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WOMEN: USERS, PRESERVERS AND MANAGERS OF AGRO-BIODIVERSITY
On the eve of the 21st century, rural women in developing countries hold the key to the future of the Earth's agricultural systems and to food and livelihood security through their roles in the selection of seed, the management of small livestock and the conservation and sustainable use of plant and animal diversity.
Rural women's key role as food providers and food producers links them directly to the management of genetic resources for food and agriculture and has given them unique knowledge of local species, ecosystems and their use acquired from centuries of practical experience.
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Control of Bayoud disease of the date-palm in Morocco |
The poorest farming communities are those that live in marginal and heterogeneous environments that have benefited least from modern high-yielding plant varieties. Up to 90 percent of the planting material of such farmers may be derived from the seeds and germplasm that they produce, select and save themselves.
Such subsistence farmers cannot afford external inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, veterinary products, high quality feeds and fuel for cooking and heating. They rely on maintaining a wide diversity of crops and wild plants and animal breeds and strains that are adapted to the local environment in order to protect against crop failure and animal disease or death, to provide a continuous and varied food supply and to ward against hunger and malnutrition. In many areas, the majority of smallholder farmers are women.
Gender responsive policies, agreements and support
Important international policies and legal agreements acknowledge the key role that women play, especially in the developing world, in the management and use of biological resources. Despite this increased recognition at international levels, little has yet been done to clarify the nature of the relationship between agro-biological diversity and the activities, responsibilities and rights of men and women. In fact, women's key roles, responsibilities and management practices for the conservation and improvement of animal and plant genetic resources and their intimate knowledge of plants and animals remain "invisible" to the agricultural, forestry and environmental technicians as well as the planners and policy-makers.
The lack of recognition at technical and institutional levels means that their interests and demands are given inadequate attention. Moreover, women's involvement in formalized efforts to conserve biodiversity remain low because of women's poor representation at policy- and decision-making levels.
Modern research and development and centralized plant breeding have ignored and undermined the capacities of local farming communities in innovating and improving plant varieties. In those areas where women have traditionally held control, because of modern technologies and perceptions, women have lost substantial influence and control over production and access to resources to men who benefit from extension services and have the ability to buy seeds, fertilizers and the required technologies. In this way women also lose their status and self-determination and are not compensated in any way.
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100 years of
agricultural change:
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As farmers, rural women are responsible for growing and collecting food and for the integrated management and use of diverse natural resources to fulfil daily household needs (crops and wild plants, tree products, wild and domesticated animals). An understanding of gender issues in plant and animal biodiversity requires a look at the different roles and relations of men and women as part of their overall livelihood systems that comprise farms and gardens, common property resources, such as pastures and forested lands, as well as protected areas.
In addition to staple food production in the fields, home gardens often provide a wide variety of vegetables, relishes and condiments. These home gardens are also experimental plots where women try out and adapt diverse wild plants and indigenous species. Research on 60 home gardens in Thailand revealed 230 different species, many of which had been rescued from a neighbouring forest before it was cleared.
The different livelihood strategies and interests, land tenure arrangements and organizational structures of different user groups (by gender, age, class, ethnicity and occupation) as well as uneven power relations in access to, use and control over land, animal and plant resources directly influence their capacities and incentives to conserve agro-biodiversity.
Differentiated knowledge of men and women
Through their different activities and resources management practices, men and women have developed different expertise and knowledge regarding the local environment, plant and animal species and their products and uses. These gender-differentiated local knowledge systems play a decisive role in the in-situ (in their natural habitat/ecosystem) conservation, management and improvement of genetic resources for food and agriculture because the decision of what to conserve depends on the know-how and perception of what is most useful to the household and local community.
The local knowledge is highly sophisticated and is traditionally shared and handed down between generations. Through experience, innovation and experimentation, sustainable practices are developed to protect soil, water and natural vegetation, including biological diversity.
Women's specialized knowledge of the value and diverse use of domesticated crop species and varieties extends to wild plants that are used as food in times of need (leaves, fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, edible roots and tubers) or as medicines and sources of income. This has important implications for the conservation of plant genetic resources.
Women as "scientists" and decision-makers in the selection and improvement of biodiversity
In smallholder agriculture, women farmers have been largely responsible for the selection, improvement and adaptation of plant varieties. The selection of certain varieties is a complex, multivariate process that depends on choosing certain desirable characteristics (for instance, resistance to pests and diseases; soil and agro-climatic adaptability; nutritional, taste and cooking qualities; food processing and storage properties).
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In many regions, women are also responsible for the management, including reproduction, of small livestock. As for plants, the choice of preferred traits in the breeding of animals includes adaptations to the local conditions such as available feeds and resistance to disease.
The fact that plants and animals are often produced for a number of purposes adds further complexity to the selection process as multiple traits are sought. For example, sorghum may be grown for the grain and the stalk, sweet potatoes for the leaves as well as the root, and sheep may provide milk, wool and meat. Moreover, to create a favourable micro-environment and better manage space and time, several plant species that complement each other are frequently intercropped and mixed farming is often practised (crop, livestock and agro-forestry).
Recognition of this sophisticated decision-making process is gradually leading breeders and researchers to realise that the adoption and selection by a community of improved and new seeds of food crops and animal breeds depends on their being tested and approved by both men and women farmers.
Women's responsibilities and rights and the concept of Farmers' Rights
Through their daily activities, experience and knowledge, women have a major stake in protecting biological diversity. However, at national and local levels rural women today are still hampered by restricted rights to the resources they rely on to meet their needs. In general, their rights of access and control over local resources and national policies do not match their increasing responsibilities for food production and management of natural resources.
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Growing awareness of genetic erosion and the pressing need to develop mechanisms to encourage farming communities to nurture and conserve and to utilize and improve plant genetic resources has led the international community to recognize the concept of Farmers' Rights. As stated in resolution 5/89, adopted by the 25th Session of the FAO Conference, these are the "rights arising from the past, present and future contribution of farmers in conserving, improving and making available plant genetic resources, particularly those in the centres of origin/diversity". The purpose of these rights is stated to be "ensuring full benefits to farmers and supporting the continuation of their contributions". Key questions remain on how to implement Farmers' Rights in a way that respects the contributions of the various actors. |
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How to address gender and agro-biodiversity?
The promotion of a long-term strategy of conservation, utilization, improvement and management of genetic resources diversity for food and agriculture requires:
- Recognition and consideration of the gender-differentiated roles, responsibilities and contributions of different socio-economic groups.
- Recognition and valuing of men and women farmers' knowledge, skills and practices and Farmers' Rights.
- Sound and equitable agricultural policies to provide incentives for the sustainable use of genetic resources, especially through "in-situ" conservation and improved linkages with "ex-situ" conservation.
- Appropriate national legislation to protect "threatened" genetic resources for food and agriculture, guarantee their continued use and management by local communities, indigenous peoples, men and women, and ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their use.
- Enhanced access of women farmers to land and water resources, to education, extension, training, credit and appropriate technology.
- The active participation by women, as partners, decision-makers and beneficiaries.
- Adherence to the above points will facilitate the provision of appropriate support to the different actors, protect local men and women's interests, enhance food security and enable the development and implementation of sustainable, effective and equitable agro-biodiversity programmes.
- The challenge for the next generation is the safeguarding of agro-biodiversity by paying greater attention to diverse and integrated agricultural systems, especially those managed by women that provide food and livelihood security. The maintenance of plant and animal diversity will protect the ability of men and women farmers to respond to changing conditions, to alleviate risk and to maintain and enhance crop and livestock production, productivity and sustainable agriculture.