How SEAGA relates to the World Food Summit Declarations and Commitments

The SEAGA Programme also responds to the commitments made at the World Food Summit in November 1996. The guiding principles of the SEAGA Programme: gender roles are key; participation is essential; and disadvantaged people are a priority; are reflected throughout the World Food Summit Plan of Action.

Some Elements of The World Food Summit Declaration Full and equal participation of men and women are essential for achieving sustainable food security for all Poverty is a major cause of food insecurity and sustainable progress in poverty eradication is critical to improve access to food. Fundamental contribution of women to food security by women, particularly in rural areas of developing countries, and the need to ensure equality between men and women Governments have to develop an enabling environment and have policies that ensure peace, as well as social, political and economic stability and equity and gender equality Governments should cooperate actively with one another and UN organizations, financial institutions, intergovernmental and NGOs, and public and private sectors, on programmes directed toward the achievement of food security for all Recognize the need to adopt policies conducive to investment in human resources development Promote full participation and empowerment of people, especially women Special Programme on Food Security SPFS aims to reduce hunger rapidly and sustainably by increasing production and availability of food where it is most needed. One of the key principles of the SPFS is that particular attention to be paid to the essential roles of women in food crop production as farmers and agricultural workers. The SPFS also promotes participatory approaches to avoid the exclusion of disadvantaged social groups.

SEAGA SEAGA emphasises (as one of its guiding principles) that gender roles are key and that development must address the needs and priorities of both women and men In SEAGA disadvantaged people are a priority - as it is evident that the elimination of poverty is essential for achieving sustainable development SEAGA is a gender training package to assist in enhancing equality between women and men SEAGA provides enabling tools for governments to address gender issues SEAGA also emphasised that a number of socioeconomic patterns affect development Interagency, inter institutional and NGO collaboration is emphasised in SEAGA Network building is also key in the SEAGA Programme SEAGA is a capacity building programme The guiding principles of SEAGA - that participation is key, gender roles are key The SEAGA approach encourages these principles by supporting participatory planning on the basis of a realistic assessment of both gender roles and relations.

SEAGA is particularly relevant to the following World Food Summit Commitments and Objectives:

Commitment One

Objective 1.3

To ensure gender equality and empowerment of women

Governments agreed to:

a) support and implement commitments made at the 4th World Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995 that a gender perspective is mainstreamed in all policies

The SEAGA Macro Handbook provides tools for identifying gender issues in policy deliberations

Governments agreed to:

b) promote women's full and equal participation in the economy, and for this purpose introduce and enforce gender-sensitive legislation providing women with secure and equal access to and control over productive resources including credit, land and water

The Macro Handbook provides justification and policy guidance for the development of gender sensitive legislation

Governments agreed to:

c) Ensure that institutions provide equal access for women

The Intermediate Handbook provides checklists for gender integration in programming and management

Governments agreed to:

d) provide equal gender opportunities for education and training in food production, processing and marketing

e) tailor extension and technical services to women producers and increase the number of women advisors and agents

The Intermediate Handbook encourages and provides guidance for institutions to do this.

Governments agreed to:

f) improve the collection, dissemination and use of gender-disaggregated data in agriculture, fisheries, forestry and rural development

The Field Handbook provides participatory tools for achieving more realistic gender disaggregated information. The tools in the Handbook can be adapted to each of these sectors.

Governments agreed to:

g) Focus research efforts on the division of labour and on income access and control within the household

The Field Level Handbook focuses the user on considering gender roles and the division of labour both within the household and between households

Objective 1.4

To encourage national solidarity and provide equal opportunities for all, at all levels, in social, economic and political life, particularly in respect of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and persons.

Governments agreed to:

b) Enact or strengthen policies to combat discrimination against members of socially vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, and persons belonging to minorities, with particular attention to their rights to land and other property, and to their access to credit, education and training, commercial markets and food security programmes.

One of the guiding principles of SEAGA is that Disadvantaged people are a priority - therefore the SEAGA approach highlights that meeting the needs of disadvantaged groups is the starting point for development

Commitment Three

Objective 3.3

To promote sound policies and programmes on transfer and use of technologies, skills development and training appropriate to the food security needs of developing countries and compatible and sustainable development, particularly in rural and disadvantaged areas.

Through training with SEAGA and the use of its analytical and participatory tools, the differing roles of women and men will be highlighted with respect to food production issues

Objective 3.4

To take decisive action in cooperation between the public and the private sectors to strengthen and broaden research and scientific cooperation in agriculture, fisheries and forestry in supporting policy and international, regional, national and local action to increase productive potential and maintain the natural resource base in agriculture, fisheries and forestry and in support of efforts to eradicate poverty and promote food security.

Governments agreed to:

d) Enhance the institutional framework allowing for the full participation of all interested parties, including indigenous people and their communities, local people, consumers, farmers, fishers and foresters and their organizations and the private sector in the identification of research needs.

A key idea behind the SEAGA approach is stakeholder analysis.

Through stakeholder analysis, questions will be asked to identify those who stand directly or indirectly to gain or lose given a particular development activity, programme or policy.

Governments agreed to:

e) Promote suitable systems, inter alia, participatory systems, for the dissemination and extension of research results

SEAGA promotes participation at the Macro, Intermediate and Field levels, highlighting the linkages between these levels. The Programme also provides numerous participatory tools for each level.

Governments agreed to:

f) Ensure that gender perspectives are integrated in research planning and implementation

SEAGA provides tools that help to ensure that gender issues are integrated into programming and planning activities.

Objective 3.5

Governments agreed to:

b)Strengthen local government institutions in rural areas and provide them with adequate resources, decision-making authority and mechanisms for grassroots participation

The Intermediate Handbook provides tools that help to strengthen institutional structures and help local government institutions to ensure they pay attention to grassroots participation in their planning

Commitment Six

Objective 6.1

Governments agreed to:

b) Give priority to human resource development and strengthen public institutions, especially in LIFDCs, including through equipping and staff training, to enhance their supportive and facilitating role in promoting increased investment in food security

SEAGA Programme can provide training for staff of public and private institutions to promote such investments.

Objective 6.2

Governments agreed to:

j) Promote investment to benefit small-scale food producers, especially women, and their organizations, in food security programmes; strengthen their capacity to design and implement these programmes

SEAGA training can promote capacity building for women's groups with the intention of empowering such groups to greater participation in development activities.

Commitment Seven

Objective 7.2

Governments agreed to:

c) implement the collection, through definition of common standards, and the analysis dissemination and utilization of information and data, disaggregated, inter alia, by gender, needed to guide and monitor progress towards the achievement of food security; in this context , the contribution of NGOs is recognized.

The Field Handbook provides tools for the collection of gender disaggregated data. The overall programme aims to highlight how to link information from the Field to the Intermediate and Macro Levels.