1. The Sustainable Development Department Group for Asia and the Pacific (RAPS) under retiree program commissioned two missions related to the potential to apply distance education modality to reach rural women and curricular reorientation to train rural women to enhance their household resource potential. The curricular reorientation assessment efforts take into consideration the current status and potential for integration of subject content related to agriculture and allied production and household resource management. FAO RAP's integrated curriculum approach recognizes the current realities of rural household's changing demands for technology and knowledge as well as the cross over gender roles that vary across farming practices and rural production systems. In the Asia and Pacific as mass media becomes increasingly an integral element of daily life and as the electronic communication network expand, it is very important to harness these communication technologies to reach FAO's rural clientele, particularly women. The first retiree mission focused on "Country Potential for Distance Education and Curricular Reorientation for Reaching Rural Women (Agriculture and Family Welfare)". The retiree consultant from United States visited countries of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to develop the consultancy report. Her findings were discussed in the RAPS Women in Development "Expert consultation on Distance Education Modality to Reach Rural Women: Curricular Reorientation" held in Bangkok in March 1997. Now in progress is a second mission by the same retiree consultant on "Non-formal education for Home production and Family welfare". She will examine various regional home economics curricular reorientation efforts for their relevance to changing and current realities of gender roles in rural production systems and the potential for adaptations for non-formal education applying distance education modality.
2. A retiree FAO officer in cooperation with RAP Information Officer is assisting in editing the Fact Sheets on Women being prepared for the World Food Day in the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.