Policy Planning and Research.
· A WID unit should be created in the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that women's concerns are incorporated in the mainstream of agricultural policy and practice.
· Comprehensive surveys need to be conducted to provide accurate data on the general status of rural women, on their contributions to agriculture and the national economy and on their needs for income, credit, educational and health services, and protection and human rights.
· A gender-disaggregated data base and statistics should be set up.
· A national coordinating body comprising representatives of different ministries and NGOs should be set up to cooperate and coordinate activities.
Legal and Policy Reform
· Efforts should be made to overcome the lack of legal provisions that govern employment in agriculture.
· Changes should be introduced in existing laws, and in the National Social Security Law in particular, to cover daily and seasonal labourers and those working in agriculture at the household level, and to make provisions for maternity and health security more effective. Legal changes should also be introduced in respect to land ownership, inheritance and land use rights for women.
Access to Agricultural Resources and Services
· Income-generating activities in the areas of animal husbandry, crop production, cottage industry and handicrafts should be directed to women.
· Women's workload should be lightened through improved provision of fuel and water' childcare facilities and labour-saving technologies in food production, processing, conservation and preparation.
· Cooperative activities should be set up for purposes such as the use of post-harvest technology and machinery, securing access to land, marketing, access to extension and improved tools, and on the use of alternative cropping patterns.
· Agricultural extension should be designed from a gender perspective and involve both men and women in its activities. Women should also be given the opportunity to work as extension agents.
Source: National Sectoral Report on Women, Agriculture and Rural Development, 1994.
Prepared by:
Integration of Women in Development Service
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Tel:+(39)6 52251
