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I. MAJOR TRENDS AND POLICIES IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE (continued)
1. PRINCIPALES TENDANCES ET POLITIQUES EN MATIERE D'ALIMENTATION ET D'AGRICULTURE (suite)
I. PRINCIPALES TENDENCIAS Y POLITICAS EN LA AGRICULTURA Y LA ALIMENTACION (continuación)

13. Plan of Action for the Integration of Women into Agricultural and Rural Development: Progress Report (continued)
13. Plan d'action pour l'intégration des femmes dans le développement agricole et rural : Rapport intérimaire (suite)
13. Plan de acción para la integración de la mujer en el desarrollo agrícola y rural: Informe parcial (continuación)

Hans-Dietrich VON BOTHMER (Germany) (Original language German): We very much welcome the fact that FAO has for years now been working intensively to improve the living and working conditions of women. This objective is found in the focus of the Twenty-sixth Conference and in the Medium-Term Plan of Action. The general idea of improving the lot of women and of ensuring that development projects take account of women's interests, and also the insistence that development work be undertaken by women themselves, is an overall approach which we welcome and which we think is correct. In the current situation this depends to a very great extent on how we actually deal with problems facing women in the developing world.

Nowhere is the role of women in family life as important as in the developing world, and women frequently find difficulty in those countries in obtaining equality. It is therefore very difficult for them to perform the chores that fall to them under reasonable conditions. This particularly applies to the numerous women who are working in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, but it does not affect only them - it is certainly something which affects all women who work in the rural environment.

The reasons for this are well-known: poverty, lack of a social security net, and low educational levels. It is also notable that women are seldom involved in decision-making. This goes for the area of political decisions, but it also applies to management, and it even goes so far as to the family.

The situation of women in developing countries is only going to be decisively improved if we are successful in improving the general economic and social conditions in these countries. To achieve this aim it will be necessary to ensure that there is legal equality for women and that a balance is struck between future development and available resources. It will also be necessary to put in place systems of care for the elderly "statutory", and to do this in a manner which ensures that families are relieved of the burden of having to care for the elderly. We must improve educational opportunities for women, and we also need to be more successful in improving health and nutrition.

Political developments in the last two years may have given the impression that at the moment Europe is only concerned about giving aid to Eastern European countries. Although the Federal Republic of Germany has, as is well-known, particularly difficult tasks in this area, it is certainly going to honour its commitments to countries in the developing world. We do


hope that in doing that we will have intensive and fruitful international cooperation within the ambit of FAO, and we feel that this should benefit women in developing countries.

Srta. Maria S. LANDAVERI (Perú): Agradecemos, señor Presidente, la presentación hecha por el Sr. Dutia del segundo informe sobre la aplicación del Plan de Acción para la Integración de la Mujer en el Desarrollo.

Manifestamos nuestro acuerdo con lo expresado por la delegada de Uruguay referente a la situación general de la mujer en el desarrollo. Asimismo con lo expresado por el delegado de Canadá sobre la presentación de un tercer informe de este Plan de Acción. Por otra parte, compartimos la preocupación de otros miembros en relación al avance lento en el aumento de los porcentajes de contratación y promoción de profesionales mujeres en la Organización, como exigido por el Plan de Acción.

Como otros delegados lo han indicado, subrayamos la importancia de la plena integración de la mujer dentro del contexto de igualdad en el desarrollo rural, garantizándole una condición jurídica igual y un mayor acceso a los servicios rurales, promoviendo las organizaciones femeninas como primer paso para la integración de la mujer en las organizaciones rurales de índole general y fomentando la creación de oportunidades de educación, capacitación y el empleo de la mujer. En este sentido mi país ha adecuado las leyes corespondientes a fin de asegurar la igualdad de la condición de la mujer en el área rural, así como en la zona urbana y periurbana, tan importante en los actuales programas de desarrollo.

Igualmente, las organizaciones femeninas reciben un especial apoyo atendiendo a la mujer rural, recordando la importancia que ésta tiene en la jefatura del hogar, en la gestión de la explotación de la unidad campesina y su aporte de mano de obra en la misma.

La experiencia en el Perú ha demostrado que la mujer campesina es más proclive a la innovación, a la búsqueda de mayor capacitación para aumentar su grado de acceso a los insumos productivos y servicios básicos, como tierra, crédito y tecnología. La mujer campesina peruana está siendo considerada prioritariamente en todos los proyectos de cooperación con los organismos internacionales, así como a nivel bilateral, y por interés expreso de ellas mismas se han tomado en cuenta los temas de educación sobre manejo de recursos forestales y ecología, en los cuales ya se ha logrado el apoyo de la FAO.

Sin embargo, es de especial importancia que todas estas acciones que el Perú está poniendo en marcha, de acuerdo con el Plan de Acción de la FAO y de nuestros lineamientos de política nacional, no queden en la letra solamente. Es decir, esta teoría debe ser implementada en la práctica. Nuestro país está realizando todos los esfuerzos necesarios para ejecutar las leyes y reglamentos, eliminando toda forma de discriminación y coadyuvando de esta manera a una equitativa y eficiente participación de la mujer en el desarrollo.

Finalmente, señor Presidente, queremos resaltar dos acciones que consideramos sumamente positivas dentro de las medidas pragmáticas sustantivas adoptadas por la FAO en cumplimiento del Plan de Acción y de


las recomendaciones del Consejo. Nos referimos, especificamente, al Programa de Capacitación del Personal de la FAO en relación con la mujer en el desarrollo, y el análisis de las cuestiones relativas a la diferencia de sexos.

Reconocemos como positivo que dentro del Plan de Acción a Plazo Medio, comprendido entre 1989 y 1995, se haya cumplido ya con la capacitación del 58 por ciento del personal profesional en la sede y en las oficinas regionales. Esperamos, por supuesto, se complete la capacitación dentro de los plazos más breves.

