Origins - World Rural Women's Day

Levels of world hunger are persistent and rising to unacceptable levels. Over 800 million of the world’s population, almost one person in seven, are hungry or under-nourished . The World Food Summit Goal, to reduce world hunger by the year 2015, will mean a great deal of commitment and expansion on the part of the agricultural community, but how are we to face such a goal when three quarters of the world’s 1.2 billion extremely poor people live and work in rural areas?

We are confronted with the problem of environmental degradation, destroying the very land on which our livelihood depends. Soil quality and resource availability is depleted by the inefficient use of arable land and the over-exploitation of natural resources. These unsustainable farming practices are often induced by poverty and desperation or simply the lack of environmental knowledge. We must also deal with the problem of poor health in rural communities, with the compound issues of malnutrition, poor sanitation and in certain regions, the overwhelming AIDS pandemic.

As agricultural producers and members of the global community, we are faced with the daily challenge of improving the agricultural sector and working towards a world free of poverty and inequity for the sake of the prosperity of our communities and a secure future for our children. This will include enriching the skill and ability of every member of the agricultural community in order to maximize the potential of every human asset that we possess.

Women play a central role to the agricultural sector, bearing the burden of farming duties, household tasks and off-farm income generating activities while also maintaining responsibility over family nutrition, food security and child-care. According to FAO estimates, women produce more than 50% of food production worldwide. This includes up to 80% of food production in African countries, 60% in Asia and between 30 and 40% in South America .

There has been a recent increase in female-headed households along with female-headed farms due to a variety of factors. Wives are left with the responsibility of farm management, performing over and above all duties that pertain to a Farm Manager, along with family care and household maintenance. However they are rarely legally or socially recognized as head of the farm. Husband’s absence is most often due to either death, migration in search of additional income through urban employment or men enlisting in the army in times of conflict. Women accept and assume the magnitude of their duties and receive a minimal amount of recognition for their contributions. They are seldom granted land tenure rights, have limited access to vital inputs such as natural resources and financial credit and are denied access to education and agricultural extension programmes.

Allowing women’s contributions and capabilities to go unrecognized constitutes the underutilization of valuable human capital in the agricultural sector. Women’s potential is smothered, growth is restrained and the fight against poverty is inhibited. With the variety of roles that women play in their rural communities, they cannot be viewed as marginal workers, they are the foundation of its success and the mortar that holds the industry together.

Our challenge is not to increase women’s activity on the farm, for this is a role long fulfilled and established. Women do not need to be empowered in terms of job position, their value needs to be recognized and their skills must be enriched in order to maximize their potential. These, along with the overlying goal of poverty reduction, can be achieved through increasing access to education and training to rural women.

The benefits of increasing education and training to rural women are abundant and far-reaching. In developing skills in a variety of disciplines, we allow women to foster the capabilities that they are often not allowed to employ. Hampering the potential or skill of any member of society is a step backwards from the goal of poverty alleviation. Skills must be enriched in the following areas if household income is to be increased:

1 General Skills: Literacy, arithmetic, communication, an elementary understanding of science and the immediate environment

2 Community: local and national institutions and processes, local and national governments, cooperatives, organizing community projects, being aware of rights (free association, access to land and other natural resources, etc.)

3 Farming: more modern, efficient and environmentally sustainable farming practices, financial management, basic economics (assessment of market trends and consumer needs)

The education process takes a community effort and in turn is communally beneficial. Enriching women’s general skills opens the channels of communication, allowing knowledge to spread throughout the community and to the younger generation.

According to a World Bank study, when female farmers were allowed access to a primary school education, farming yield increased by 24% . Allowing women to enrich their skills in farming implies an improvement in farm operations and productivity. They are taught to enlist more efficient procedures and technologies in crop selection, storage, processing, animal husbandry, etc., permitting more time for other responsibilities such as family care, home maintenance and off-farm income generating activities.

More knowledge of market demand and the economy allows for more economically sound decision-making in terms of crop selection, technology selection and capital allocation. The result is less waste following a harvest and the more efficient allocation of time and of farm resources (labour, raw materials, machinery). Enhanced storage and processing skills will further reduce waste and help make the most of crop surpluses.

