool: Cause and Effects Graphic Organizer Assessment Instructions and Rubric, page 10

What You Can Do: Set up the final assessment activityAt the beginning of the module, review the final activity instructions and assessment rubric with students.

Students will work independently or in pairs to create a cause and effects graphic organizer on gender, geography and global food security. They can review their draft organizer with other students before creating the final copy. Teachers can share the completed organizers and ask students to present their organizer to others.

b) What Students Know and Wonder

MaterialsLearning Tool: Unit Organizer, page 12

What You Can DoLead a brainstorming exercise on gender and food security to identify what students already know about the topic and what questions they may have.

This can be completed as individual activity, using the Unit Organizer. As an additional option, encourage students to work in pairs or small groups to identify their shared knowledge and remaining questions. Post these to a replica of the Unit Organizer created on chart paper and put up on an available wall.

Use the Unit Organizer for continued learning over the duration of the unit. Ask students to identify key learnings after each section, or at the end of the unit. If also using a wall chart, encourage students to add to the display with the use of newspaper headlines, photographs and quotations to further illustrate the categories.




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2. Understanding: Gender and Food Securitya) Linking Gender and Food Security

MaterialsFact Sheet: Gender and Food Security, Oxfam Canada, page 13

Power Point: Gender and Food Security,OxfamCanada,onDVD

Reading: Solving the Global Food Crisis Starts with Women’s Rights,MADRE,page16

Reading: In Rural Ethiopia, Change Has Opened the Door for Women like Merzeneb Firkado, Marc Cohen/OxfamAmerica,page18

Reading: The Future is Now: The Story of One Young Canadian Farmer,InterPares,page20

Reading: Women are the Most Severely Affected by the Global Food Crisis.Theyalsoholdthekeytoresolvingit,AssociationforWomen’sRightsinDevelopment,page22

Film: Women Farmers’ Critical Role, UN Food and Agriculture Organization(3:40mins.) Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeQzLdDvtTk

Film: Why Women Matter,WorldBank(3:22mins.) Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S0eHdHDo6U

Film: Dig In! Raj Patel On Food Sovereignty and Women Rights,DigInCanada(2:13mins.) Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI_F9n_c4yY

What You Can DoOfferthesereadingsorfilms.Thenchoosefromtheactivityoptionsbelowtobuildunderstandingandencouragecriticalthought.



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Understanding the Issues Activity Options

For more information on these activities, see page 8 of the Gender Justice Teacher’s Guide.

• Small and large group discussions

• Quiz or game:Buildaquizorgamefromtheinformationprovided.Challengeotherstudents/groupstocompletethequiz.

• Jigsaw reading/case process: Assignreadings.Beginwithsmallgroupreflectionandsharinginsame-readinggroups.Thenregroupsostudentssharewiththosewhohavereadsomethingdifferent.

• Graphic organizer: Usetohelpstudentscaptureandorganizelearningsfromreadings,casesandvideo/audiooptions.Seesampleorganizers,pages24-26.

• Anticipation guide: Helpstudentsthinkaheadtowhattheymightexpecttolearn.

• Newscast:Turnhighlightsintoanewscastscriptandreadtoothers.

• Mock panel discussion: Get the facts and become the expert, sharing concepts in panel-format.

• Podcast:Usenewtechnologyforacreativeaudiopodcastofhighlights.

• Power Point:UsewhathasbeenlearnedtocreateaninformativegraphicPowerPointtoshare.

• Comic strip: Usewhathasbeenlearnedtocreateacomicstrip.

• Research project: Havestudentsusethewebresourcesprovidedasaresearchprojectstartingpoint.

• Brochure

• Letter to the editor

• Lesson for elementary students

• Awareness presentation or display

TeachersGuide: Gender Justice for Global Development

Teacher’s Guide and Seven Engaging Units on Gender and Global Issues

for High School Social Studies Classrooms A Global Education Resource for a New Generation of Leaders

understand empathize

actCreated by Oxfam Canada www.oxfam.ca

Funded by CIDA Global Classroom Initiative



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b) What Does the Data Show?

MaterialsLearningTool:Asian Women in Agriculture, Country Summaries,page24

What You Can DoCreate10groupsandassigneachacountrycasestudy.Askeachgrouptorepresentthecontentsoftheircasestudyonposterpaperinawaythatdemonstratesunderstanding.Theycanuseimages,wordsanddatatools(piecharts,bargraphsandsoon).Sharethesewiththeclassand/orpost.

Discussion questions:How do the Human Development Index (HDI) Rankings of each country •compare to one another? How do they compare to Canada’s ranking?

What information can we learn from these posters?•

How does women’s role in agriculture compare across the region?•

Where are women more visible and less visible?•

Oxfam activists campaigning in Parliament Square, London during a World Food Day stunt. They are wearing white masks, holding empty bowls and wearing t-shirts that read ‘967m hungry’, symbolizing the nearly one billion people who are malnourished in the world today.

Credit: Andy Aitchison/Oxfam



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3. Empathizing: Gender and Food Securitya) In Her Own Words

MaterialsAudio: LandlessWomen,PanosLondon(5:27mins.)Availableat: www.panos.org.uk/?lid=19823

Film: Martina’s Story,OxfamGreatBritain,(8:19mins.)Availableat: http://oxfam.qc.ca/en/campaigns/make-your-mark/sisters-on-the-planet/martina

Reading: Martina’s Story, Sisters on the Planet,OxfamAmerica,page30

Reading: Declaration of the Via Campesina Second Youth Assembly, page 31

What You Can DoOfferthesefilms,audioclipand/orreadings.Thenchoosefromtheactivityoptionsbelowtobuildempathyandconcernforothers.

Building Empathy Activity Options


Cut the • Via Campesinadeclarationintopiecesandhavestudentsreaditaloud.

Quotes:• Postquotesaroundtheroomorhandthemout.Encouragejournalwritingforquoteresponse.

Values continuum: • Positionstudentsalonganimaginaryvalue/beliefline.Askstudentstosharetheirchoice.Chooseafewstudentsatrandomforcomments.

Debate: • Twoteamsoftwotofourmembersdebatebothsidesofatopicusingpresentation,questionsandfinalcomments.

Creative reflection options• :journal,poem,drawingorcollage,blog.

Role play:• Usecasestudiesortestimoniestoroleplaydifferentscenarios.

Moving circle:• Studentsformtwoconcentriccircles(innercirclefacingout,outercirclefacingin)andsharetheirresponsewiththepersonoppositethem,thenshiftposition.

Fishbowl: • Innervolunteersareobservedbyotherswhilediscussingatopic.Thenleadgroupdiscussion.









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4. Taking Action: Gender and Food Security

a) People Taking Action: Stories of Change

MaterialsReading: National Association of Small Farmers, Cuba,OxfamCanada,page34

Reading: The Food Project, Boston USA, page35

Reading: Village-Level Women’s Groups, India, InterPares,page36

Reading: Laxmamma is an amazing farmer, India,InterPares,page37

Reading: Guatemala: Indigenous Women Join in the Struggle for Land and Equality, OxfamCanada,page39

Reading: Vandana Shiva and Navdanya, India, page41

Taking Action for Change Activity Options


Small and large group discussions•

Jigsaw reading/case process:• Assignreadings.Beginwithsmallgroupreflectionandsharinginsame-readinggroups.Thenregroupsostudentssharewiththosewhohavereadsomethingdifferent.

Graphic organizer: • Usetohelpstudentscaptureandorganizelearningsfromreadings,casesandvideo/audiooptions.Seesampleorganizers,pages24-26.

Challenge - Solutions Table:• Encourageunderstandingofhowtheactionwasdesignedtoovercomeachallenge.

Newscast:• Turnhighlightsintoanewscastscriptandreadtoothers.









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b) Students Taking Action: What You Can Do

What You Can Do

In this unit, students have heard about inspirational women and organizations creating changeintheircommunitiesandcountriesontheimportanttopicofwomen’srights.

Encouragestudentstoseeklocalactionsthatcanleadtoglobalchangeandgenderjustice.Thisempoweringapproachbuildsactive,engagedglobalcitizens.