En segunda instancia, nos referiremos a la constitución de la Red de Cooperación Técnica de Apoyo a las Mujeres Rurales para la región de América Latina y el Caribe, cuyos temas prioritarios de trabajo serian: capacitación y capacidad institucional, información y datos estadísticos, legislación, organizaciones de mujeres rurales, proyectos productivos y acceso a recursos con énfasis en la tecnología. La delegada de El Salvador nos dio una detallada información al respecto.

En síntesis, apoyamos y apreciamos todos los esfuerzos que la Organización hace para el logro de éstos y los demás objetivos del Plan de Acción y le exhortamos a continuar sus acciones en este mismo sentido.

Paolo Estivallet de MESQUITA (Brazil): The Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Development approved by the Twenty-fifth Conference is a landmark in the history of the Organization. The recognition of the role of women as key agents of development is necessary both to tap their energies for the advancement of our societies and to promote a more equitable distribution of the benefits of development.

Document C 91/14 illustrates the achievements of FAO in this area. Much however, remains to be done and we would like to encourage the Organization to renew its efforts, adopting to the extent possible a more systematic approach in its programmes and activities. The Brazilian Government looks forward to receiving FAO's cooperation for specific projects, such as that in support of Brazilian fisherwomen in the Northeast, as requested during the FAO meeting on rural women held in El Salvador last September. More generally, we would welcome assistance in formulating projects geared to women's issues in rural development. One possibility in this regard would be for actions aimed at increasing awareness among rural women of their rights under the law, since it is generally acknowledged that whilst legislation has been extensively improved to provide equal opportunities for women, lack of information remains a major constraint to the exercise of their rights.

Finally, I would like to support the statement made by the distinguished delegate of El Salvador yesterday, particularly with regard to the convening of a Round Table to prepare for the setting up of a technical cooperation network of institutions and organizations in support of rural women in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sra. Ana Maria NAVARRO ARRUE (Cuba): Aprovecho para agradecer al Sr. Dutia por la valiosa presentación del tema sobre la aplicación del Plan de Acción para la Integración de la Mujer en el Desarrollo. Creemos oportuno hacer,


además, un reconocimiento al grupo de funcionarlas del servicio de la mujer de la FAO por las muestras de interés y las acciones desplegadas al interior y fuera de la FAO en favor de la aplicación de este importante Plan.

Mi país, señor Presidente, le confiere especial atención a este tema y me complace expresarle que hemos mantenido una sostenida voluntad política en favor de la igualdad de la mujer. Esta voluntad se ha traducido en hechos concretos. Esta política que data de tres lustros, indudablemente abrió a las mujeres cubanas nuevos horizontes. Significando estos profundos cambios nuevos horizontes, como decíamos, en la vida económica, política y social. Ha significado un cualitativo y sustantivo paso superior de sus condiciones de vida y de su desarrollo integral mismo.

Sobre la experiencia de las mujeres en Cuba en el desarrollo integral del país, no me referiré en detalles por problemas de tiempo, aunque en las actas de los pasados Comités de Agricultura, del COFI, de Seguridad Alimentaria, de Montes y otros, constan declaraciones que al respecto brindamos a los participantes y que se refieren a los logros alcanzados y a las dificultades que aún confrontamos.

La delegación de Cuba durante el 94o período de sesiones del Consejo de la FAO apoyó ampliamente el Plan de Acción para la Integración de la Mujer en el Desarrollo, apoyo que reiteramos en la pasada Conferencia y que hoy reafirmamos a la luz de este 26o período de la Conferencia de la FAO.

Por considerarlo de gran utilidad para el ulterior despliegue y desarrollo de este Plan de Acción, nuestra delegación coauspició, junto a otras delegaciones, la Resolución 1/94 del Consejo, que como principal objetivo tenía impulsar y fortalecer este Plan al interior de la FAO, tanto en la Sede como en el campo.

Era urgente lograr, además, la formulación de lineamientos básicos de acción de parte de las diversas dependencias que, de una forma u otra, tienen relación directa en su implementación.

Con beneplácito, la delegación cubana constata que el empuje interno que previmos con la adopción de esta Resolución no fue en vano, y el paso a la acción se está cumpliendo al interior de la FAO, como imperativo impostergable de priorizar y dar cabal cumplimiento a lo acordado en Nairobi por 157 naciones, nos referimos a las Estrategias orientadas hacia el futuro para el adelanto de la mujer.

Señor Presidente, el documento 91/14 que se nos presenta a discusión, refleja que ya las distintas dependencias de la FAO contemplan los asuntos de la mujer en sus propios planes internos, son motivo de análisis, y cuentan con directrices concretas para promover en los Comités Técnicos esa participación. Felicitamos este avance al tiempo que opinamos que el Plan de Capacitación Interna ha servido para concienciar a todos, y ya está rindiendo sus primeros frutos.

Estamos de acuerdo con las prioridades programáticas concebidas, que en un principio eran siete, y nos parece razonable que la propuesta de inclusión de la número ocho, en consonancia con las recomendaciones de la Comisión sobre la condición jurídica de la mujer en su sesión de 1990, se haga; pues


la misma redundará en beneficio de las condiciones reales que cada sociedad necesita para la integración integral de la mujer al desarrollo.

Apoyamos igualmente las prioridades administrativas, alertando nuestra preocupación de que aún un esfuerzo mayor se debe dar al acápite 3, relativo al aumento del personal femenino a puestos de responsabilidad en la Organización el que todavía, repetimos, es deficiente. El documento lo reitera en su párrafo 103.

Opinamos, señor Presidente, que un llamado a todos los Estados Miembros es también válido en este sentido, ya que un número mayor de candidaturas femeninas deben ser presentadas a la FAO por parte de nuestros países. Con satisfacción observamos que la FAO integra a la mujer como participante y beneficiaria de los proyectos generales en primer orden y que, a la vez, adopta una línea de acción consistente en emprender proyectos específicamente orientados a la mujer. Los párrafos 38 al 57 así lo reflejan.