A more productive harvest implies more product availability to the public and more produce to ensure the health and nutrition of the families. When coupled with an increase in women’s health education, the results are staggering. Females are often solely responsible for family health and food security, be it in the form of childcare, food processing, food preparation or care for the sick. An educated female is more informed of modern health issues such as nutritional needs, family planning and Aids prevention. We see a break in the cycle concerning women farmers: poor health → low productivity and educational performance → low income → high fertility → poor health. Health education seeks to tackle every element of this multi-generational vicious cycle.

Through education, rural women acquire a broader understanding of the world that surrounds them and their position in the community and on the global scene. They develop a more critical mind and sound decision-making abilities, for example, concerning marketing and crop selection. They become more aware of their own socio-economic rights and the areas in which these rights must be improved and expanded. For example, though female farmers produce over 50% of the world’s food supply, they own only 2% of the land and receive 1% of agricultural credit. Though the issues of subordination and under-recognition are usually to blame, there are instances when the female population is simply unaware of their rights towards these vital agricultural inputs.

The women farmer’s primary concern is land entitlement and access to credit. In many cases, women are granted temporary access to low quality land. Once women single-handedly improve soil quality and render the land arable, property rights are redistributed by the government. Efforts must be made towards increased land access as well as secure tenure rights (access to the land as well as control over the land). With advanced technical training, women merit even more recognition as more efficient and successful farmers, worthy of financial credit and increased land access. Women equipped with an adequate education are more politically conscious, confident and aware. They are able to maximize the benefits of their existing rights and even push for additional entitlements.

Secure property rights will often induce a more efficient and responsible use of the land and can allow access to financial services in the case where credit is secured by property. Hence the engine of progress is running: secure land access and the right to credit give way to an increase in productivity and sustainable agricultural development.

A boost in productivity and sustainable farming practices implies more produce available to the market and to the family itself. The farm family’s future is secured both financially and in terms of nutrition, of health and of food security. In increasing education and training to women, we have an effective tool against hunger and poverty.

Enriching communication skills encourages the dissemination of knowledge and skill through a network of more out-spoken, communicative individuals. Opening the lines of communication allows knowledge to be distributed and multiplied, fertilizing a breeding ground for progress. Facilitated by basic communication skills and through women’s groups and consultation centres, women can expand their community awareness and their skills by sharing experiences and ideas.

Moreover, as primary caregivers, rural women have a direct influence on their children’s education. Giving women the tools to impart knowledge upon the younger generation and to their peers increases the distribution of valuable information throughout the community, thus enhancing the strengths of each individual. Knowledge and skill is distributed through the female community and then passed from mother to child, strengthening the community from its very roots, its children.

Change can be initiated through the effort of any individual, but it is essential to have the backing support of the family, the community and its governing bodies. There is a need for a broader public understanding of female contributions to the agricultural sector and to rural society. They deserve credit for their occupational status and we must raise the profile of the modern rural woman.

Through education and the enrichment of communication skills and political awareness, women learn the benefits of forming group associations and benefiting from the strength achieved in numbers. They share ideas and can work to advance rural female recognition in the community and to have women’s issues and interests be brought into the public eye.

Agricultural extension programs and support centres must be made more accessible to female members of the rural community. Women must also be involved in the agricultural decision-making process. Through lobbying efforts, this level of the community will realize how women’s immense contributions to the sector merit an adequate education.

Lobbying efforts must be aimed towards the government to improve women’s rights and to include female interests in the formation of new legislation and national policies. Women in groups possess the power to have their voices be heard and their rights be recognized. They must make an effort to be more actively involved in the political decision-making process. In designing an effective strategy against world hunger, the government must open their doors to rural women’s needs and rights. Rural women are the key to family health and nutrition, to food security and to the success of the agricultural sector. A more active female presence in politics and policy design procedures is needed so that woman’s needs are addressed and their best interests are reinforced in the formation of new government policies.

Achieving recognition starts at home. Without the support of the husbands and the family, having female voices reach the levels of community organizations and the government is next to impossible. Women must enhance household awareness of their central roles in rural life. Efforts must be made by female groups to establish programs that inform the community of the value of increasing women’s access to education and the impact it can have on the development process and on society itself

Years of subordination and lack of education can often lead to a lack in self-esteem throughout the female community. Rural women themselves must be made more aware of their importance and of their impact on the rural community. They must be made to recognize the potential benefits of increasing their own skills and knowledge and of becoming politically empowered. Furthermore, efforts must especially be made towards female government representatives and those bearing any form of political influence. These women have the power to include rural women’s issues in the formation of government policy and influence their organizations or governing bodies to advance rural women’s interests.

