DOCSLIB.ORG

Food Security and Rural Women

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

RAP PUBLICATION 2005/30 Rural women and food security in Asia and the Pacific: Prospects and paradoxes Revathi Balakrishnan Senior Officer, Gender and Diversity FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific With contributions on the Pacific Islands from Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop, Samoa Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Bangkok, Thailand The designation and presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for sale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to Revathi Balakrishnan, Senior Officer, Gender and Development, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Maliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand or by e-mail to [email protected]. FAO 2005 ISBN: 974-7946-80-7 Graphic support: Apinya Petcharat, Bangkok Research assistance: Panpat Plungricharoensuk, Bangkok Editorial support: Mary Rhodes, USA For copies write to: Revathi Balakrishnan Senior Officer, Gender and Diversity FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Maliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Atit Road Bangkok 10200 THAILAND Tel: (+66) 2 697 4000 Fax: (+66) 2 697 4445 E-mail: [email protected] Printed in December 2005 Rural Women and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific: Prospects and Paradoxes Foreword Agriculture and food production offer stable livelihood options to rural communities throughout Asia and the Pacific region. Even as the effects of globalization spread in the region, farm production – most often at the smallholder level – continues to be a family enterprise. A fair share of farmers in the region engages in subsistence farming and poverty is a common occurrence among them. Farm enterprises are mostly managed by family members and family labour is a critical asset and often the only reliable investment. As rural women and men toil to preserve their heritage and broaden their economic choices, their endeavours are made more difficult by a lack of resources and market fluctuations. Asian and Pacific farmers, both men and women, are guardians of biodiversity, household food security and providers of food to urban communities. In these small farm enterprises distinct gender roles and gender differentiated access to technology and resources are evident. This disparity is compounded by the neglect of investment in rural social infrastructures such as education, health care and communications. In such resource poor rural environments, the struggle by rural women for access to resources and services is inevitable. In many Asian and Pacific countries, substantial gender equality gains have been made in urban areas in education, health and employment. Yet rural women lag behind. Moreover, rural women’s work is multifaceted and demanding both as family workers and agricultural labourers. Social and economic indicators often do not do justice to their contributions. Development innovations such as microcredit and self-help groups promote rural women’s economic development, but emerging evidence suggests that gender equality in rural communities is far from an everyday reality. Persisting social biases and traditional perceptions and assumptions regarding women’s responsibilities and their capacities continue to hamper women’s progress. This publication presents an overview of both the substantial contribution made by rural women to the economies in the region and the persisting barriers to their advancement. The framework of analysis, data and information reviewed together illustrate the complexity of rural women’s work in the region and offer a broad perspective on women’s economic and social contribution as well as on the barriers they encounter in accessing resources. The global development community is gathering momentum assessing progress made to date in achieving gender equality and the advancement of women as declared in the Millennium Development Goals and as reviewed in Beijing Plus 10. This publication aims to make rural women visible to policy-makers and to advocate their concerns to stakeholders. We hope that the analyses and approaches presented in the document will offer a persuasive argument for committing to strategies for the advancement of rural women, especially in Asia and the Pacific region. He Changchui Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific iii Rural Women and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific: Prospects and Paradoxes Table of contents Page Food security and rural women ........................................................... 1 Asia and the Pacific region: Dissimilarities and common dilemma ................................................................................................... 3 Asia and the Pacific region: Rural women’s equality challenges ... 4 Macro scenario of regional women’s economic activity and education ................................................................................................. 8 Regional rural women’s participation in the agriculture sector................. 9 Rural women’s educational status: Regional overview ............................ 12 Rural women in household production: Increasing contributions and persisting drudgery ........................................................................ 15 Rural women’s increasing economic contributions ................................... 17 South Asian rural women .................................................................. 19 Southeast Asian rural women ........................................................... 24 East Asian rural women ..................................................................... 29 Central Asian rural women ................................................................ 32 Pacific Islands’ rural women ............................................................. 34 Persisting household drudgery .................................................................. 37 Enduring indifference to rural women’s work and inequity in resource access ......................................................................................................... 40 Unpaid work: Persisting social ignorance and economic indifference.... 41 Facets of inequity in rural women’s access to resources ......................... 44 Land assets ........................................................................................ 44 Natural resource assets ..................................................................... 45 Local groups and social capital ........................................................ 47 Education: Formal and informal ....................................................... 48 Technology ......................................................................................... 49 Credit .................................................................................................. 50 Female-headed households .............................................................. 52 Rural women’s resource access inequity matrix ....................................... 53 Regional trends affecting the situation of rural women ................... 59 Economic transformation and agriculture’s contribution .......................... 59 Global economic integration ...................................................................... 61 v Rural Women and Food Security in Asia and the Pacific: Prospects and Paradoxes Table of contents (continued) Page Rural development service gap amidst regional prosperity...................... 63 Demographic shifts and population dynamics .......................................... 64 HIV/AIDS posed threats to rural communities ........................................... 65 Regional political realties and governance dynamics ............................... 66 Civil conflicts ...................................................................................... 66 Decentralized governance ................................................................. 67 Policy and institutional constraints impeding rural women’s advancement............................................................................................... 68 Social programmes for empowerment of rural women ............................. 70 Self-help groups and microcredit/finance programmes ........................... 70 Environmental destruction and natural disasters ...................................... 72 Environmental degradation and vulnerability ................................... 72 Disasters and vulnerability ................................................................ 73 Emerging technologies: Production and communication ........................ 75 Agriculture technologies .................................................................... 75 Integrated Pest Management ............................................................ 76 Biotechnology ...................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Feminization of Poverty in Sri Lanka