Cuba ha participado en dos eventos auspiciados por la FAO con relación a la mujer. Me refiero a una mesa redonda celebrada en Chile, con la participación de nueve países, sobre la condición jurídica de la mujer. Estamos satisfechos de la contribución que nuestro país dio a este pequeño grupo de análisis. El otro evento fue el celebrado en El Salvador. Nos referimos a un taller sobre la ejecución del Plan de Acción para la Integración de la Mujer en el Desarrollo, celebrado el pasado agosto/septiembre. Estos talleres subregionales fueron utilísimos para la implementación del Plan, y de ese encuentro nació la Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Cooperación Técnica de Mujeres Rurales; mecanismo que, a nuestro juicio, puede tener un peso específico en el desarrollo y participación popular de las mujeres rurales en el desarrollo de nuestro país. Esperamos que esta Red sea ágil, dinámica, y que a su vez necesita contar con el apoyo de la FAO, de sus Estados Miembros, así como de las ONG.

Apoyamos la proposición realizada por la distinguida representante de El Salvador y que fuera apoyada por Honduras, Colombia y otros países, relativa al apoyo financiero a la Red para que la misma pueda cumplir los objetivos para los que fue creada. Es oportuno felicitar los esfuerzos que en este sentido ha realizado la Oficina Regional de la FAO para América Latina y el Caribe.

Apoyamos igualmente la proposición de Venezuela sobre la realización de un mayor intercambio entre mujeres rurales jóvenes.

Finalmente, reiteramos que el adelanto y promoción de la mujer es una tarea que atañe a toda la sociedad en su conjunto, y nos place que esta afirmación, por supuesto, haya sido válida y oportuna al interior de la FAO, con la atención que el tema ha merecido de las distintas dependencias y Comité Técnico.

Saludamos a los países que han brindado apoyo presupuestario al MED y esperamos que esta actividad siga priorizada y no se vea afectada por recortes en el futuro. Nuestro reconocimiento al Director General por haber mantenido el nivel de los recursos, a pesar de la dificultades financieras de la Organización.


CHAIRMAN (Original language Arabic) : I have a request from the Observer for the International Federation of Agricultural Producers that his statement be inserted in the verbatim records of our meeting.

Mohamed S. KARBOUJ (Syria) (Original language Arabic): Allow me first of all to commend the Secretariat on their excellent preparation of this Report, and to thank Dr Dutia for the information provided.

The document concerning the integration of Women in Development shows that an extraordinary effort has been made in this domain in line with the Plan of Action. Considering the importance of the topic, we believe it would be appropriate to take account of many different aspects so as to glean the optimum interest from it - training programmes, programmes for the integration of women in the development process - so that these may cover all the different regions requiring such activity. It would also be necessary to set up training courses for trainers to create awareness among them, which is an important point.

There are regions where there is still need for major activities - for instance, the Middle East region. Projects are still limited. There exists some capacity. There are also pressing needs to develop the role of women and integrate their role within the development process. That is why we suggest that FAO should draw up a study including a number of projects oriented towards agricultural development and to accord to women a fundamental role, in projects which are underway or being planned for the region. I think that FAO with the World Bank could finance these programmes.

Document C 91/14 lists a number of women-oriented development projects that have been implemented or are being implemented. It would be useful to inform other Member Nations of the execution loads and the experience acquired from these activities. I think there should be a special document on the women-oriented projects. These could be published and sent out to the interested country, because some countries do have projects but they implement them only on an individual basis.

Mrs Hannelore Angela BENJAMIN (Dominica) : I wish to thank Mr Dutia and the Secretariat for the excellent document before us. Mr Dutia was very sensitive in introducing yesterday Item 13, and my delegation wants to thank him for it.

My delegation supports the statements made by Honduras, El Salvador and Panama yesterday.

Dominica is extremely committed to their women in rural development. Today about 3 000 women work at least twice a week in the fields of agriculture, and agriculture still remains the dominant economic sector for Dominica, where foreign earnings from agriculture account for 70 percent of the total foreign earnings.

A little over a year ago the video system was introduced by FAO to Dominica. It provides technical advice and transfers knowledge or skills to the women in rural development. Therefore, the rural communication centre is seen as a vital facilitating mechanism for dissemination of appropriate


agricultural technology to the women in the farming community. With video the women can see graphically what problems exist and it keeps the attention of the women. The use of video in agricultural extension is very important because of our limited resources in extension, and it can teach a large number of farm women throughout the island in a very short time. Some of our women in our rural development said that what they see can be put into practice, such as understanding what crown rot fungus is all about, learning about the disease that affects the coconuts, learning how to control and treat it. One can learn, can see and hear at the same time. The video on wildlife was very educational; it helps the illiteracy problems. We wish that the video would also be effective in other areas that concern the role of women in rural development. Video is a very effective learning tool; there is movement and one can give explanations as opposed to other audio visuals where one has not the advantage. It also enables my country in the change of perception for our women in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

However, the video programme could be wider, but that would need special funding. Those video programme orientations could give better understanding in nutrition, health care and the use of natural resources in home economics. Combined with workshops it could increase further involvement of our women in participation in marketing, forestry, fisheries and local management, food processing, technical training in horticulture as well as in aquaculture, animal production and husbandry, health care and sanitation, land reform and soil. Today the video is one of the most modern tools to make close contact on a face-to-face basis.

Through its expansion, Dominica could further benefit from it, as well as all the Caricom countries and Central and South America. It could be used in the sub-regional workshops of RLAC where it would be of help to identify the mechanism for the implementation at national and sub-regional level.

Now only actions in terms of technical assistance and funding are needed to enhance better understanding and collaboration between our women in the rural development on one hand and the implementation of the Plan of Action for Integration of Women in Agriculture and Rural Development on the other.

My delegation wishes to express its full approval for the endorsement of the document C 91/14.

On the document C 91/22, my delegation did not intervene because of paragraph 11 well outlined by Mr Dutia. However, my delegation appreciates the guidelines given by FAO as it helps us to confront our objectives in achieving our goals. My delegation also hopes that FAO will continue in its strong efforts to help all governments of Member Nations to implement the Plan of Action.

