Gender Roles in Peanut Sector for Household Food Security
	Contents

Technical Consultation Report

Editors:

Dr. Revathi Balakrishnan
Regional Rural Sociologist and Women in Development Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Dr. Penkwan Chombreeda
Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

Dr. Hathairat Rimkere
Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

Organized in Partnership with

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Kesetsart Agricultural and Agro-Industrial
Product Improvement Institute
Kasetsart University
Bangkok, Thailand

and

Peanut Collaborative Research Support Programme
United States Agency for International Development
University of Georgia, USA

June 9 to 12, 1998

Kesetsart Agricultural and Agro-Industrial
Product Improvement Institute
Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

ISBN: 974-87222-9-5

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of purpose and extent of the reproduction should be addressed to the Director, Information Division, Food and Agriculture Oganization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100, Rome, Italy.

Editorial support:

Dr. Revathi Balakrishnan
Regional Rural Sociologist and Women in Development Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Dr. Penkwan Chombreeda
Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

Dr. Hathairat Rimkere
Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

For copies write to:

Regional Rural Sociologist and Women in Development Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
39 Phra Atit Road
Bangkok 10200, Thailand

Foreword

The report captures the outcome of the Technical Consultation on “Gender Roles in Peanut Sector for Household Food Security.” This consultation was a collaborative effort of the Women in Development Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization, Kasetsert University, Thailand and the USAID Peanut Collaborative Research Support Programme, USA (Peanut CRSP). We encourage such collaboration with research institutes and research networks to strengthen FAO's efforts in mainstreaming gender concerns in research and technology development.

The role of women in cash crop in the Asia-Pacific region takes many forms and cuts across many crops. Their participation could vary from the extensive involvement of women in rice crop cultivation in South East Asia to intensive roles of women in plantation crops in South Asia. In many countries of the region, peanut is an important cash as well as food crop and is grown either in large acreage or in the homegardens. This crop has the unique character of being a cash crop with high market value, requiring intensive labour demand and at the same time it offers direct food value with minimum processing to enter the daily diet of the household. It also proves to be a product amenable for sale in small-scale food vending markets to generate cash income for women. Women's role in the peanut sector contributes to household food security and thus making the peanut sector a good entry point to assess the role of women in the cash crop sector.

The document presents the summaries of the papers and a synthesis of the discussions on gender roles in production and consumption aspects in the peanut sector. It is envisaged that it would contribute to our continued exploration of gender dimension in various crops. I congratulate the Kasetsart University faculty and staff for organizing this meeting; particularly those associated with Kasetsart Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Product Improvement Institute. I also thank Peanut CRSP Management Entity in University of Georgia, for their support to this activity.

	Prem Nath
	Assistant Director General
	and
	Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific

November 1999

Acknowledgement

The participants, organizers and sponsors express their profound thanks and appreciation to Kasetsart University and in particular to the Kasetsart Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Product Improvement Institute for the successful hosting of the Technical Consultation and for warm hospitality extended to them.

The Technical Consultation also wishes to place on record its warm appreciation to Dr. Revathi Balakrishnan, Dr. Penkwan Chompreeda, Dr. Hathairat Rimkeeree, Dr. Patricia C. Jimenez, Dr. M.F.U. Mia, Mr. Chen Changbing, Dr. Shova Patrabansh and Ms. Sumalee Sunthornnarurangsee for chairing the sessions and to the secretariat which prepared the report in time for adoption. Thanks are also due to the resource persons. The Technical Consultation expresses its sincere appreciation to the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and Peanut Collaborative Research Support Program-USAID for their support and assistance. We record our thanks to Mr. Jumpoth Ruayjaroensap, Manager Mae-Ruay Snack Food Factory Co. Ltd., for facilitating the technical study tour.

Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.

This electronic document has been scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software. FAO declines all responsibility for any discrepancies that may exist between the present document and its original printed version.

Contents

I.   Introduction

II.   Conclusions and Recommendations

III.   Country Specific Recommendations

IV.   Country Reports: Summaries

V.   Organization of the meeting

VI.   Resource papers: Summaries

Annexes

Annex 1:   List of Participants

Annex 2:   Programme

Figures

Suggested Model for Linkages: A
Suggested Model for Linkages: B

Table

Table 1.   Gender Roles in Peanut Sector In Selected Asian Countries

Glossary of Acronyms