    Feminization of Poverty in Sri Lanka

    Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies (ISSN: 2220-6140) Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 55-64, October 2015 Examining the Evidence of the Feminization of Poverty in Botswana Khaufelo Raymond Lekobane, Keneilwe S. Mooketsane Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA), University of Botswana [email protected] Abstract: Poverty in Botswana is more pronounced in female-headed households (FHHs) especially those residing in rural areas where employment opportunities are limited. Similarly, the proportion of the FHHs to the total poor increased between 2002/03 and 2009/10. However, no study has so far analyzed whether feminization of poverty has occurred. This paper therefore, examines feminization of poverty in Botswana using the 2009/10 Botswana Core Welfare Indicator Survey and the 2002/03 Household Income and Expenditure Survey datasets. The results indicate no evidence of feminization of poverty (at both national and regional levels). However, the results reveal evidence of feminization of poverty amongst the married couples, the widowed, the divorced, the unemployed, those working in own farms and the self-employed. Therefore, public policy should focus on gender sensitive poverty alleviation strategies, with specific focus on the vulnerable FHHs, especially the divorced/separated and the widowed, in order to fully address the feminization of poverty amongst these groups. Keywords: Botswana; feminization of poverty; female headed households 1. Introduction The concept of feminization of poverty was first introduced by Diana Pearce in the early 1970s, when it was discovered that FHHs in the United States were growing at an alarming rate (Pearce, 1978). Feminization of poverty may be defined as a situation where women, especially FHHs, are concentrated amongst the poor.
  • The Association Between Breastfeeding Practices in Mongolia and Geographical Location of the Mother and Child

    The Association Between Breastfeeding Practices in Mongolia and Geographical Location of the Mother and Child

    The Association Between Breastfeeding Practices in Mongolia and Geographical Location of the Mother and Child Isabel Dickson A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health University of Washington 2012 Committee: Marcia Williams Clarence Spigner Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Public Health - Health Services University of Washington Abstract The Association Between Breastfeeding Practices in Mongolia and Geographical Location of the Mother and Child Isabel Dickson Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Senior Lecturer Marcia Williams Department of Epidemiology Background A large body of research has shown that breastfeeding is optimal for infants and mothers. Previously high rates of exclusive breastfeeding in Mongolia have declined in recent years. Increased urban migration may be a factor in breastfeeding practices in rural compared to urban settings. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed a subset of infants aged 6-23 months from the 3rd National Nutrition Survey in Mongolia to compare breastfeeding practices in urban and rural areas including exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months and duration of breastfeeding. Analysis Logistic regression was used to compare likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months between rural and urban subjects. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios between rural and urban subjects for likelihood of weaning. Results Of 495 infants who were aged 6-23 months at time of survey, 202 (41%) were 6-11 months, and 293 (59%) were 11-23 months of age. In this sample, 309 (62%) of the subjects were categorized as rural residence, while 186 (38%) were categorized as urban.
  • Discussion Paper No. 2002/37 Gender and Education As Determinants of Household Poverty in Nigeria