Ms Bilgi YÜCEL (Turkey): Being a developing country in which most of the farm work is done by women, Turkey fully supports FAO's activities on Integration of Women into Agricultural and Rural Development.

In Turkey, even though females in rural areas are responsible for works such as animal care, small-scale crop production, sowing, hoeing, thinning, irrigation, harvesting, food processing, storage and marketing in small households, their training in these fields has been neglected and all the


agricultural extension and training activities have been concentrated on male farmers. The training received by farmers' wives and daughters relate to birth control, sewing, knitting, canning, cooking or handcrafts rather than the agricultural activities they actually performed on the farm. Having realized the need for including women in agricultural extension programmes, a big agricultural extension and applied research project was started in 1990, which aims at training rural women in crops, animal production and care, food processing, storage and marketing by posting a women extension agent in a group of villages and supplying her with information through subject matter specialists.

Two other rural development projects which have income-generating activities as main components were initiated. These developments fall within the requirements of Resolution 7/89, being examples of the progress achieved on integration of WID in member countries.

Turkey can be proud of certain developments which have taken place during the last fifty years. Now there are numerous Turkish women who are parliamentarians, administrators in public or private organizations, all contributing to the development of the country. The agrarian women, however, need further training in certain fields, but fortunately they do not encounter any problem on access to land ownership, credit and membership in development organizations and cooperatives. So these factors are no longer constraints to their integration into development activities.

After this short summary of developments in Turkey, my delegation would like to comment on the Second Progress Report on the Implementation of the Plan of Action for Integration of Women in Development.

The eight programme priorities for implementing the Plan of Action are well thought-out. However, when one looks at the first programme priority, which is Training on Women in Development, it is seen that the majority of the training programmes are designed either for the staff of FAO headquarters or regional offices. The number of staff members to be trained by the end of 1991 is planned to be 1 200. My delegation thinks that more weight and importance should be given to the field for training the project coordinators, the relevant staff of member countries and the trainers who in turn will train the extension workers. Among the activities under technical training for women, it is seen that the women participant ratios are very low in training programmes at the professional level. But the Agriculture Department has to be acknowledged for a number of well-identified projects, such as the ones implemented in Nepal, India, the Gambia and others.

The delegation of Turkey thinks that for better integration of women in field programme activities each country should work out a national strategy for itself, because one fixed model may not be successful in every member country due to cultural, social and economic differences. It would be very useful in deriving lessons if member countries could be informed by relevant FAO departments of the results of projects and programmes carried out in different countries for women in agricultural and rural development.


Another strategy we have picked from the report is the need to revise the agricultural education curricula, adapt the holistic approach and continue addressing agriculture to village women. However, the key factor in this approach is to use women extension agents for finding an audience to work with.

In conclusion, my delegation would note that Women in Development activities will always be supported and closely followed in Turkey.

Ms Charlotte SEYMOUR-SMITH (United Kingdom): The United Kingdom delegation welcomes this Second Progress Report on the Implementation of the Plan of Action for Integration of Women in development, and thanks to Mr Dutia for his clear introduction of this item.

Throughout the world women play a central role in agriculture, yet still they face legal, institutional, cultural, as well as financial and technical limitations, on their activities. Many of these problems have a long history, though worsened by the impact of economic and technical change. We should also recognize that patterns of disadvantage are still being sustained and even created by the activities of national and international development agencies. In particular, project design and implementation sometimes fail to consult women or take their interests into account. Moreover, policies and programmes are still developed which increase the burden on women's caring role while assuming a sustained economic role. And finally, women may be marginalized by technical changes or required to bear the risks of potentially dangerous applications.

That said, we do of course recognize, as the delegate of Pakistan pointed out, that different customs, cultural and religious traditions affect a country's view of the role women should play in society. We respect these views. It is our experience, however, that when women are consulted they do aspire to participate in economic and social development of the community and the nation. With all due respect, we cannot accept the assertion that women would prefer to remain marginalized and to play no active part in the processes of change that are reshaping their lives and communities. That is why Britain's own bilateral aid programme puts such emphasis on women's literacy and training which responds to the legitimate aspirations of women themselves.

I am pleased to record here that in close collaboration with the governments concerned we have particularly successful women's projects in India, Pakistan and other countries in south Asia.

FAO has been drawing attention to the problems affecting women's role in agriculture during the last decade, but progress in this area is still not as effective as it needs to be. The United Kingdom delegation would like to stress the importance we attach to urging Member Nations themselves to carry through Women in Development-related policies.

My delegation also wishes to express its support for the programme of training of FAO staff that is underway. This, in our experience, is a key element for achieving sustained improvements. However, we also register our concern, as others have done, at the low level of success in improving the


proportion of appropriately qualified female professional officers employed by FAO, as noted in paragraph 103 of the document. We urge FAO to continue in its efforts to improve progress made in this area.

Finally, Mr Chairman, I want to support the comments made earlier by the delegate of Canada about the need to approach Women in Development in a systematic and integrated fashion throughout FAO's activities.

CHAIRMAN (Original language Arabic): Thank you, Madame. Your statement was extremely balanced. We are all aware that the differences do exist in traditions and customs but I believe that we are all agreed that there is no marginalizing of the role of women. Women in the agricultural sector are consulted and it is normally women who decide. FAO has been working in a most serious manner to give women what they are entitled to in all the different sectors of the Organization.

Ms Carol J. KRAMER (United States of America): The United States delegation welcomes the opportunity to address the extremely important issue of fully integrating women into the development process. We thank the Secretariat for the preparation of the Second Progress Report and Dr Dutia for his valuable introduction. FAO is to be commended for the detailed Progress Report on the Implementation of the WID Action Plan and on the progress it is making after many years of discussion, like the ones we are having today and last night.

