The economic role of women in agricultural and rural development: promoting income-generating activities

Summary report of a CTA seminar
In collaboration with the Austrian Development Cooperation, the South African Department of Agriculture, the University of Helsinki and the Tanzania Home Economics Association

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In order to promote the exchange of information and experience of the roles played by women in rural development, and to identify the opportunities and challenges facing these women, CTA led the organisation of a seminar on 'The economic role of women in agricultural and rural development: the promotion of income-generating activities.

The presence of a wide range of participants from various fields and backgrounds ensured a fruitful exchange of information.High-level representatives from the public sector, researchers and extension officers, representatives of NGOs involved in promoting women 's income-generating activities, entrepreneurs from the production, processing and marketing sector, and delegates from credit and finance institutions working on credit schemes for rural women brought a specific focus to the debates.

The seminar papers highlighted, inter alia, the growing demand for gender-specific information and the long-term implications of high illiteracy levels and low enrolment rates in schools. The Uganda case study, presented by the Hon. Minister of State for Gender, Labour, Social and Rural Development, provided a good illustration of a country where the adoption of investor-friendly policies, trade liberalisation and privatisation has promoted crop diversification and trade in non-traditional cash crops which are commonly the domain of women farmers, thus enhancing their income-generation opportunities. Credit provision, decentralisation (which brings decision-making to the local level and hence to women) and affirmative action policies have all been shown to enhance the position of women. Sub-Saharan Africa can develop only when all members of the community participate, and this will come about only when women are the subjects, rather than the objects, of development.

The seminar recommendations focused on the means of enhancing the economic impact of women 's work, the value of promoting socio-cultural factors such as education and literacy, the need to enhance the legal status of women, and policy and institutional strategies that would promote income-generating activities for rural women.

Contents

Intro: Foreword and Introduction

Part 1
Background: The economic position of women in agriculture and rural society

• Women and the agricultural and rural environment in sub-Saharan Africa
• Factors affecting the well-being of rural women
• Women's traditional and contemporary role in agricultural and rural development

Part 2
Current situation: Engendering agricultural and rural development

• Understanding the role of women through gender analysis
• The legal status of women
• Factors of production

Part 3
Future action: Strengthening women's role in development through the promotion of income-generating activities and Seminar recommendations

• Mainstreaming gender perspectives in development strategies
• Gender policies, political participation, and rights
• Factors of production
• Achieving a win-win situation
• Seminar recommendations

Appendices

• International texts affecting the economic role of women in agricultural and rural development
• Website sources of information on women and income generation, gender studies and gender resources
• References and further reading
• List of participants