Students have action-options for themselves, in their households and communities and attheprovincialornationallevel.Possibleactionsinclude:

Identifying a policy or change, and writing letters to advocate for it•

Researchinglike-mindedorganizationsandjoiningoneoftheircampaigns•

Preparing and implementing a public awareness campaign in the school or •community

Planning and implementing a fundraising project and donating the money to a like-•minded organization

Learning more by inviting a guest speaker•

Identifyingdifferentlifechoicesforaction—changingwhatoneeats,wearsorhow•one spends money

Spreading the word about the subject through audio, video, posters or photographs•

For tools to help students identify, plan and reflect on actions, refer to the Taking Action Tools, pages 29-33.









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5. Wrapping It Upa) Complete Assessment

MaterialsLearningTool: Cause and Effects Graphic Organizer Assessment Instructions and Rubric, page10

What You Can DoReviewtheassessmentinstructionsandrubricwithstudents.Theywillworkindependently or in pairs to create a cause and effect graphic organizer on gender, geographyandglobalfoodsecurity.

Tosuccessfullycompletethisassessmentactivity,studentsmustnotonlyunderstandtheissuesaboutglobalfoodsecurityandgenderinequality.Theymustalsoclearlyunderstand the concept of cause and effect as well as the nature and purpose of a graphicorganizer.

Studentscanreviewtheirorganizerwithanotherpairofstudentsusingtherubric.Theycan then integrate peer feedback to create the final copy of the organizer for teacher review.Teacherscanencouragepairstosharetheirgraphicorganizerswiththeclass.

b) Complete Unit Organizer

MaterialsLearningTool:Unit Organizer, page 12

What You Can DoAs a final wrap-up activity, guide students in the completion of their Unit Organizer, basedonthefocusquestions:

Understanding: What are the connections among food security, geography and gender?

Empathizing: Is it important to consider the different impacts on and needs of both women and men in the response to food insecurity? Why or why not?

Taking Action:Howarewomen,men,andorganizationsaroundtheworldresponding to food insecurity?




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6. Resources

a) Web Resources

International

AssociationforWomen’sRightsinDevelopment(AWID):• www.awid.org

WomenThrive:• www.womenthrive.org

FoodandAgricultureOrganization(FAO):• www.fao.org

LaViaCampesina:• www.viacampesina.org

MADRE:• www.madre.org

Canadian

Oxfam Canada: • www.oxfam.ca

Food Secure Canada: • www.foodsecurecanada.ca

Food First:• www.foodfirst.org

InterPares:• www.interpares.ca

Nova Scotian

NovaScotiaFoodSecurityNetwork:• www.nsfoodsecurity.org

FriendsofAgricultureNovaScotia:• www.friendsofagriculture.net

AtlanticCanadianOrganicRegionalNetwork(ACORN):• www.acornorganic.org

EcologyActionCentre,FoodActionCommittee:• www.ecologyaction.ca/content/food

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b) Readings and Learning Tools

Gender and Food Security Assessment Instructions and Rubric

What are the Links? Create a Cause and Effects Graphic Organizer

Youarepartofastudentfoodsecurityactiongroup.Youhaveanopportunitytoshare a graphic organizer about gender, geography and global food security through presentationstoGrade7studentsaroundyourschooldistrict.

A graphic organizer is a visual display that shows the relationship between facts and ideas.Showinginformationgraphicallywillhelptheyoungerstudentsunderstandtheconceptsandhelpclarifypatternsandrelationships.Youcancreatetheorganizeronchartpaperorusesoftwareprogramandtosharedigitally.

Herearethestepstofollow:

Include a definition of food security

Createacauseandeffectstable.Brainstormalistofcausesandeffectsoffood•insecurityfacingwomen.

Enhanceyourlistbyfindingfacts,datasources,quotesandbyspecifyingcountries•orregionsinvolved.

Draftyourorganizeronscrappaper.Shareitwithanotherstudentorpairof•students,usingtheassessmentrubricforfeedback.Makechangesasrequired.

Createafinalcopyofyourorganizer.Bepreparedtopresentittothejuniorhigh•students(yourteacherandotherstudents).



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Unit Organizer: Gender and Global Food Security

Know: What do you already know about gender and food security?

Wonder:Whatquestionsdoyouhaveaboutgenderandfoodsecurity?

Understanding: What are the connections among food security, geography and gender?

Empathizing: Is it important to consider the different impacts on and needs of both women and men in the response to food insecurity? Why or why not?

Taking Action: Howarewomen,men, and organizations around the world responding to food insecurity?



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Gender and Food Security Fact Sheet

AccordingtotheFoodandAgricultureOrganization(FAO),foodsecurityexistswhenall people at all times have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritiousfood.

Womenproducebetween60to80percentofthefoodinmostdevelopingcountriesandareresponsibleforhalfoftheworld’sfoodproduction,yettheirkeyroleasfoodproducersand providers and their critical contribution to household food security is only now becomingrecognized.1

Womenarealsoresponsibleforensuringthattheirfamilies’basicneedsaremet.Women’saccess to financial services, agricultural extension, education, healthcare and human rights arethuscriticaltoassuringfoodsecurityforall.

Women’s lack of access to land and resources:

Despite the critical role women play in food production and management of natural resources,theyhaveownershipofonlyonepercentofthelandglobally.2

Lackofaccesstoandcontroloverlandhasintensifiedwomen’sdifficulties,theiraccesstocredit,technicalassistanceandparticipation,allessentialfordevelopment.Inaddition,the number of female-headed households is increasing significantly in rural areas in many developing countries as rural men migrate due to the lack of employment and other income-generatingopportunities.3

Littleaccesstocreditlimitswomen’sabilitytopurchaseseeds,fertilizerandother•

inputsneededtoadoptnewfarmingtechniques.4 For example, for the countries where informationisavailable,only10percentofcreditallowancesareextendedtowomen.5

RudimentarytoolsarestillusedbythemajorityofwomenforfoodproductioninsomeAfricancountries.6

Onlyfivepercentofextensionservicesarefocusedonruralwomen,andnomorethan15percentoftheworld’sextensionagentsarewomen.7



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Women and Food Security Around the Globe 8

In2007,womenmadeupapproximately41percentoftotalemploymentinglobal•agriculture.

Insub-SaharanAfrica,womencomprise60percentoftheinformaleconomy,•provideabout70percentofalltheagriculturallabourandproduceabout90percentofthefood.

InAfrica,womenperform80percentoftheworkassociatedwithruraldomestic•tasks, including collecting water and firewood, preparing and cooking meals, processingandstoringfood,andmakinghouseholdpurchases.

In15EuropeanUnioncountries,womenhold20percentofagriculturalland,•comparedto77percentheldbymenand3percentheldbygovernment.

InIndiaandThailand,fewerthan10percentoflandownersarewomen.•

In several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, the number of female-•headed households is increasing, largely due to male migration, divorce, illness (especiallyAIDS)andconflict.

Given the traditionally limited role of women in decision making processes at the •household, village and national levels in most cultures, their needs, interests and constraints are often not reflected in policy making processes and laws which are importantforpovertyreduction,foodsecurityandenvironmentalsustainability.

Consideringwomen’scrucialroleinfoodproductionandprovision,anyset•of strategies for sustainable food security must address their limited access to productiveresources.Accurateinformationaboutmen’sandwomen’srelativeaccess to, and control over, resources is crucial in the development of food security strategies.

Sources:

1FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(FAO)(n.d.)FAO Focus: Women and Food Security. Available at: www.fao.org/FOCUS/E/Women/Sustin-e.htm(accessedMay2010).

2Cinterfor/InternationalLabourOrganization(ILO)(n.d.).Rural Development, Training, and Gender. Available at: www.cinterfor.org.uy/public/english/region/ampro/cinterfor/temas/rural/genero/index.htm(accessedMay2010).

3 FAO Focus: Women and Food Security,asabove.

4Jiggins,J.,Samanta,R.andJ.Olawoye.(2000).Improving Women Farmers Access to Extension Services. SD Dimensions, Food and AgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations.Availableat:www.fao.org/sd/exdirect/EXan0039.htm(accessedMay2010).

5WomeninDevelopmentService(SDWW),FAOWomenandPopulationDivision(n.d.).Women and Sustainable Food Security, SD Dimensions, FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations.Availableat:www.fao.org/sd/fsdirect/fbdirect/fsp001.htm (accessedMay2010).