First, let me state that the United States strongly supports the full integration of women into all aspects of the development process, as producers, as planners, as analysts, as managers and as important beneficiaries. Participation by women is essential at all levels: whether policy, programme or project and whether in the field or here in Rome. The United States considers that the full integration of women into the development process is crucial for an effective, sustained and sustainable development effort and, as such, heartily supports the original seven and the proposed eighth priority proposal for the medium-term Plan of Action and the FAO Medium-Term Plan 1992-97.

We would like to offer support for the Canadian recommendation that the FAO move to consolidate systems in the sense of consciously guaranteeing the integration of WID into the Organization and into all of its activities. The goal is, of course, that WID be not only an add-on but be considered as a truly integral part of FAO's work, that is, at organizational, administrative and programme levels.

It is evident from the progress report before us that FAO has successfully initiated several of the activities foreseen as contributing to the five administrative priorities foreseen as contributing to the five administrative priorities listed in paragraph 9, particularly priority - one, undertaking organization-wide efforts of awareness and compliance. We agree with the statements by several people here that training is a necessary first step and it is integral, not an add-on. Accordingly, the information on FAO staff participating in the Gender Analysis Training Programme and related activities is extremely encouraging and important although we support Turkey's recommendation regarding field project managers. Key contributions of such training are to increase consciousness


and understanding of the multiple dimensions of this complex issue and to reach an appreciation of the importance of disaggregated analysis for understanding, documenting and evaluating the differential impacts of policies, programmes and projects on different groups, especially in this case, gender groups. It is important to note, of course, that training and educational activity of all kinds must be an ongoing process.

The United States would like to emphasize in the context of training and education what it believes is one of the important challenges we face in fully addressing WID concerns in the agricultural and the rural sectors worldwide. That is the lack of access that girls and young women face to adequate technical education, particularly in rural areas. Additionally we must continually examine and seek to overcome the constraints women face in pursuing advanced training in the agricultural and food sciences. We have learned that in many cultures women can be more effective in transferring technical knowledge to female subsistence farmers than men can be. While FAO's efforts in reorientation of the home economics and agricultural curricula are commendable the problem must be traced further back, back to the basic lack of access of rural girls to primary and secondary education. What is needed is to enhance the total pipeline of educational professional opportunity for girls and women in each level.

The United States fully endorses FAO's efforts to "identify statistical indicators relevant to women in agriculture and rural development". USAID within the United States government is also at present undertaking a major agency-wide effort at defining performance indicators for its programmes and projects, including "people-level" indicators which are gender disaggregated. Collaboration between the two organizations in this effort is most desirable.

One area where the United States believes more progress is needed is in the "policy advice to Member Governments" area, although this is identified as one of the priority areas for FAO action activities cited this far are limited. They concern mainly "advice to governments on the design of support services for rural women" and "establishing or strengthening WID units in agricultural and/or planned ministries." Beyond these it is critical to identify specific policies in a range of circumstances that may be particularly inimical to the welfare of women in agriculture. For example, restrictions of access to information or to improved varieties or to inputs may exclude women from participation. In addition price policies, including price controls on food crops or other agricultural products produced by women may adversely affect women farmers and traders. Bans on exports of food or agriculturally-based products may depress the income potential of producers, including women farmers. Conversely, policies designed to promote the expansion of non-traditional exports may tend to generate jobs for women. Policies encouraging inter-cropping can increase family income and nutrition if planned within the policies and constraints of rural women. In each case the key point is performing an analysis that is disaggregated enough to shed light on impacts according to gender and other relevant groups.

The United States believes that marketing and trade issues, including the informal sector and cottage processing of agricultural products should also receive more specific attention as relevant to potentially enhancing the role of women in agricultural in rural areas. Agro-business and non-traditional exports, for example, have been identified as priority sectors


for the United States bilateral programme. In general we believe that market-driven agricultural development can rebound to the benefit of women in rural areas so long as access to inputs, including credit and land as well as product markets is unimpeded. FAO's focus on, and identification of, government policies and regulations that interfere with market forces and access to resources could help in this regard.

We reiterate the importance mentioned by several delegates of integrating discussion of gender concerns into all FAO agenda topics, including those of the technical and regional committees. We also look forward to sustained progress in recruiting and incorporating qualified women in all important aspects of FAO's own activities and management.

We end by commending FAO for the important progress made thus far and by encouraging FAO to continue in the systematic integration of WID objectives in all aspects of the institution's undertakings, including FAO staffing at all levels.

Paul Neville ROSS (Australia): The Australian delegation would like to respond to the document C 91/14 by commenting on implementation of the Plan at country level, at departmental level, and in terms of Australia's own programmes for women in development.

At the country level Australia welcomes the recognition that FAO has granted to the critical role of women in agriculture through the development of this Plan of Action. Therefore, we are pleased to see the very detailed reporting on progress in its implementation.

Australia is broadly in sympathy with the prioritized components of the WID integration strategy, particularly the multi-faceted approach which addresses organizational, governmental and field constraints. However, we would like to see evidence of consultation with women in the design stages of projects to ensure that women are not just passing recipients of development.

At the departmental level the Australian delegation commends FAO's efforts to document levels of WID integration in key priority areas within the Organization. While levels of female participation are still low by international standards the document would provide a base level for future improvement. We urge FAO to define further incremental targets for gender equity, as the United Nations has done.

Women are key participants in and beneficiaries from Australia's development cooperation programme. The Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB) has a Women in Development policy which provides for women's needs to be considered in the programme, that women should be consulted and involved in decision-making and that women should have a more equitable share in access to resources and benefits. Further information about AIDAB's programmes as they relate to Women in Development are contained in the document "Women in the Aid Programme 1991-92 Budget" which I would be happy to make available.

The Australian government offers gender analysis training to its development assistance personnel in AIDAB. This has been found to be useful in sensitizing staff to WID issues. Therefore, we support and encourage


similar training in FAO. This alone, of course, will not ensure WID integration, however, it is an essential first step. Attention must also be paid to sensitization of consultants and to discussions with cooperating governments. WID guidelines must be introduced in a systematic way for each aspect of programme/project development to enable women to participate in and benefit from development.