    Discussion Paper No. 2002/37 Gender and Education As Determinants of Household Poverty in Nigeria

    Discussion Paper No. 2002/37 Gender and Education as Determinants of Household Poverty in Nigeria Christiana E.E. Okojie* March 2002 Abstract The paper examines the linkages between gender of household heads, education and household poverty in Nigeria between 1980 and 1996. Data analyzed were obtained from four national consumer expenditure surveys conducted in Nigeria in 1980, 1985, 1992 and 1996 by the Federal Office of Statistics. Adjustments were made for price differentials over time and across regions of the country. However, only aggregated data for households were available. Per capita expenditure was used as the indicator of poverty, while the unit of analysis was the household. Two poverty lines were set: a moderate poverty line equal to two-thirds of mean per capita household expenditure, and a core poverty line equal to one-third of mean per capita expenditure. The Pα index proposed by Foster, Greer and Thorbecke was used to generate the headcount ratio as well as the depth and severity of poverty. Trends in inequality were analyzed using Gini coefficients and the Theil’s index. Multivariate analysis was used to examine the relationships between gender, poverty and other household variables, including education, for all households as well as for subgroups of male-headed and female-headed households respectively. …/… Keywords: gender, education, poverty, Nigeria, households JEL classification: I32 Copyright ã author(s) 2002 * Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Benin This study is linked to the theme of Growth and Poverty discussed at the WIDER Development Conference, 25-26 May 2001, Helsinki. UNU/WIDER gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the governments of Denmark, Finland and Norway to the 2000-2001 research programme The analysis showed that poverty increased substantially in Nigeria between 1980 and 1996.
  • Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

    Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

    United Nations CEDAW/C/MNG/8-9 Convention on the Elimination Distr.: General of All Forms of Discrimination 3 December 2014 against Women Original: English Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention Eighth and ninth periodic reports of States parties due in 2014 Mongolia* [Date received: 5 November 2014] * The present document is being issued without formal editing. 14-66067 (E) 050115 *1466067* CEDAW/C/MNG/8-9 Contents Page Introduction ................................................................... 3 i. Explication on the combined eighth and ninth periodic report of the Government of Mongolia on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women ................................... 3 ii. General Introduction on Mongolia ........................................ 3 Part One ...................................................................... 5 1.1 Laws, regulations and legislative measures intended to eliminate discrimination on grounds of gender (Article 2 and 3) ....................................... 5 1.2 Actions on breaking down the prevailing stereotype patterns on the responsibilities of women and men (Article 5) ............................................ 9 1.3 Actions to prevent and eliminate all forms of trafficking in women and children and exploitation of women in prostitution (Article 6) ......................... 10 Part Two ....................................................................
  • Female Headship, Poverty and Vulnerability in Thailand and Vietnam

    Female Headship, Poverty and Vulnerability in Thailand and Vietnam

    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Klasen, Stephan; Lechtenfeld, Tobias; Povel, Felix Conference Paper What about the Women? Female Headship, Poverty and Vulnerability in Thailand and Vietnam Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Hannover 2010, No. 43 Provided in Cooperation with: Research Committee on Development Economics (AEL), German Economic Association Suggested Citation: Klasen, Stephan; Lechtenfeld, Tobias; Povel, Felix (2010) : What about the Women? Female Headship, Poverty and Vulnerability in Thailand and Vietnam, Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Hannover 2010, No. 43, Verein für Socialpolitik, Ausschuss für Entwicklungsländer, Göttingen This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/39987 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence.
  • Feminization of Poverty: an Issue for the 90'S

    Feminization of Poverty: an Issue for the 90'S

    The Feminization of Poverty: An Issue for the 90's Audrey Rowet When I was asked to present at this conference, I had to think about it. As a practitioner, I work day in and day out thinking about issues of poverty from the city, state and national perspectives. Sometimes, in this work, I have found myself so consumed by the reality of deciding day-to-day policy and operating our programs, and so caught up in thinking through how to be more effective in how we address these problems, that I wondered whether I had the time or the energy to step back and share with you some issues that I think are very important. However, I must admit that taking the time to stop and think about these issues in preparation for coming here, and going through some of the research that is being done, and talking to some old friends who do poverty research was very, very helpful, and will help me when I take over the Department of Income Maintenance next week. As we look at the issues for the 90's, and particularly as we look at the agenda feminists need to be involved in, the feminization of poverty has to move from an issue that we think about and pay lip service to, to one that we are much more actively trying to understand and to address. The trend toward the feminization of poverty is real, and must be analyzed critically if it is to be reversed. During the past decade, foundations and federal, state and city governments have focused a lot of attention on the increase in poverty, particularly the increase among woman-maintained households.
  • Tribal Values and Norms in Mongolia and Their Effect on Women's Status