6IFAD(1998).What African women farmers look for in their agricultural implements. Available at:www.ifad.org/gender/learning/sector/agriculture/74.htm(accessedMay2010).

7WomenandPopulationDivision.SustainableDevelopmentDepartment,Food andAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations,(n.d.)Women and sustainable food security. Available at:www.fao.org/docrep/x0171e/x0171e02.htm(accessedMay2010).

8FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(2009).Ensuringruralwomen’sandmen’sequalparticipationindevelopment, Gender Equality Report.Availableat:ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/011/i0765e/i0765e10.pdf(accessedMay2010).



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Gender-based Differences in Agriculture

Land Land title and tenure tend to be vested in men, either by legal condition or by socioculturalnorms.Landreformandresettlementhavetendedtoreinforcethisbiasagainsttenureforwomen.Landshortageiscommonamongwomen.Women farm smaller and more dispersed plots than men and are less likely to holdtitle,securetenureorthesamerightstouse,improve,ordisposeofland.

Extension Women farmers have less contact with extension services than men, especially wheremale-femalecontactisculturallyrestricted.Extensionisoftenprovidedby male agents to men farmers on the erroneous assumption that the message willtrickle“across”towomen.Infact,agriculturalknowledgeistransferredinefficientlyornotatallfromhusbandtowife.Also,themessagetendstoignoretheuniqueworkload,responsibilities,andconstraintsfacingwomenfarmers.

Technology Women generally use lower levels of technology because of difficulties in access, culturalrestrictionsonuseorregardforwomen’scropsandlivestockaslowresearchpriorities.(Thereareoftenalsoculturalconstraintstowomen’susinganimaltraction(Saitoetal.1994).

Finance Women have less access to formal financial services because of high transaction costs, limited education and mobility, social and cultural barriers, the nature of theirbusinesses,andcollateralrequirementssuchaslandtitlethattheycan’tmeet.

Time Womenfacefargreatertimeconstraintsthanmen.Theymayspendlesstimeonfarm work but work longer total hours on productive and household work and paid and unpaid work, due to gender-based division of labour in childcare and householdresponsibilities.

Mobility Women are less mobile than men, both because of their childcare and household responsibilitiesandbecauseofsocioculturalnormsthatlimittheirmobility.

EducationandTraining

WomenarelesseducatedinpartsofAfrica,AsiaandtheMiddleEast.Illiteracyhamperstheiraccesstoandabilitytounderstandtechnicalinformation.Worldwide,womenhavelessaccesstoeducationandtraininginagriculture.

Source: TheWorldBank(2008).Gender and Development, Overview of Issues. Available at: http://go.worldbank.org/O63EY74JS0.Availablefornon-commercialuse:“TheWorldBank:TheWorldBankauthorizesthe use of this material subject to the terms and conditions on its website, www.worldbank.org/terms.”



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Solving the Global Food Crisis Starts with Women’s RightsYifatSusskind,MADRE

Solvingthefoodcrisismeansempoweringwomen.

WorldleadersaremeetinginRometodevisenewstrategiesforworldagriculture.Theyoughttobepromotingwomen’srights.

Themajorityoftheworld’sfarmersarewomen.Inthepoorestcountries,wherethefoodcrisisisatitsworst,womengrowandproduce80percentofallfood.

Boostingthecapacityofsmallfarmerstoproduceandsellfoodlocallyisakeypartofthesolution.Butaswomen,manysmallfarmersfacegenderdiscriminationthatunderminestheircapacitytofeedpeople.

For example, in many countries, women who grow the food that sustains the majority of the populationarenotevenrecognizedasfarmers.Theyhavenolegalrighttoownland.Andwomenareroutinelyshutoutofgovernmentagricultureprograms.Theyloseoutonaccesstocredit, seeds, tools and training that is more crucial than ever now, since farmers have to adapt toclimatechange.

Allofthismeansthatpoliciesaimingtoresolvethefoodcrisisneedalsotoupholdwomen’srights.

Thesepoliciesalsomustrecognizethedamagethatso-calledfreetradehascausedwomen.

Ana Chumba is facing a choice that no mother should ever have to make: whether to feed her daughterorsendhertoschool.

Anaisasmall-scalefarmerwhoalsosellshomemadetortillastomakeendsmeet.Butthisyear,thecostofstaplefoodsinNicaragua,whereshelives,hasmorethandoubled.Ifshekeepsherdaughter out of school to help with the tortillas, they may be able to bring in enough to buy rice,cookingoiland,onagoodday,milk.

Formostofus,theworldfoodcrisishasmeantanannoyinghikeinourgrocerybill.ForAna,alreadylivingonthebrinkofsurvival,it’satrueemergency.

Economistsexplainthefoodcrisisasaperfectstorm:risingdemandforresource- intensive foods such as meat, protracted drought, and more land being used to grow fuelinsteadoffood.

Butlongbeforebiofuelsbecameahouseholdword,internationaltraderuleshadbankruptedmillionsofsmallfarmersinthedevelopingworld.

BecauseofhugegovernmentsubsidiestofactoryfarmsintheUnitedStatesandEurope,foodimportedfromthesecountriesbecamecheaperthanfoodproducedbylocalfarmers.



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Asaresult,food-producingcountriessuchasNicaraguawereturnedintofoodimporters,leavingpeoplesuchasAnaatthemercyofglobalmarkets.

Theglobalfoodcrisisisnonaturaldisaster.Hungerisaconsequenceoffailedpolicies.

Fortunately,policiescanbechanged.

Thetimetochangethemisnow.

Thekindofsmall-scale,sustainablefarmingthatwomentraditionallydoisexactlythemodeofagriculturethatweneedtoexpand.TheRomemeetingshouldrealignworldagriculture policy with the interests of small-scale women farmers instead of giant corporations.Ifwecandothat,wemayjustbeabletomeetthechallengeoftoday’sglobalfoodcrisisbyfeedingallpeoplewhileprotectingtheplanet.

Source: Solving the Global Food Crisis Starts with Women’s Rights(2008).MADRE. Available at:www.madre.org/index.php?s=4&news=34.Usedwithpermission.



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In Rural Ethiopia, Change has Opened the Door for Women like Merzeneb FirkadoMarc Cohen is Oxfam America’s senior researcher on humanitarian policy and climate change. Here’s his account of a recent visit to northern Ethiopia where famine struck a quarter century ago.

Twenty-fiveyearsago,MichaelBuerk’sdramaticBBCfootagefromKorem,innorthernEthiopia,broughtadevastatingfaminetotheworld’sattention.Tensofthousandsofpeoplehadsoughtrefugefromwaranddroughtinthetown.Every20minutes,acampresidentdiedfromhungerandrelateddiseases.BuerkcalledKorem“theclosestthingtohellonearth.”

Lastyear,ItraveledtoKoremwhileworkingonaresearchprojectaboutdecentralizationinEthiopiaandhowthataffectsmenandwomenfarmers’accesstoservices.MycolleaguesandIarrivedinthetownjustastheregionalOrthodoxChristianpatriarch was inaugurating a large new church; hundreds of people had turned out forthecolorfulceremony.Thiscelebrationwasabigcontrastwiththegrimimagesof1984.

ButitwasameetingwithMerzenebFirkado—herfirstnamemeans“honeyfromheaven”—thatmademerealizehowmuchhaschangedforpeopleintheKoremareasincethatterribleperiod.

We met Merzeneb in the mountain village of Ashenge, bordering a big lake with the samename—aquickdrivefromKoremthankstothepresenceofawell-maintainedmodernhighway.Inherlate20sorearly30s,Merzenebwasachildatthetimeofthefamine and it seemed likely that she had experienced malnutrition during her early years:Shewaswellunderfivefeettall.

Butnow,shewasasuccessfulcommercialfarmerandamemberofthelocalcouncil,responsibleforwomen’saffairsinthevillage.

Merzeneb told us that she had not initially had much interest in local government or politics.Afterfinishing10thgrade,shehadwantedtogotocollege,butfailedtheentranceexam.Thealternativeforyoungwomeninhervillagewastofindahusband,marry,andhavechildren.

ButMerzenebhadotherideas.