We look forward to future progress reports on this action programme and would encourage this practice as a regular part of the Conference.

Mme Evelyne SENGSUWAN (France): Lors de la vingt-cinquième session de la Conférence en novembre 1989, la délégation française a soutenu sans réserve les orientations du plan d'action pour l'intégration des femmes dans le développement.

Je limiterai cette intervention à quelques brefs commentaires sur le rapport d'activités qui est soumis à notre examen.

Ce document permet de constater une réelle évolution au sein de l'Organisation des personnels et moyens nécessaires à la prise en compte "des femmes dans le développement" dans ses programmes.

Nous nous félicitons tout particulièrement des efforts réalisés pour la formation du personnel, notamment pour l'analyse des statistiques différenciées par sexe.

Nous approuvons également l'analyse qui tente à favoriser l'intégration des femmes dans les projets de développement en intégrant cette dimension socio-économique dès l'identification du projet et jusqu'à son évaluation plutôt que de soutenir des petits projets spécifiques qui risquent à terme de les marginaliser.

Nous souhaitons que la priorité à la formation technique soit maintenue, car reconnaître la place des femmes dans la production et l'améliorer, c'est lui donner les moyens de produire mieux et plus.

J'insisterai également sur la nécessaire coordination et concertation avec les partenaires bilatéraux et multilatéraux. A cet égard, je souhaiterai savoir si les programmes d'information et de sensibilisation de la FAO en faveur des gouvernements africains sont faits en collaboration avec l'UNIFEM.

L'amélioration de la place de la femme est également une priorité de l'action de la France en faveur des pays en développement. A cet effet, elle envisage d'étudier spécifiquement le rôle économique des femmes dans les rapports de présentation des projets de développement qu'ils mettent en oeuvre. Ainsi, la dimension "femmes et développement" sera prise en compte dès la conception du projet jusqu'à son évaluation.

Cette étape significative pour l'intégration des femmes dans les projets de développement sera accompagnée d'autres initiatives en matière de formation et d'élaboration d'indicateurs statistiques.


Avant de terminer, la France souhaite s'associer pleinement à la demande de la délégation canadienne pour que la dimension femmes soit prise en compte systématiquement dans les programmes et activités de l'Organisation.

Ms Gunilla KURTEN (Finland): Mr Chairman, I am afraid I shall not be very brief but then I shall be speaking on behalf of four countries - Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

The Nordic countries first of all wish to reiterate their endorsement of the objectives of the Plan of Action as described in paragraph 7 of the Progress Report, i.e. to bring about change in order to ensure that, in FAO's sphere of responsibility, women are accorded equal rights and opportunities and that their potential contribution is put to use by their societies.

When presented to Council in November 1988, the Plan was considered very comprehensive, and since everything in it could not be implemented at once, because of limited resources, it was found necessary to agree upon certain priorities. This was done through the adoption of Council Resolution 1/94 and later on both the Plan and the priorities were endorsed by Conference through Conference Resolution 7/89.

Among the priorities agreed upon was the Training of Women in Development. The Nordic countries have stated before, and are still of the opinion, that the FAO staff training should be the first priority, because the increased ability of FAO staff to understand women in development issues, and apply gender analysis, is, in a way, a prerequisite for all the other activities included in the Plan.

We are therefore very pleased to see from the Progress Report that an intensive staff training programme has been carried out both at Headquarters and in the field, and that the intention is to continue the training programme so that by the end of the present biennium all the staff concerned have been trained. The training programme should not, of course, end after the first intensive phase. There will always be new staff members that need to be trained. As more and more experiences are gained from the implementation of the Plan, new ideas on how to integrate women in development even more effectively will emerge, and old ideas will be refined. Renewed training of the present staff will consequently also be necessary.

The FAO staff training programme seems to have been very carefully designed on the basis of assessment studies and the experiences of other organizations and institutions, and then tested before being finalized. Evaluations of each workshop have also been used to modify materials and/or presentations. This is all highly commendable. Of particular importance now is, in our view, the six-month follow-up evaluation, because that measures the impact of the training. We would therefore very much appreciate hearing about the results of this evaluation at a later stage.

Naturally we are also pleased to note the efforts described in paragraphs 24-34 to include more women participants in FAO-sponsored training programmes, and to-organize training of concerned government officials at various levels in Women in Development issues. We are not,


however, given any indication of how much the participation of women has actually increased as a result of the first mentioned effort.

As regards the new, eighth priority proposed to be included with the seven original ones, namely Sustainable Development, Natural Resource Management and Environment, the Nordic countries endorse this wholeheartedly. Particular attention should, in this connection, be paid to the aspects that so far have been mostly ignored, i.e. the proper use and consideration of women's indigenous technical knowledge and women's role in resource management, prevention of degradation and conservation, as the Nordic countries pointed out at COAG in April 1991.

Progress has also been made in most of the other seven "old" priority areas, especially those where the activities have been carried out at FAO's initiative and mainly by FAO itself, and this is quite natural during the initial phase. Like the FAO staff training, the Women in Development guidelines and manuals, data collection and research studies can, in some ways, be considered prerequisites for the activities in the other areas, in the sense that they provide the necessary tools and the basis for these. Therefore, the order of priorities that has thus developed is quite logical.

However, as regards monitoring it seems to us that the system needs to be developed much further to ensure the move from emphasis on quantity, i.e. the number of inputs, to quality considerations, i.e. the effectiveness of the inputs.

In this connection we also wish to refer once more to our statement at COAG in April 1991, where we stressed the danger of a "separatist" approach and the importance of integrating the above mentioned activities and their outputs in the planning and implementation of FAO mainstream programmes and projects. We also asked many question about how the gender approach has actually been institutionalized and made operational within FAO, questions which have not yet been satisfactorily answered.

In that same statement we pointed out that "participants" and "beneficiaries" are not necessarily interchangeable concepts. When reading the Progress Report, particularly the chapter on Project Development and Monitoring comprising paragraphs 38-57, we are not convinced that the necessary distinction is always made, and wish to draw attention to this fundamental issue.