Hampering the potential of any member of society is a step backwards from the goal of poverty alleviation. Women must be validated as valuable assets to the rural community!

Once voices are heard and recognition is achieved, successful efforts can be made towards pushing for change. Through the propagation of knowledge and skill, we allow a community to take its first steps towards lifting itself out of poverty, becoming more independent and self-sufficient.

We must realize the infinite results that can be achieved through the investment in the female rural community.

Anti-Hunger Programme: Reducing hunger through agricultural and rural development and wider access to food. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Rome, 2002.

Rural Poverty Report 2001: The Challenge of Ending Rural Poverty. International Fund for Agricultural Development. (Rome, 2001). p1

Rural Women and Food Security: Current Situation and Perspectives. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. (Rome, 1998) p5-7

Philip H. Coombs and Manzoor Ahmed. Attacking Rural Poverty: How Non-formal Education Can Help. (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1974) p.17

Gender in Agriculture: A World Bank Learning Module: http://www.worldbank.org/gender/module/overview/whydo.htm

Saito, K. and D. Spurling. 1992. Developing Agricultural Extension for Women Farmers. Discussion Paper No. 156. World Bank, Washington, D.C

IFAP is an international farmers’ organization that brings together one hundred national farm organizations all over the world, representing 500 million farm families. It maintains close relations and partnerships with the leading intergovernmental organizations that play a role in farm and rural development. The IFAP Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture is a permanent discussion group devoted to the development of farm women’s activities, the recognition of their rights and the broadening of representation for women within farm organizations. The actual chair of the IFAP Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture is Mrs Victoria Kakoko Sebagereka, a woman farmer from Uganda. More information: <http://www.ifap.org/issues/womeninag.html>