She scraped together a little money and started to rent land, with the idea that she could grow fresh fruits and vegetables for the booming market in Mekele, the regional capitaltothenorthonthehighway.

Thatplanblossomed.



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Duringtheyearssincethe1984famine,thingshadbeguntochangeintheareaaroundKorem,andthesechangesmadeitpossibleforayoungwomanlikeMerzenebtothinkaboutpursuingnewoptionsinlife.Ethiopia’scivilwarended.Theregionalandfederalgovernmentsbuiltroads.IrrigationwasavailableinAshenge.Thegovernmentlauncheda safety net program that puts people to work planting trees and building terraces on thesteephillsides,sothatfarmingdoesn’tdegradetheland.Andagriculturalextensionadvisers, sent by the government, are now living in the villages, working with the farmerseveryday,insteadofshowinguponceeveryfewweeks.

In Ashenge, one of the five advisers is a woman, and some of the male advisers have received special training on gender issues in agriculture so that they can better serve bothmenandwomenfarmers.ItisthiswebofsupportservicesthatgaveMerzenebherindependenceandhelpedherachievehergoals.

As we were talking with her, night began to fall and we could see that the cool mountainairwasmakinghershiver.

“Shouldwecomebackandfinishtalkingtoyoutomorrow?”weasked.

“No,”shereplied.“I’llgobacktoKoremwithyou.Wecanfinishtalkingthere,andthenI’llstaythenightatmyhouseintown.”

We were surprised to learn that this young woman, who dressed very much in the styleofthewomenofhervillage,hadahomeintownaswellasnearherfarm.Sheexplainedthatshehadacquiredabuildingintownsothatsomedayshecouldopenasmallbusinesstoprocesslocalfarmproduce.

Merzeneb told us that as she prospered with her farming, she decided to get involved inhervillagegovernmenttogivesomethingbacktootheryoungwomen.Shewantsthemtoknowthateveniftheycan’tgetintocollege,theyhaveotherpossibilitiesinlifebesidesearlymarriage.

Koremandtheruralcommunitiesthatsurrounditstillfacealotofproblemstoday.Rainfallisbecomingmoreerratic.Theareafacesanotherseriousdrought.Andmanyofthevillages—includingAshenge—lackaccesstocleandrinkingwater.

Still,storieslikeMerzeneb’sshowtheimportanceofinvestinginagricultureandruraldevelopment.Withtherighttools—andthesupportofdonorgovernments—Ethiopianscan build the resilience they need to cope with trouble when it comes, and thrive when itpasses.

Source:MarcCohen/OxfamAmerica(2009).In rural Ethiopia, change has opened the door for women like Merzeneb Firkado. Available at: http://blogs.oxfamamerica.org/index.php/2009/10/22/in-rural-ethiopia-change-has-opened-the-door-for-women-like-merzeneb-firkado/#more-2729. Usedwithpermission.



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The Future is Now: The Story of One Young Canadian FarmerInterPares

AsKalissaadmits,herstoryisdifferentthanthatofthetypicalfarmfamily.Growingup in rural Saskatchewan, she has seen many farms disappear and never dreamt of becomingafarmerherself.Likemanyotherfarmers,Kalissa’sparentsencouragedtheirchildrentokeeptheiroptionsopen,getauniversityeducationandleavethefarm.Kalissa’soldersiblingsallbecameengineersandsheendedupinBritishColumbia,firststudyinghorticulture,andlater,jazz.Itwasoncampus,andnotonthefarm,thatKalissastartedtoreallythinkaboutfoodforthefirsttime.Assheputsit,“Ascommercialgraingrowers,wedon’teatwhatwegrow.Farmersareoftenjustasdisconnectedfromtheirfoodasothers.”

Kalissabeganthinkingaboutfoodintermsoftheenvironmentandsocialjustice.One afternoon, as she was planting a small garden in her rented backyard, it hit her: shedecidedtogobackhometofarm—butnottoanykindoffarming.Forthepasttenyears,herfamily’sfarmwasonlybreakingevenandherparents’sidebusinesskeptthemafloat.“Iknewtheywerenevergoingtosellthelandbecausetheyaretooattachedtoit.Wehaveenoughfamilyhistoryhere.Somyparentsranthefarmjustforthesakeofkeepingitgoing.Theyfarmedinwaysthattooktheleastamountoftime.Thisiswhytheybegangrowinggeneticallymodifiedcrops—it’sahugetimesaver—youjustthrowitinthegroundandsprayit.”

WhenKalissacamebackhome,herparentsunderstoodthatshewasseriousaboutfarming,buttheyalsounderstoodthatshewasnotinterestedinfarmingtheirway.Theenvironmentalandhealthrisksassociatedwiththistypeoffarming,alongwiththedependenceonexpensiveseedsandchemicals,wereimportantconsiderations.“Myparentsweresupportive,andstillopentolearningandexperimenting.Westruckapartnershipandoverthecourseofsixyears,turnedthefarmaround.Itisnowacertified organic farm that grows golden flax, red lentils, rye, oats, barley, spring wheat, andhempseed.”Thesoilthathadbeenplantedwithgeneticallyengineeredcropsrecoveredfromtheapplicationofchemicalfertilizersandpesticides,andtodayKalissa’sfamily’sfarmisecological,producinghealthyandnutritiousfood,andisprofitable.Some neighbours started to take notice and have also begun the transition to organic agriculture.

Kalissa’senthusiasmtoshareherstoryhastakenherfarbeyondherowncommunity.AstheNationalFarmersUnion(NFU)YouthVice-President,shehastravelledacrossthecountry,andeventoBenin,Mali,andMozambique,buildingsolidaritywithotheryoungfarmerswhoareactivelychangingthefaceoffarming.



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“Whenspeakingtootheryoungfarmersitcangetprettydepressing.Thesituationisthesameforfarmersaroundtheworld.We’velostfamilyfarmsatahugerateoverthepastfortyyears.Andwhenweloseafamilyfarm,itwillneverbeafamilyfarmagain—itgetseatenupbyhugecorporateindustrialfarms.ButwiththeNFUYouth,theoutlookisdifferent;theyareverypositiveaboutfarming.”Indeed,atatimewhenthereisincreaseddemandforecological and local food, this new generation of farmers is breaking away from the bondage of financially and environmentally costly chemicals; they are growing food ecologically, and sellingitlocally.

Formanyyears,InterPareshasbeenaclosecollaboratoroftheNFU.TheNFUhasbeenastaunch defender of the family farm in Canada and has also been instrumental in building theinternationalfamilyfarmandpeasantmovementLaViaCampesina,whichhasbecomeoneofthemostimportantmovementsforsocialjusticeintheworld.ThisyearmarkstheNFU’sfortiethanniversary.WithyoungpeoplelikeKalissainitsranks,itsfutureismore thanpromising.

Source: The Future is Now: The Story of One Young Canadian Farmer(2008).InterParesBulletin:Vol31,No4,November.Availableat: www.interpares.ca/en/publications/bulletins/html/200911/index.php.Usedwithpermission.



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Women are the Most Severely Affected by the Global Food Crisis. They Also Hold the Key to Resolving It. KathambiKinoti,AssociationforWomen’sRightsinDevelopment(AWID)

Emergency Situation

Theglobalfoodcrisishashadadevastatingimpactonthelivesofpoorpeoplearoundtheworld,manyofwhomhavehadtomakechoiceswithfar-reachingimplications.AmotherinNicaragua,wherethecostofstaplefoodshasdoubledthisyearconsiderspulling her daughter out of school to help sell the homemade tortillas that contribute to theirsubsistence.

ThecrisisalsothreatenscontrolofHIV.Peoplewhoareundernourishedaremorelikelyto die during the first three months of antiretroviral therapy than are those who are well nourished.AlackofnutritioncanunderminetheeffectofmedicinesusedinHIVandAIDStreatment.ApregnantwomanlivingwithHIVismorelikelytopassonthevirustoherbaby.

Genderinequalitiesmeanthatthefoodcrisisaffectswomenandmendifferently.Beforethefoodcrisis,70percentoftheworld’shungrywerewomenandgirls.Nowthatthereis a full blown emergency, in societies and families where men and boys are accorded ahigherstatusthanwomenandgirls,itislikelythatthemaleswillhavefirstpriority.When poor families have to make a choice about which of their children to keep in school,itisthedaughterswhoaremorelikelytohavetheireducationcutshort.