In addition to the seven programmatic priorities, five administrative priorities were endorsed by the FAO Governing Bodies. One of these was increasing female staff, in which also some progress has been made. It is admitted, however, that the overall percentage of women in the Organization is still far from the UN target of 35 percent. We wish to believe that the main reason for this is the lack of qualified female candidates, and once again request all member countries to assist in identifying such candidates among their nationals, and to encourage them to apply for specific posts within FAO or ask to be included in the appropriate rosters. Since reaching the UN target is still far away, we suggest that FAO now establishes intermediate targets for each year during the following two biennia aiming at reaching the UN target by the end of 1995, which is also the end of the


period of reference for the current Plan of Action for Integration of Women in Development. Next time when discussing Women in Development issues, we also hope to see some women on the podium!

In paragraph 12 of the Progress Report there is a description of the critical areas in which FAO programme and project efforts are assisting women. The choice of these areas is, in our opinion, well founded. We wish specifically to underline the importance of incorporating women's concerns into stabilization, structural adjustment and agricultural and rural development policies. These are said to be broadened to include human needs, and we hope this does not mean only a focus on the so-called social aspects, but a genuine attempt to look at all structural adjustment policies, particularly in the area of agriculture, with a gender perspective.

One more critical area in which efforts should also be made, although it is, admittedly, one of the most difficult ones, is the area of "Legal Standards" as it is called in the original Plan. Questions such as land tenureship, access to credits and membership in development organizations and cooperatives are decisive for women, since they are responsible for such a large part of the agricultural production, and especially food production. The equality of women must be legally recognized so as to give them access to productive resources, opportunity to enjoy the benefits of economic progress and possibility to participate in decision-making.

On the whole the Progress Report mainly deals with describing activities, but very little is said about the actual inputs and even less about the results, and we consider this a shortcoming. We have already asked for information on the impact of the FAO staff training programme, and the actual increase in the participation of women in FAO-sponsored training programmes. We also want to know how the Women in Development guidelines and manuals have actually been used and what the experiences of this are. We further think a progress report should include more information on the results achieved in the various developing country projects and programmes, constraints experienced in implementing them and lessons learned. To put it plainly, we wish to be convinced that we are really on the way to achieving the objectives of the Plan of Action.

In conclusion, the Nordic countries express the sincere hope that the implementation of the Plan of Action for Integration of Women in Development will gain even more momentum after this first biennium, and that at the end of 1995 the integration of Women in Development within FAO's sphere of activities will have become a matter of course so as not to require a separate plan of action any more. Here we wish to associate ourselves with what the Canadian delegation said about the need to approach Women in Development in a systematic fashion in all programmes and activities. Some optimism is warranted by the fact that in the proposed Medium term Plan for 1992-97, closing the gender gap is included among the challenges, and Women in Development is dealt with rather extensively in Part II as one of the widely supported thematic and cross-sectoral priorities.


However, there have been many impressive plans regarding the integration of Women in Development prepared by different organizations and institutions during the last fifteen years, but the concrete results of the plans have been rather limited. What is needed now on all fronts is a much more definite move from plans to actions that achieve concrete results.

CHAIRMAN (Original language Arabic): The Korean delegation has requested that their intervention be included in the verbatim record.

Jerome O'SHEA (Ireland): My delegation wishes to compliment Dr Dutia on his clear and comprehensive introduction to this topical subject in document C 91/14.

In November 1989 the FAO Conference unanimously approved the Plan of Action and specifically a strategy with regard to Women in Development. This strategy included monitoring of Women in Development activities, policy promotion and implementation.

In paragraph 8 priorities are set out for the implementation of the Plan of Action and this includes an additional priority to the original seven priorities of the 1990-91 biennium. That eighth priority - i.e. sustainable development, natural resources management and environment - has been added and may very well be the launching pad for a clearer definition of the role of women in development in the future as the concept is relatively new and different in historical terms to the other priorities.

In paragraph 7 the Secretariat sets out that in their sphere of responsibility women should be accorded equal rights and opportunities and that their "potential contribution" is put to use by their societies. That being so, the challenge to FAO is to set out to identify and define much more clearly the "potential contribution" of women in their societies, as directing the focus of activities to support women in their roles as producers in agriculture including forestry and fisheries is not the most important element in "potential contribution" for women. Similarly with other activities such as increased access to income-producing activities and control of income, extension services and training opportunities, population and nutrition information.

There is a need to set out clearly the position of women in agriculture today in relation to whom they think they are, and also the position of women in agriculture today in relation to whom they ought to be. This exercise could be done in terms of all eight priorities, but perhaps a start should be made in terms of the new priority - that is, sustainable development, natural resource management and environment.

FAO is to be complimented on its encouragement for women through research, training of extension personnel, user group formation, and environmental education; but the sign posts to the road ahead are many and varied and may well have some effect on the application of future gender analysis. FAO is to be complimented also on its objective to address WID issues by promoting research on the impact of environmental degradation of women's livelihoods, the proper use and consideration of women's indigenous technical knowledge, women's roles in resource management and prevention of degradation, women's roles in soil conservation, integrated pest management, etc.; but FAO


should at all times keep in mind the necessity to clearly define the limits - that is, where women in development are today and also where they ought to be.

Mrs Silvana PANEGROSSI (Italy): My delegation has read with much interest document C 91/14, and would like to point out a few things about women employment in Italy.

Women's employment has increased in the 1980s both proportionally and absolutely. It has gone from 6 544 000 in 1981 to 7 153 000 in 1989, that is from 31.5 percent to 34.1 percent. Such an increment is due to the tertiary sector (services), while a sharp decrease can be noticed in the agro-industry, similar in percentage to the one for men.

A substantial stability in percentage terms, from 35.3 percent to 35.2 percent is the counterpart of a decrease in women employment in the primary sector (agriculture), from 973 000 to 684 000 units.