*Origin* *Events* *Archive* *Proclamations*		World Rural Women’s Day 2002 Education and Training: The key to poverty eradication The Challenges We Face Levels of world hunger are persistent and rising to unacceptable levels. Over 800 million of the world’s population, almost one person in seven, are hungry or under-nourished . The World Food Summit Goal, to reduce world hunger by the year 2015, will mean a great deal of commitment and expansion on the part of the agricultural community, but how are we to face such a goal when three quarters of the world’s 1.2 billion extremely poor people live and work in rural areas? We are confronted with the problem of environmental degradation, destroying the very land on which our livelihood depends. Soil quality and resource availability is depleted by the inefficient use of arable land and the over-exploitation of natural resources. These unsustainable farming practices are often induced by poverty and desperation or simply the lack of environmental knowledge. We must also deal with the problem of poor health in rural communities, with the compound issues of malnutrition, poor sanitation and in certain regions, the overwhelming AIDS pandemic. As agricultural producers and members of the global community, we are faced with the daily challenge of improving the agricultural sector and working towards a world free of poverty and inequity for the sake of the prosperity of our communities and a secure future for our children. This will include enriching the skill and ability of every member of the agricultural community in order to maximize the potential of every human asset that we possess. Women In Agriculture Women play a central role to the agricultural sector, bearing the burden of farming duties, household tasks and off-farm income generating activities while also maintaining responsibility over family nutrition, food security and child-care. According to FAO estimates, women produce more than 50% of food production worldwide. This includes up to 80% of food production in African countries, 60% in Asia and between 30 and 40% in South America . There has been a recent increase in female-headed households along with female-headed farms due to a variety of factors. Wives are left with the responsibility of farm management, performing over and above all duties that pertain to a Farm Manager, along with family care and household maintenance. However they are rarely legally or socially recognized as head of the farm. Husband’s absence is most often due to either death, migration in search of additional income through urban employment or men enlisting in the army in times of conflict. Women accept and assume the magnitude of their duties and receive a minimal amount of recognition for their contributions. They are seldom granted land tenure rights, have limited access to vital inputs such as natural resources and financial credit and are denied access to education and agricultural extension programmes. Allowing women’s contributions and capabilities to go unrecognized constitutes the underutilization of valuable human capital in the agricultural sector. Women’s potential is smothered, growth is restrained and the fight against poverty is inhibited. With the variety of roles that women play in their rural communities, they cannot be viewed as marginal workers, they are the foundation of its success and the mortar that holds the industry together. Our challenge is not to increase women’s activity on the farm, for this is a role long fulfilled and established. Women do not need to be empowered in terms of job position, their value needs to be recognized and their skills must be enriched in order to maximize their potential. These, along with the overlying goal of poverty reduction, can be achieved through increasing access to education and training to rural women. A Comprehensive Programme The benefits of increasing education and training to rural women are abundant and far-reaching. In developing skills in a variety of disciplines, we allow women to foster the capabilities that they are often not allowed to employ. Hampering the potential or skill of any member of society is a step backwards from the goal of poverty alleviation. Skills must be enriched in the following areas if household income is to be increased: 1 General Skills: Literacy, arithmetic, communication, an elementary understanding of science and the immediate environment 2 Community: local and national institutions and processes, local and national governments, cooperatives, organizing community projects, being aware of rights (free association, access to land and other natural resources, etc.) 3 Farming: more modern, efficient and environmentally sustainable farming practices, financial management, basic economics (assessment of market trends and consumer needs) 4 Family Health: nutrition, food security, family planning, Aids prevention The education process takes a community effort and in turn is communally beneficial. Enriching women’s general skills opens the channels of communication, allowing knowledge to spread throughout the community and to the younger generation. The Results : Releasing Untapped Potential According to a World Bank study, when female farmers were allowed access to a primary school education, farming yield increased by 24% . Allowing women to enrich their skills in farming implies an improvement in farm operations and productivity. They are taught to enlist more efficient procedures and technologies in crop selection, storage, processing, animal husbandry, etc., permitting more time for other responsibilities such as family care, home maintenance and off-farm income generating activities. More knowledge of market demand and the economy allows for more economically sound decision-making in terms of crop selection, technology selection and capital allocation. The result is less waste following a harvest and the more efficient allocation of time and of farm resources (labour, raw materials, machinery). Enhanced storage and processing skills will further reduce waste and help make the most of crop surpluses. Food Security and Family Health A more productive harvest implies more product availability to the public and more produce to ensure the health and nutrition of the families. When coupled with an increase in women’s health education, the results are staggering. Females are often solely responsible for family health and food security, be it in the form of childcare, food processing, food preparation or care for the sick. An educated female is more informed of modern health issues such as nutritional needs, family planning and Aids prevention. We see a break in the cycle concerning women farmers: poor health → low productivity and educational performance → low income → high fertility → poor health. Health education seeks to tackle every element of this multi-generational vicious cycle. Advancing Rights, Stimulating Sustainable Growth Through education, rural women acquire a broader understanding of the world that surrounds them and their position in the community and on the global scene. They develop a more critical mind and sound decision-making abilities, for example, concerning marketing and crop selection. They become more aware of their own socio-economic rights and the areas in which these rights must be improved and expanded. For example, though female farmers produce over 50% of the world’s food supply, they own only 2% of the land and receive 1% of agricultural credit. Though the issues of subordination and under-recognition are usually to blame, there are instances when the female population is simply unaware of their rights towards these vital agricultural inputs. The women farmer’s primary concern is land entitlement and access to credit. In many cases, women are granted