Women Hold the Key

Theglobalfoodcrisiscannotbesolvedwithoutanapproachthathaswomen’srightsandgenderequalityatitscore.Ruralwomenproducehalfoftheworld’sfoodand60to80percentofthefoodinmostdevelopingcountries,butreceivelessthan10percentofcreditprovidedtofarmers.Mostofthesewomendonotholdlegaltitletothelandthattheyworkon.Governmentagriculturalextensionservicesassumethatitismenwhoneed agricultural seeds, tools, machinery, education and credit, so it is the men that theytargetwiththeseresources.Ifwomen’saccesstoresourceswereincreaseditwouldleadtoanincreaseinfoodproduction.AstudyconductedinBurkinaFasoshowedthatreallocatingresourcesfrommen’splotsoflandtowomen’scouldincreasehouseholdoutputbybetween10and20percent.InGhanaithasbeenshownthatgivingwomen land ownership rights is an incentive for them to adopt agro-forestry which is beneficialforenvironmentalmanagement.Ontheotherhand,itisimportanttonotonly provide women with formal legal title but also ensure that they have real power to make decisions about their land and not believe that they have to defer to a male family member’spointofview.



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Morefoodisnottheonlybenefitthatcanbeharnessedfromincreasingwomen’saccesstoresourcesandtitle.Whenwomenhavemoreresources,theeducation,healthandnutritionofthewholefamilyarepositivelyenhanced.

A Global Policy Issue

Respectingwomen’sequalrightstoownershipandcontrolofresourceslocallyisnotbyitselfgoingtosolvethefoodcrisis.Itshouldnotbeforgottenthatoppressiveinternational trade policies have made a major contribution to the bankrupting of millionsofsmall-scalefarmersintheglobalSouth.Subsidiestofarmersinrichcountrieshave meant that their produce has become cheaper, turning poor countries into importersoffood.Atthesametime,internationalfinancialinstitutionsinsistthatthegovernments of poor countries divest from providing support to local agricultural productionandfoodsecurity.Internationaltradepoliciesalsofavourtherightsofmultinational corporations over those of poor individuals; large scale cash crop productionoversmallscalefoodcropfarming.

Thedriveforincreasedbio-fuelproduction—itselfpromptedbytheenergycrisis—hasbeen blamed for contributing to the food crisis as land that was previously used for foodproductionisusedtogrowcropsforfuelproduction.

Aslongastheglobalmarketissupreme,hungerandinequalitywillpersist.Findingalasting solution to the global food shortage will entail implementing laws, policies and practicesthatprotectandpromotetherightsofthepoorandprimarilypoorwomen.

Source: Women are the most severely affected by the global food crisis. They also hold the key to resolving it(2008).KathambiKinoti/AssociationforWomen’sRightsinDevelopment(AWID).Availableat:www.awid.org/eng/Issues-and-Analysis/Issues-and-Analysis/The-Global-Food-Crisis-Pro-Women-Approach-Crucial-for-Lasting-Solution.ArticlelicensedunderaCreativeCommonsagreementandcanbesharedforeducationalpurposes.



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Women in Agriculture: Country Summaries

What is the Human Development Index?

Thisindexusesstatisticsonlifeexpectancy,education,standardoflivingandGDPtoratecountriesbytheirlevelof“humandevelopment.”Theindexisfrom0–1,andthehighertheindexrating,themoredevelopedthecountry.

What is the Human Development Index Ranking?

Thisisacomparison,orrankingofallcountriesusingtheirHumanDevelopmentIndex.Forexample,thecountrywiththehighestHDIintheworldwouldberankedas1st,thecountrywiththesecondhighestrankingis2ndandsoon.

FormoreinformationontheHumanDevelopmentIndexandReports, see www.hdr.undp.org/en/statistics

Bangladesh

HumanDevelopmentIndexRanking:146

Population:48.6percentfemale,51.4percentmale

Womenhaveanearly50percentloweradultliteracyratethanmen

Womenconstitute45.6percentofthefarmingpopulation

Women have extensive workloads with dual responsibility for farm and household production

Theroleofwomeninriceproductionisalreadysubstantialandexpandingfurther

Women are actively involved in forestry, fisheries and livestock production

Women contribute considerably to household income through farm and homestead production and wage labour

Women have a central role in home gardening and homestead food production

Women’scontributiontoagriculture,whichiscountedasunpaidfamilylabour,isgrossly underestimated



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Bhutan

HumanDevelopmentIndexRanking:132Population:49percentfemale,51percentmale

62percentofthewomenworkinagriculture

Theliteracyrateamongruralwomenisapproximately10percent

Thedivisionoflabourbygenderisnotrigidlyfixed,asmenandwomencangenerallytakeovereachother’stasks

70percentofthelandisownedbywomen

Themajorityofthepopulationfollowsmatrilinealheritagegivingwomenanadvantageinownership of land and livestock

Women contribute considerably to household income through farm and non-farm activities

Women interact closely with the natural resource environment as users of wild plants and forest products

As managers of home gardens, women are both managers of biodiversity as well as providers of variety to family meals

Basedontheassumptionofagender-equitablesocialsystem,gender-segregateddataarenot readily available

Cambodia



21percentofthepopulation,or2.2millionpeople,liveinhouseholdsheadedbywomen

Morethan65percentoffarmersarewomen

Women have dual responsibility for farm as well as household management

Womenhave,onaverage,20percentlowerliteracyratesthanmen

Women are actively involved in artisanal fisheries and manage small livestock

Marketing of agricultural products is mainly done by women

Womencontributeactivelytohouseholdincomethroughpettytrade,wage/exchangelabour and handicrafts

Women’scontributionasfamilylabourisundervaluedandneverincludedinaccounting as work



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China



32percentofwomenoverage25areilliterate/semi-illiterateversus13percentofmen

Womenrepresent45percentofallemployedpeople

Womenaccountfor41.2percentoftherurallabourforceinagricultureand rural enterprises

Women’sroleinrelationtomenvariesdependingontheagriculturalproductionsystemand the agro-ecological conditions

Women have extensive work loads with dual responsibility for farm and household production

Women’sworkisgettingharderandmoretime-consumingduetoecologicaldegradation, male out-migration and the shift to the household responsibility system

Women have an active role and extensive involvement in livestock production, forest and water resource use but their input needs are poorly addressed

Women contribute considerably to household income through farm and non farm activities

Women’sworkasfamilylabourisunderestimated

India


Population:48.1percent,51.9percentmen

Femaleilliteracyis62percentwhereasthemaleilliteracyrateis34percent

Thelabourforceparticipationrateofwomenis22.7percent,lessthanhalfofthemen’srateof51.6percentInruralIndia,agricultureandalliedindustrialsectorsemployasmuchas89.5percentofthetotalfemalelabour

Women have extensive work loads with dual responsibility for farm and household production

Women’sworkisgettingharderandmoretime-consumingduetoecologicaldegradation and changing agricultural technologies and practices

Women have an active role and extensive involvement in livestock production, forest resource use and fishery processing

Women contribute considerably to household income through farm and non farm activities as well as through work as landless agricultural labourers


Therearehighdegreesofinter-stateandintra-statevariationsingenderrolesinagriculture, environment and rural production



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Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR)


Population:51percentfemale,49percentmale

69.5percentofthefemalelabourforceand55.6percentofthemalelabourforceworkin agriculture

Women hold dual responsibility for farm and household management

Womenhaveonaveragea30percentlowerliteracyratethanmen

In rice farming women have a substantial role, which is enlarging

Womenareactivelyinvolvedinaquacultureandmanagesmalllivestockproduction Marketing of agricultural products is mainly done by women

Women contribute actively to household income through weaving, petty trade, wage labour and bamboo work

Women’scontributionasfamilylabourisundervaluedandwasneverincludedasworkin national accounting

Nepal


Population:50.1percentfemale,49.9percentmale.

