The nine national sectoral reports prepared within the context of FAO's Programme of Assistance in Support of Rural Women in Preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women represent an important step forward in increasing the amount of information on, and thus attention paid to, the concerns of rural women. The reports emphasize the importance of women to the agricultural sector as well as the relationship between the achievement of national economic development and food security and the degree of Government commitment to the needs of women farmers.
In order to achieve the objectives outlined in the reports, it is important to note that a 'gender approach' to rural development was emphasized throughout -- one based on an accurate assessment of both women's and men's roles in agriculture, in order to develop more effective national development policies, programmes and projects.