    Tribal Values and Norms in Mongolia and Their Effect on Women's Status

    Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2015, 3, 120-126 Published Online May 2015 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/jss http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jss.2015.35017 Tribal Values and Norms in Mongolia and Their Effect on Women’s Status Shaul M. Gabbay Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, Denver, USA Email: [email protected] Received 5 March 2015; accepted 23 May 2015; published 26 May 2015 Copyright © 2015 by author and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Abstract Roughly the size of Alaska, Mongolia is a landlocked country between Russia on its northern fron- tier and China on its southern border. With just over three million inhabitants, it is sparsely po- pulated, with nearly half of the people living in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, and in other pro- vincial centers. The tribal networks in Mongolia are the main tenants of social structural charac- teristics in the society. In this paper, the effect of tribal values and norms on family structures par- ticularly with regards to women is delineated analyzed and discussed. The influence and similari- ty to Muslim cultural tribal structures in and outside of Mongolia are used in a comparative socio- logical meta analysis methodology. Keywords Mongolia, Tribes, Values, Women 1. Introduction Roughly the size of Alaska, Mongolia is a landlocked country between Russia on its northern frontier and China on its southern border. With just over three million inhabitants it is sparsely populated, with nearly half of the people living in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, and in other provincial centers.
  • The Feminization of Poverty: Rural Appalachia and Beyond

    The Feminization of Poverty: Rural Appalachia and Beyond

    THE FEMINIZATION OF POVERTY: RURAL APPALACHIA AND BEYOND by Holly Gallagher Honors Thesis Appalachian State University Submitted to the Department of Government and Justice Studies and The Honors College in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science December 2019 Approved by: ____________________________________________________ Nancy Love, Ph.D., Thesis Director ____________________________________________________ Janice Rienerth, Ph.D., Second Reader ____________________________________________________ Ellen Key, Ph.D., Departmental Honors Director ____________________________________________________ Jefford Vahlbusch, Ph.D., Dean, The Honors College Abstract Women living in rural Appalachia are faced with a unique set of barriers, causing poverty to impact them differently in comparison to their male counterparts and the nation surrounding them. The notion of women being more harshly affected by poverty is frequently referred to as “the feminization of poverty,” a topic which is further discussed in this research. The feminization of poverty is present for women all around the United States and has been pervasive for centuries. Pervasive hardship is also a characteristic of the Appalachian region, which has historically faced extreme poverty and unemployment rates, along with overall economic instability. The portrayal of these and other problems present in Appalachia have led to societally ingrained stereotypes and assumptions about the region, which this research clarifies and explains. This research primarily focuses on women in rural communities within Appalachia, connecting the feminization of poverty to the exacerbation of rural poverty, raising questions of What policy-based action has been effective in the past, what can we expect for the future, and What the poverty of women in the region says for the United States as a whole.
  • Mongolian Cultural Orientation

    Mongolian Cultural Orientation

    Table of Contents Chapter 1: Profile ............................................................................................................................ 6 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 6 Geography ................................................................................................................................... 6 Area ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Climate .................................................................................................................................... 7 Geographic Divisions and Topographic Features ................................................................... 8 Rivers and Lakes ..................................................................................................................... 9 Major Cities ............................................................................................................................... 10 Ulaanbaatar ............................................................................................................................ 10 Erdenet ................................................................................................................................... 11 Darhan ..................................................................................................................................
  • Climate Change, Gender Bias, and Women's Farming in the Global