Morethan90percentofthepopulationlivesinruralareas

Theliteracyrateforwomenis25.0percent,lessthanhalftherateformen (54.5percent)

90.5percentofwomenareengagedinagricultureasagainst74.9percentofmen Women have extensive work loads with dual responsibility for farm and household production

Women’sworkisgettingharderandmoretimeconsumingdueto ecological degradation

Women play an active role in livestock production and forest resource use

Women contribute considerably to household income through farm and non-farm activities

Women are active as informal traders



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Pakistan



Theliteracyrateforwomenis16percent.Thisislessthanhalftherateformen (35percent)

79.4percentofruralwomenareengagedinagricultureasagainst60.8percentof rural men

Women extensively participate in the production of major crops; the intensity of their labour varies by crop and specific crop management tasks

Women have active, intensive involvement in livestock production and forest product harvest

Women’sheavyworkload,withdualresponsibilityforfarmandhouseholdproduction,is increasing as agriculture is feminized

Women’sworkisgettingharderandmoretime-consumingduetoecologicaldegradation and economic crisis

Women contribute to household income through farm and non-farm activities, particularly through cottage industry

Women’sworkasfamilylabourisgrosslyunder-reported

Sri Lanka


Population:49percentfemale,51percentmale

Theliteracyrateforwomenis83.8percentcomparedto90percentformen

Thelabourforceparticipationrateforwomenis33.5percent.Thisisnearlyhalftherateformen(65.3percent)

41.5percentoftheemployedwomenand35.4percentofemployedmenareengagedinagricultureandalliedsectors.

Women have extensive workloads with dual responsibility for farm and household production

Women’sresponsibilitiesforhomemaintenanceandhouseholdcropproductionincreasedduetothemen’sheightenedinvolvementincashcropproduction

Nearly68percentofthewomeninagriculture,workinplantationsandmorethan70percent of rural women are involved in subsistence production

Women have an active role and are heavily involved in livestock production, forest resource use and fishery processing



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Women contribute considerably to household income through farm and non-farm activities as well as by taking employment overseas, most often in the service sector


Vietnam


Population:51.5percentfemales,48.5percentmales

32 percent of the households are headed by women

Womenmakeup53percentoffarmingpopulation

Women hold dual responsibility for farm and household management

Womenover25havea15percentlowerliteracyratethanmen.Inricefarmingwomenhave a substantial role, which is enlarging

Womenareactivelyinvolvedinaquaculture,artisanalfisheriesandmanagesmalllivestock production

Marketing of agricultural products is mainly done by women

Women contribute actively to household income through marketing, petty trade, food processing and handicrafts

Women’scontributionasfamilylabourisundervaluedandrarelyincludedaswork in accounting

Therearenosubstantialgenderdisparitiesinbasichumancapacities,accordingtothelastratingsintheHDI

Source: FoodandAgricultureOrganization,SustainableDevelopmentDivision,(n.d.).Asia’s women in agriculture, environment and rural production. Available at: www.fao.org/sd



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Martina’s Story, Sisters on the PlanetOxfam America

ForMartinaLongominCaicaoanvillageinKaramoja,northeasternUganda,thedisappearance of the elele bird is yet another sign that strange things are happening to theweather.Shesays“Wedon’tknowwhentocultivateandwhentosow.Forthelastthreeyearstherainwaslate.Intwoofthemtherewasn’tenoughrainforthesorghum[alocalcrop]togrow.Andthenlastyeartherainscameasaflood.”

Tofeedherfamily,Martinaistryingtoearnalivingbycollectingwaterandfirewoodforpeopleinthenearesttown.Butshemustalsocareforherfamilyalone,asherhusbandisspendingseveralweeksawayfromhometendingtotheircattleatLongor(thenearestgrazingspotinthedryseason).Thelackoffoodandmilkismakingherchildrenill,andcollectingwoodisbecomingmoredifficult.“Wetravelfurtherandfurtherforfirewoodeveryyear,andittakesustolesssafeplaces,”sheexplains.

Deforestationisoneofmanyproblemsthatthelocalwomen’sgroupinCaicaoanisworkingtoresolve.Membershaveplantedevergreenandmangotreestoreplacetheonescutdownforfuelandcharcoal—ahighlysuccessfulschemethatisalsoreducingerosionandhelpingpeopletoearnanincome.Andbecausewaterisbecominghardertofind,membershavesuccessfullycampaignedforandhelpedtobuildaborehole.Insteadofwalkingforuptosevenhourstocollectwater,thewomennowmakea30minuteroundtrip.

Martinaislookingforwardtojoiningthewomen’sgroup,andshekeenlysupportstheirworktosafeguardsuppliesofwater,wood,andfood.Andsheisastrongadvocateoftheroleeducationcanplayinthefightagainstclimatechange.Asshesuccinctlyputsit,“Educationgivesusalternatives.”

Source: Martina’s Story, Sisters on the Planet(2009).OxfamAmerica,

Available at: www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/sisters-on-the-planet-action-guide



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Declaration of the Via Campesina Second Youth Assembly

Note: Via Campesina is an international movement of peasants, small- and medium-sized producers, landless, rural women, indigenous people, rural youth and agricultural workers. Founded in 1993, Via Campesina works to defend the values and the basic interests of 148 members from 69 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Mozambique Tuesday,21October2008

The countryside is our life The earth feeds us The rivers run in our blood We are the youth of the Via Campesina Today we declare the beginning of a new world We come from the four corners of the world To stand together in the spirit of resistance To work together to create hope To talk together about our struggles To learn from each others work To be inspired by each others songs, music and stories To build solidarity between our movements To unite as a strong force for social change. From here we go forward to the four corners of the world. We carry with us a spirit of revolution, The conviction that another world is possible, And the dedication to fight for our way of life. We will fight until we win, until youth all over the world Are able to live in the countryside, as campesinos, with peace and prosperity. When the state tries to repress us, we will unite in solidarity and continue the struggle. When a compañera falls, we will pick her up. When it gets cold, we will embrace each other so that the fire of our struggle will warm our hearts. And each day we will place our bodies, our minds and our hearts on the line and fight for life, and fight for La Via Campesina.

Fromthe16thtothe17thofOctober2008,youngpeoplefrommorethan40countries and five continents, peasant farmers from different peoples and cultures, membersoftheViaCampesina,metinMaputo(Mozambique)tocelebrateoursecondViaCampesinaWorldYouthAssembly. We,theViaCampesinayouthpresentherearefacingtheinequalitiesandmiseriesthataretakingovertheworld.Wefeelthatwearethepresentandthefutureoftheagriculturalmodelthatcansustaintheworld.However,wesharecommonproblemsthataremakingthatdifficult.



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Thegreatestofourproblemsistheneo-liberal,capitalistsystemthat,withitsmechanismsofrepression,extortionandpropaganda,hasextendedinequalityandinjusticethroughouttheworld. Thissystemhasimposedanindustrialagriculturethatiscausingruralareastobeabandoned, that is causing migration between regions, and is obstructing access to landandnaturalresources.Atthesametimethesystemisencouraginggeneticallymodified organisms, food insecurity and new forms of colonization such as agro-fuels… Theseproblemsparticularlyaffectyoungpeople,womenandworkers. Facedwiththisharshreality,theyoungmenandwomenoflaViaCampesina,withstrength and feeling, opt for a new social model based on food sovereignty for people throughintegrallandreform.Forthiswepropose:

Access to land and favorable agricultural policies that support the return of young •peopletothecountryside,inordertoensurefoodandthefutureofourplanet.

Thestruggleandactionagainsttheneo-liberalmodel,imperialism,occupying•forces,freetradeagreements,agriculturalpoliciesimposedbytheWorldTradeOrganization(WTO),theInternationalMonetaryFund(IMF),theWorldBank(WB),themultinationals,consumerism,geneticallymodifiedorganismsandthecriminalizationofsocialorganizations,andunemployment-provokedmigrations.

Solidarity between the regions as social movements that are implementing •alternative models in the face of the neo-liberal model, according to principles of complementarityandcooperationbyovercomesocialinequality.

Comprehensivepoliticaltrainingforyoungpeople.Populareducation.Trainingin•peasantfarmingandagro-ecology.

Improving communication between young people from different organizations and •the creation of alternative communication networks as a political and social tool for transformingthedominantmodel.

Deepening and advancing the debate about migrations, wage laborers and the •workingclassingeneral.