temporary access to low quality land. Once women single-handedly improve soil quality and render the land arable, property rights are redistributed by the government. Efforts must be made towards increased land access as well as secure tenure rights (access to the land as well as control over the land). With advanced technical training, women merit even more recognition as more efficient and successful farmers, worthy of financial credit and increased land access. Women equipped with an adequate education are more politically conscious, confident and aware. They are able to maximize the benefits of their existing rights and even push for additional entitlements. Secure property rights will often induce a more efficient and responsible use of the land and can allow access to financial services in the case where credit is secured by property. Hence the engine of progress is running: secure land access and the right to credit give way to an increase in productivity and sustainable agricultural development. A boost in productivity and sustainable farming practices implies more produce available to the market and to the family itself. The farm family’s future is secured both financially and in terms of nutrition, of health and of food security. In increasing education and training to women, we have an effective tool against hunger and poverty. Communication: For today and for the future Enriching communication skills encourages the dissemination of knowledge and skill through a network of more out-spoken, communicative individuals. Opening the lines of communication allows knowledge to be distributed and multiplied, fertilizing a breeding ground for progress. Facilitated by basic communication skills and through women’s groups and consultation centres, women can expand their community awareness and their skills by sharing experiences and ideas. Moreover, as primary caregivers, rural women have a direct influence on their children’s education. Giving women the tools to impart knowledge upon the younger generation and to their peers increases the distribution of valuable information throughout the community, thus enhancing the strengths of each individual. Knowledge and skill is distributed through the female community and then passed from mother to child, strengthening the community from its very roots, its children. Fuel the engine of change through collective efforts Change can be initiated through the effort of any individual, but it is essential to have the backing support of the family, the community and its governing bodies. There is a need for a broader public understanding of female contributions to the agricultural sector and to rural society. They deserve credit for their occupational status and we must raise the profile of the modern rural woman. Through education and the enrichment of communication skills and political awareness, women learn the benefits of forming group associations and benefiting from the strength achieved in numbers. They share ideas and can work to advance rural female recognition in the community and to have women’s issues and interests be brought into the public eye. Agricultural Organizations Agricultural extension programs and support centres must be made more accessible to female members of the rural community. Women must also be involved in the agricultural decision-making process. Through lobbying efforts, this level of the community will realize how women’s immense contributions to the sector merit an adequate education. The Government Lobbying efforts must be aimed towards the government to improve women’s rights and to include female interests in the formation of new legislation and national policies. Women in groups possess the power to have their voices be heard and their rights be recognized. They must make an effort to be more actively involved in the political decision-making process. In designing an effective strategy against world hunger, the government must open their doors to rural women’s needs and rights. Rural women are the key to family health and nutrition, to food security and to the success of the agricultural sector. A more active female presence in politics and policy design procedures is needed so that woman’s needs are addressed and their best interests are reinforced in the formation of new government policies. The Family Achieving recognition starts at home. Without the support of the husbands and the family, having female voices reach the levels of community organizations and the government is next to impossible. Women must enhance household awareness of their central roles in rural life. Efforts must be made by female groups to establish programs that inform the community of the value of increasing women’s access to education and the impact it can have on the development process and on society itself Other Women Years of subordination and lack of education can often lead to a lack in self-esteem throughout the female community. Rural women themselves must be made more aware of their importance and of their impact on the rural community. They must be made to recognize the potential benefits of increasing their own skills and knowledge and of becoming politically empowered. Furthermore, efforts must especially be made towards female government representatives and those bearing any form of political influence. These women have the power to include rural women’s issues in the formation of government policy and influence their organizations or governing bodies to advance rural women’s interests. Hampering the potential of any member of society is a step backwards from the goal of poverty alleviation. Women must be validated as valuable assets to the rural community! Once voices are heard and recognition is achieved, successful efforts can be made towards pushing for change. Through the propagation of knowledge and skill, we allow a community to take its first steps towards lifting itself out of poverty, becoming more independent and self-sufficient. We must realize the infinite results that can be achieved through the investment in the female rural community. End Notes: Anti-Hunger Programme: Reducing hunger through agricultural and rural development and wider access to food. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Rome, 2002. Rural Poverty Report 2001: The Challenge of Ending Rural Poverty. International Fund for Agricultural Development. (Rome, 2001). p1 Rural Women and Food Security: Current Situation and Perspectives. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. (Rome, 1998) p5-7 Philip H. Coombs and Manzoor Ahmed. Attacking Rural Poverty: How Non-formal Education Can Help. (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1974) p.17 Gender in Agriculture: A World Bank Learning Module: http://www.worldbank.org/gender/module/overview/whydo.htm Saito, K. and D. Spurling. 1992. Developing Agricultural Extension for Women Farmers. Discussion Paper No. 156. World Bank, Washington, D.C Michael P. Todaro. Economic Development. (New York: Addison-Wesley, 2000) p.348 IFAP is an international farmers’ organization that brings together one hundred national farm organizations all over the world, representing 500 million farm families. It maintains close relations and partnerships with the leading intergovernmental organizations that play a role in farm and rural development. The IFAP Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture is a permanent discussion group devoted to the development of farm women’s activities, the recognition of their rights and the broadening of representation for women within farm organizations. The actual chair of the IFAP Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture is Mrs Victoria Kakoko Sebagereka, a woman farmer from Uganda. More information: <http://www.ifap.org/issues/womeninag.html>