USER - PRODUCER WORKSHOP ON GENDER DISAGGREGATED AGRICULTURAL STATISTICAL DATA
1. Background and justification
Agricultural surveys in the region focus foremost on agricultural output and the inputs used, but seldom include information on the human resources and if at all, this is rarely disaggregated by sex. Current trends of male out-migration have caused a dramatic rise of the number of women de facto farm managers, a trend commonly called the feminization of the agricultural sector in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Agricultural development planning has to adapt to this situation of a revised gender division of agricultural tasks and existing labour shortages. More sex disaggregated data are required to allow for efficient and appropriate planning.
The FAO Regional Office for Africa (RAF) has embarked on a programme to compile statistical databases on women's work -and working conditions- in the agricultural sector for all African countries and to put these databases at the immediate disposal of policy makers and planners in the countries. Initially the RAF programme concentrates on:
* investigating what information is available;
* promoting the dialogue between national planners and statisticians to improve the production and use of gender disaggregated agricultural statistical data;
* determining small but necessary modifications in existing data collection systems, to satisfy emerging data requirements based upon new understanding about men and women farmers' contributions to the agricultural production.
2 User-producer workshop
A senior staff member of the Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics (ISAE) of the Makerere University, Kampala, was engaged under the FAO Partnership Program entitled 'Use of TCDC/TCCT Experts in Normative work'. Her task was to organize a three-day workshop on gender disaggregated agricultural statistical data to find out whether such an approach would promote increased dialogue between National planners and statisticians in Zimbabwe and facilitate increased production and use of such data.
In all, 20 people participated, representing the Central Statistics Office, the National Economic Planning Commission, Ministry of Lands and Agriculture, selected Ministries involved in rural development, some NGOs, the Zimbabwe Farmers Union and the Institute of Development Studies. The meeting discussed different aspects of the production and use of gender disaggregated data, prepared concrete recommendations for follow-up and proposed the establishment of a Coordinating Committee to ensure the implementation of the proposed Plan of Action.
3 Results and conclusion
The workshop certainly facilitated open deliberations about the urgent need for gender statistics. It showed great willingness to produce such data, but also revealed scope for strengthening capacities to use this data in existing planning efforts. Human and financial constraints have hampered adequate support to national follow-up concerning the proposed Plan of Action. Efforts will be made to rectify this situation as soon as possible.