Articulating the relationships and political, social and cultural alliances between •young people in the countryside and the city, with a view towards the unity of the youthoftheworldforsocialchangeandwinningfoodsovereignty.



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We have created the following action plan for making these proposals real:

CreateaprovisionalYouthCommitteeduringthe5thConferenceinordertomake1.theworkofcoordinationmoredynamic.

Toorganizeatleastoneregionalyouthgatheringinautumn2009.2.

ToholdaninternationalcampintheSpanishStateinautumn2009. 3.

We are also going to work on the following aspects:

Encouragepoliticalandtechnicaltrainingineachregion.Produceanddistribute•ideologicaltrainingmateriallinkedtotheViaCampesina’sdemands.Createalistofschoolsforpoliticaltrainingataninternationallevel.

Improve communication between our organizations, create alliances with other •organizationsthatfightforthesameobjectivesaslaViaCampesina,andopenandshare the content of this assembly with other friendly organizations and young people.

We commit ourselves to develop and strengthen our space as youth in the national, •regionalandinternationalorganizationsoftheViaCampesina,whichiswhyweaskforincorporationofamaleandfemaleyouthtoserveontheICC.

Organize specific actions against the neo-liberal model and in favor of food •sovereigntyduringthecomingmeetings,gatheringsorassembliesoftheViaCampesinaYouth.

Forallthesereasons,theyouth,femaleandmaleoftheViaCampesinacommitourselves to continue to struggle for food sovereignty and the rights of family farmers aroundtheworld.

As Neruda said, you can cut down the flowers, but you cannot stop spring Alerta, alerta, alerta, que camina la juventud en lucha de la Vía Campesina YOUTH!!!!!! Globalicemos la lucha, globalicemos la esperanza!!!!! Globalize the struggle, globalise hope!!

Source: http://youthlvcsea.blogspot.com/2008/12/declaration-of-via-campesina-second.html



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National Association of Small Farmers, Cuba

Oxfam Canada

TheNationalAssociationofSmallFarmers(ANAP)inCuba,ispilotingastrategytopromotegenderequalityintheeasternprovincesofCuba.OxfamCanadahasbeenworkingfor16yearswiththeANAPandbeginningin2006,startedtosupporttheirpilotimplementationstrategytopromotegenderequalityintheeasternprovincesofCuba.ANAP’sgenderstrategyincludestraining,investmentininfrastructure,developing agricultural and leadership capacities of women members, national and regional exchanges for women farmers, and the production of communication materials.

Milagros, a woman cooperative leader, says that women are playing a key role in the effort to produce fresh vegetables, milk and meat as technicians, specialists and workers,butfewbecomemembersofcooperativesorleaders.InCubanfamilies,theresponsibility for many domestic chores is still fundamentally assigned to women and thereareingrainedattitudesthatfavourmenforcertainjobs.

OxfamissupportingANAPtocarryoutworkshopstoinformwomenaboutthebenefitsof joining cooperatives, to ensure technical training for women and facilitate the advancementofwomenasfarmersandleadersinCuba.

Several communities in five eastern provinces in Cuba benefit from investments in production projects, particularly those generating employment for women cooperative members.OxfamCanadaprovidesANAPwithfundingfortheimplementationofecologicalagriculturalalternativesinCandonguita,SantiagodeCuba.Theseincludea four acre community garden, a small factory that makes preserves and processes fruitsandvegetables,andabuildingforproducinghumus.ThecommunitiesofCuatroCaminos and La Perla, in Granma Province are receiving funding for irrigation systems andforoutfittingthepreservesfactories.InthefarmingcommunityofCañadon,Holguín,moneyhasbeenspentoutfittinganartisan/handicraftworkshop,installinganirrigationsystemandstartingacentreformakingpreserves.InLasTunasprovince,women cooperative members benefit from the construction of a building for raising rabbits,equippedwithitsowngardentoproducefoodfortheanimals.AfactoryformakingpreservesandthefurnishingofacommunitycentreinLaEsperanzagenerateadditionalemploymentforwomen.Finally,agardenforeachcooperative,astructurefor processing fruits and vegetables, and a green house for year-around production haveallbeenapprovedinVertientes,Guantánamo.

Source: Food Security with a Gender Perspective (n.d.) Oxfam Canada. Available at: www.oxfam.ca/what-we-do/where-we-work/central-america/cuba-food-security-with-a-gender-perspective



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The Food Project

Boston Massachusetts, USA

In1991,20teenagersfromtheBostonareabeganworkonafarm.Itwasanunusualsummerjobforinnercityandsuburbankids—weeding,harvesting,runningafarmersmarket—butthatexperiment,calledTheFoodProject,wasthebeginningofamovementwithechoesalloverNorthAmericaand,increasingly,theworld.

Since 1991,TheFoodProjecthasbuiltanationalmodelofengagingyoungpeopleinpersonalandsocialchangethroughsustainableagriculture.Eachyear,weworkwith more than 100 teens and thousands of volunteerstofarmon37acresineasternMassachusettsinthetownsandcitiesofBeverly,Boston,Ipswich,LincolnandLynn.Weconsider our hallmark to be our focus on identifying and transforming a new generation ofleadersbyplacingteensinunusuallyresponsibleroles,withdeeplymeaningfulwork.

Food from our farms is distributed through our Community Supported Agriculture programs, Farmers’ Markets and to hunger relief organizations.Theyoungpeopleworking in our programs participate in all of these distribution streams, giving them valuable job experiences and a personal connection to our food system and issues of foodjustice.

In addition to producing and distributing food, we help others grow their own through our community programs, and provide training resourcesbasedonallwe’velearnedsince‘91.

TheFoodProjectisafoundingsponsoroftheReal Food Challenge, a campaign organizingstudentstoincreasetheamountofrealfoodattheirschools.

Source: TheFoodProject.Seehttp://thefoodproject.org/what-we-do



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Village-Level Women’s Groups, India

InterPares

In the Medak District of Andhra Pradesh, India, women farmers and seed keepers are blazingthetrailforanewfutureforagriculture.Likefarmersaroundtheworld,theyunderstandthatlocalagriculture—agriculturebasedonlocalknowledgeandlocallabour—isoftenthecornerstoneofthrivingruralcommunities.

ThewomeninMedakDistrictorganizethemselvesintosanghams, or village-level women’sgroups,andworktogethertoensurethateveryoneintheircommunitieshaveenoughtoeat.Atthecoreofalltheirworkareseedsthathaveevolvedovertimetothriveinlocalconditions.Thesangham women have an intimate knowledge of local plant varieties and decide what to plant, depending on ever changing variables such astheweatherandpotentialinsectinfluxes.Forthesedecisions,theychoosefromamong hundreds of carefully selected and saved seeds, all grown and exchanged within theirowncommunities.Shouldtheynothavetheseedstheywouldliketoplant,theycan always borrow from another sangham member and return double what they have borrowedatharvest.

Thesangham women do not rely on outside agricultural inputs of any kind, preferring locally available animal manure and green compost for fertilizer, and carefully inter-plantingvariousvarietiestokeepawayunwantedinsects.Atharvest,surplusgoesintoa community grain bank and is kept for distribution within the community at leaner timesoftheyear.Thisindependenceallowsthewomentobeincontroloftheirownfoodsystems,makingdecisionsbasedonlocalabilitiesandlocalneeds.Thisautonomyto make decisions about food systems grounded in local knowledge and in the public interest, whether on a municipal, regional or national scale, has come to be known as foodsovereignty.

Source:InterPares(2006).Village-Level Women’s Groups, India,InterParesBulletin,February, Available at:www.interpares.ca/en/publications/bulletins/html/bul-feb_2006/index.php



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Laxmamma is an Amazing Farmer, India

InterPares

“She knows every different type of soil in this region, exactly what kinds of crops are bestadaptedtogrowoneach,andwhenandhowtoplantthem.Wehavelearnedsomuchfromher.”ThiscommentwasmadebytheSecretaryoftheDeccanDevelopmentSociety(DDS),anInterParescounterpartinLaxmamma,southernIndia.Laxmammahasnoformaleducation,belongstotheDalitcaste(betterknownas“untouchables”),andhaslittlelandofherown.Togetherwith20otherpoorwomenfarmers,shebelongstothevillagesangham—avillage-levelwomen’sgroup.WiththeaccompanimentofDDSthey have taken back control of their land, their seeds, their food and, to a large degree, theirfuture.Thisisashiningexampleofwhatmanypeoplerefertoasfoodsovereignty.