    Climate Change, Gender Bias, and Women's Farming in the Global

    agriculture Article Gender Matters: Climate Change, Gender Bias, and Women’s Farming in the Global South and North Tricia Glazebrook 1,* , Samantha Noll 1 and Emmanuela Opoku 2 1 School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; [email protected] 2 Department of Environmental Science, University for Development Studies, Navrongo, Ghana; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-509-335-2544 Received: 1 June 2020; Accepted: 29 June 2020; Published: 3 July 2020 Abstract: Can investing in women’s agriculture increase productivity? This paper argues that it can. We assess climate and gender bias impacts on women’s production in the global South and North and challenge the male model of agricultural development to argue further that women’s farming approaches can be more sustainable. Level-based analysis (global, regional, local) draws on a literature review, including the authors’ published longitudinal field research in Ghana and the United States. Women farmers are shown to be undervalued and to work harder, with fewer resources, for less compensation; gender bias challenges are shared globally while economic disparities differentiate; breaches of distributive, gender, and intergenerational justices as well as compromise of food sovereignty affect women everywhere. We conclude that investing in women’s agriculture needs more than standard approaches of capital and technology investment. Effective ‘investment’ would include systemic interventions into agricultural policy, governance, education, and industry; be directed at men as well as women; and use gender metrics, for example, quotas, budgets, vulnerability and impacts assessments, to generate assessment reports and track gender parity in agriculture.
  • Sustainability Multidimensional Poverty Among Female

    Sustainability Multidimensional Poverty Among Female

    sustainability Article Multidimensional Poverty among Female Householders in Korea: Application of a Latent Class Model Su-Jung Nam Department of Home Economics Education, College of Education; Jeonju University, Jeonju 560-759, Korea; [email protected] Received: 21 November 2019; Accepted: 16 January 2020; Published: 18 January 2020 Abstract: In this work, we examine poverty among vulnerable Korean female householders using a multidimensional concept with six dimensions: money, health, housing, employment, human relations, and social security. Taking data from the “Korea Welfare Panel Study 2015” by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and the Welfare Research Institute of Seoul National University, we apply latent class analysis to assess poverty among female householders using the Mplus8 software. The poverty indicator correlations are examined with Cramer’s V, and the differences in individual characteristics are analyzed through X2 and analysis of variance. The results show that the poor are composed of several groups with different characteristics. We divide the female householders into three main types, all likely to experience poverty in terms of money and employment. However, Type 1 shows a high probability of experiencing poverty in terms of money, employment, human relations, and health; when compared with Types 2 and 3, Type 1 poverty probability turns out to be higher for several indicators. Type 2 shows susceptibility to basic poverty, with a high probability of experiencing poverty in terms of money and employment. Lastly, Type 3 has a higher probability of health poverty than Types 1 and 2. Keywords: female householders; latent class analysis; multidimensional poverty; Korea 1. Introduction Poverty is a worldwide phenomenon that threatens basic human life.
  • Labor Market Outcomes in Mongolia: Key Findings from the 2008/09 Labor Force Survey

    Labor Market Outcomes in Mongolia: Key Findings from the 2008/09 Labor Force Survey

    Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized SUGGESTIONS AND POLICYIN LABORMARKETS MONGOLIA:GENDER DISPARITIES This policy note was prepared by a team consisting of Tehmina Khan, Economist EASPR (TTL) and Rogier Van Den Brink, Lead Economist EASPR (co-TTL); Monazza Aslam (Consultant) Oyunbileg Baasanjav, Operations Officer, EACMF; Munkhnasaa Narmandakh, Economist EASPR; Andy Mason, Lead Economist EASPR; Trang Van Nguyen, Economist EASPR; and Altantsetseg Shiilegmaa, Economist, EASPR. Tehmina Khan and Monazza Aslam were the lead authors of this policy note. The note was prepared under the guidance of Ivailo Izvorsky, Sector Manager (EASPR), Rogier Van Den Brink, Lead Economist (EASPR) and Coralie Gevers, Country Manager, Mongolia. Useful comments and inputs were provided by Sudhir Shetty, Coralie Gevers, Laura Chioda and Erdene Badarch. 2 MONGOLIA: GENDER DISPARITIES IN LABOR MARKETS AND POLICY SUGGESTIONS CONTENTS Introduction........................................................................................................................................5 Labor market outcomes by gender: How Mongolia compares with other countries.........................9 Labor market outcomes in Mongolia: key findings from the 2008/09 Labor Force Survey................11 Mongolian labor markets are highly occupationally segmented by gender with limited opportunities for self-employment..........................................................................11 Early retirement