DDSworksintheDeccanregion—semi-arid,susceptibletoseriousdrought,andoneofthepoorestareasinIndia.ThisremarkableachievementinfoodsovereigntyispartofDDS’sworkwithoverfivethousandwomenwhobelongtosanghamsin75villagesthroughouttheregion.Intheearly1990s,womenfarmersbegantouseintercroppingandrotationtoaddbeans,vegetablesandfoddercrops.Withtheseandotherorganictechniquestheywereabletoincreaseyieldsoftheirstaplegrain,millet,ontheirsmallplots.However,theydidnothavesufficientarablelandtoproduceenoughfoodfortheentireyear.Sothesewomenbeganaprocesstorecoverdegradedland.

RespondingtopressurefromthesanghamsandDDS,thegovernmentprovidedone-timeloanstoploughthesoilandapplylocallygatheredmanuretorestorefertility.Theloans were repaid in the form of grain to Community Grain Funds managed by the women.Withthisapproach,womenfarmershavebroughtmorethan4,000hectaresofmarginal,degradedlandintoproduction.Thewomenofthesanghamsnowgrow,store and distribute enough food so that even during droughts they have sufficient supply,anddonotrequiregovernmentassistance.

Thewomenachievedthisfoodsecuritywithoutnew“high-tech”seeds,butwiththesame varieties that local farmers have developed over centuries, adapted to the highly variablelocalconditions.hesecropvarietiesdonotrequirechemicalfertilizersorpesticides.Usingorganicmethods,farmerssuchasLaxmammaremainunaffectedbyskyrocketingpricesofchemicals.

In the Deccan region, women are the seedkeepers, and they preserve, lend, borrow andexchangetheseedsofthecropstheygrowintheirfields.Theyknowthatclimatechangewillaffecttheiragriculturebuttheyfeelprepared.Overgenerations,theyhave developed seeds that are already adapted to a huge diversity of conditions and,Laxmammaadds,“Wearehappytosharethemwithothers.”Beginningwithgenetically modified cotton and moving on to food crops, the Indian government and multinational agribusiness have aggressively promoted new and very expensive seeds.ThroughDDS’sparticipationinthecoalitionSouthAgainstGeneticEngineering



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(SAGE)—supportedbyInterPares—theyrejecttheintroductionofgeneticallymodifiedcropsandtheresultinglossofcontrolovertheirseeds.

EveryyearinFebruary,thewomenofDDSbeautifullydecoratedozensoflargebullockcartstocreatethe“BiodiversityCaravan,”andthentakethecaravantowalkthedustyroadsoftheDeccanregion.Theyvisitvillagesthroughoutthestatetoshareknowledgeaboutseedsandfarmingtechniqueswithotherfarmers,bringingamessageoftheimportanceofbiodiversityandfarmercontroloverlandandagriculture.Throughaseriesoffilmsmadebythewomenthemselves,themessagehasreachedaninternationalaudienceincountriesaroundtheworld.

Source: Laxmamma is an amazing farmer, India,(2008).InterParesBulletin. Available at: www.interpares.ca/en/publications/bulletins/html/bul-nov_2008/index.php.Usedwithpermission.



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Guatemala: Indigenous Women Join in the Struggle for Land and EqualityFoundedin1999,OxfamCanadapartnerUVOC(UnionofFarmers’OrganizationsinVerapaz)participatesinprovincialandregionalalliancesandnetworks,negotiatingnaturalresourceandlandaccessissueswiththeGuatemalangovernment.

OxfamCanadahassupportedUVOCsince2005,insupportoftheirSustainableLivelihoodsprogram.Aspartoftheprogram,agenderassessmentwascarriedoutin2006.OxfamalsosupportedagenderexperttoworkwithUVOCtocontinuetraininganddevelopaplantoimplementtherecommendationsfromthegenderassessment.

Sandra’s Story

SandraisaMayanQuichéwomanfromGuatemalawhoselastname,Calel,means“Goodmorning!”inhernativeQéqchílanguage.SheisnowamemberofUVOCandthecoordinatorofUVOC’sWomen’sCommission.

Sandra’sactivismbeganapproximately10yearsago.

“UVOCinvitedtwoyoungpeoplefrommycommunitytobetrainedaspromotersandmy father insisted that I go, because, if I studied, I would have a better future than my mother.Iwas15yearsoldandveryafraid…beforethePeaceAccords,youcouldbeaccused of being a guerrilla fighter just for going to a meeting, and on top of that, I didn’tspeakSpanish.Fortwoyears,Itraveledonceamonth(tostudy)andIdidn’talwayshavemoneyfortravelexpenses.Mymothergavememoneyfromwhatsheearned selling chickens, and, at one point, she even sold her most prized traditional dress…TodaymyhusbandandIhavethreekidsandwearegoodparents,butwithlittle time, since both of us participate in the organization; my husband is the General CoordinatorandIcoordinatetheWomen’sCommission.”

Sandra,aspartoftheExecutiveCommittee,helpedcreatetheWomen’sCommission,whichsecuresresourcesforproductionandsupportthewomen’sfarmers.Sandrasaysthattobea‘Campesina’istofightfortheland.Tobeawomanistofightforwomen’srightsforthewomenwhohavelittlemoneytomobilizeandwhohaven’thadtrainingortheirownproductionprojects.Fornow,theWomen’sCommissionhasinitiatedsixproductionprojectswithwomen,buttheyneedmoreresourcestogivethemequalopportunities.Inthecommunities,forevery10participants,sevenaremenandthreearewomen.Sheexplainsthatwomen’srightsbecameherpassion,andgendereducationamajorissue.



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“Irealizedthatothergirlsdidn’twanttotravellikeIdid.Thatmadeanimpressiononme and I decided to work so that women could learn, take advantage of opportunities andunderstandtheirrights.Ibecameapromoterofwomen’srights.Yearsago,whenIheardaboutgender,Ididn’tunderstandanything.WhenIwascalledupontoexplainittowomen,Iusedtheexplanationfromour500yearoldancestralbook(PopolVuh).Init, they explain that the land belongs to men and women, and we understand gender astheequilibriumbetweenthetwo.”

Source: Oxfam Canada, www.oxfam.ca/what-we-do/where-we-work/central-america/guatemala-indigenous-women-join-in-the-struggle-for-land-and-equality



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Vandana Shiva and Navdanya

NavdanyastartedasaprogramoftheResearchFoundationforScience,TechnologyandEcology(RFSTE),aparticipatoryresearchinitiativefoundedbyworld-renownedscientistandenvironmentalistDr.VandanaShiva,toprovidedirectionandsupporttoenvironmentalactivism.

1984wastheyearofthePunjabViolenceandtheBhopaltragedy.Thisviolencedemandedaparadigmshiftinthepracticeofagriculture.Navdanyawasbornofthissearchfornonviolentfarming,whichprotectsbiodiversity,theEarthandoursmallfarmers.

Navdanyameansnineseed,thecropsthatrepresentIndia’scollectivesourceoffoodsecurity.Itisawomencentredmovementfortheprotectionofbiologicalandculturaldiversity.

ThemainaimoftheNavdanyabiodiversityconservationprogramistosupportlocalfarmers, rescue and conserve crops and plants that are being pushed to extinction and makethemavailablethroughdirectmarketing.

Navdanyaisactivelyinvolvedintherejuvenationofindigenousknowledgeandculture.Ithascreatedawarenessonthehazardsofgeneticengineering,defendedpeople’sknowledgefrombiopiracyandfoodrightsinthefaceofglobalisation.

Ithasitsownseedbankandorganicfarmspreadover20acresinUttrakhand,northIndia.Navdanyahashelpedsetup54communityseedbanksacrossthecountry,trainedmorethan500,000farmersinseedsovereignty,food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture over the past two decades and helped setup the largest direct marketing, fair trade organicnetworkinthecountry.

Source: www.navdanya.org


Gender and Global Food SecurityGender and Global Food Security

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Module Five: Gender and Global Food Security · 2019. 11. 8. · Gender and Global Food Security....

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