If from agriculture manpower we switch on to farms, we have witnessed in the past forty years a slow but consistent increase in women entrepreneurial activity: in the decade between the 1970s and 1980s their increase, considering all farms, is of 3 points percent. The smaller the farms, the more are the women employed in them (from 27.8 on lands less than 1 hectare, to 8.2 percent on lands larger than 100 hectares). That is partly why, according to 1982 agriculture census, women-run farms are less profitable, both in terms of working days (47 687 versus 61 383 lire) and productivity per hectare (2 038 000 versus 2 339 000). To that we must add that women's professional behaviour can be described as a model of imperfect multi-activity, busy as they are with home and family work.

Researches on time spending have shown that, between home and farm, Italian women farmers work more than their husbands, reaching an average of approximately 11 hours a day (five and a half hours in the field and over five hours at home) versus men's nine and half hours a day. That is why daily productivity is lower in women-run farms.

In conclusion it can be said that although women too are reaching top-level positions in agriculture, their path is more difficult and less remunerative than the one of their male colleagues.

Ms T.F. ADORO (Lesotho): We wish to thank the FAO Secretariat for the elaborate report before us.

My delegation supports fully the contents of the Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Development.

We noted carefully the contents of paragraphs 7, 8, 9 and 10. We agree fully with the view that women's low access to credit, markets, training, land, extension services, technology and employment opportunities continues to be a problem impeding their full participation in development activities.


We therefore wish to applaud FAO's efforts in its deliberations to increase awareness of women's developmental issues and concerns through WID training programmes, research and data collection, and public information dissemination. We believe, however, that through our Government's cooperation FAO could be helped extensively in its efforts on issues such as women's access to and control of resources such as land, credit and education.

We endorse and encourage the efforts of the FAO programmes and projects in assisting women in a number of critical areas as stipulated in paragraph 12.

We also agree fully with the initiative in identifying statistical indicators relevant to women in agricultural and rural development, as we hope to benefit more from them. Moreover, my delegation supports the proposed Guidelines for the generation of data needed to perform gender analysis at the project level and for the purposes of project formulation, monitoring and evaluation.

We welcome the news that FAO was able to fill the post of the WID Training Officer, as we envisage this as a good step forward in WID activities. We endorse the contents of paragraph 24. We would also go along with the idea of training concerned government officials at various levels in women in development issues.

We have taken especial note of paragraph 35. We applaud FAO in undertaking a number of activities in this area, which is of high interest to my delegation.

Furthermore, my delegation supports FAO initiatives in pursuing a policy both of undertaking projects specifically targeted to women and of integrating women as participants and beneficiaries in the mainstream projects.

Assistance given to Member Governments from the Economic and Social Policy Department in formulating projects and programmes for women in agricultural and rural development is highly commended by my delegation. We highly encourage and endorse cooperation between FAO divisions for the enhancement of its activities as demonstrated in paragraph 54.

Lesotho's Government, in recognition that women currently provide the bulk of the labour force engaged in production, promotes equitable sharing of employment and income gains in commercial agriculture between men and women. In addition, women are encouraged to engage in the production of marketable crops. Furthermore, it introduced action programmes in promoting the training of rural women in skills designed to improve their ability to grow, prepare and preserve vegetables required to develop and maintain recommended levels of consumption of these products. It supports fully programmes which provide to rural women training in income-generation activities, self-employment and other activities designed to improve the overall level of community life.


Mrs Ruth Grace S. SOLITEI (Kenya): My delegation has carefully studied document C 91/14 which is currently under discussion, and wishes to take this opportunity to express its satisfaction at the efforts that FAO and the international community have taken to integrate women into agricultural and rural development.

During the Twenty-fifth Session of the Conference, Kenya strongly supported Resolution 7/89 and now wishes to commend FAO for further including sustainable development, natural resource management and environment among the priority programmes in the Plan of Action. It is our conviction that the proposed priorities will further enhance the integration and recognition of women in development.

The importance of women's participation in the agricultural and forestry sectors in developing countries cannot be over-emphasized. However, it is regrettable that women do not readily receive the necessary support to facilitate their efforts.

In some developed countries, women's access to credit, land technology and training is limited or altogether absent. Women do not have the basic social services. For this reason, labour time which would otherwise be utilized for other productive activities is spent in an effort to meet these needs. It is our conviction that by removing this vicious cycle of events, women's contribution would be greatly enhanced.

Kenya supports the application of gender analysis to all food development activities and projects as an effective strategy that can lead to more awareness of women in development issues in the organizations. However, my delegation has noted the small number of women being trained in various professional training programmes and calls on FAO to take the necessary measures on this aspect. In addition, the incremental percentage of women enrolled in professional positions in FAO can be improved, especially in the field area of operations where the rural women can be found.

Kenya continues to make every endeavour to bring all Kenyan women into the mainstream of development in all sectors with particular emphasis on rural women. At the professional level there are women's posts both in the private and public sectors. This is an indication of the level of professional talent, dedication to work and great potential that the Kenyan women possess. There is awareness that Kenyan women do not have to make do with stereotyped employment and opportunities for them are gradually growing.

It is, however, in the private entrepreneurial sector that the Kenyan women are beginning aggressively and strongly to take up the commercial opportunities which have been the domain of the male gender. Training programmes and plans should be tailored to women involved. These activities, however, are inadequate.

We would urge FAO to consider this aspect in the context of the priorities outlined in Part 2 of document C 91/14. As mentioned at the beginning of this intervention, my delegation has come to the conclusion on the eight priority items in the Plan of Action that women in some countries are already actively engaged in these areas. However, there should be more emphasis on the support of FAO and the international community to enhance women's role in sustainable development, natural resource management and


environment, which will result in better soil and water conservation, provision of clean water, food security and improvement of shelter. The experience of my country is that in recent years Kenyan women have been actively involved in afforestation, reforestation and soil conservation efforts at all levels.

My country is basically an agricultural country. For this reason the bulk of the rural population is mainly engaged in agriculture. A substantial proportion of this population is made up of women. Notably, they have excelled as individuals through women's groups and farmer cooperatives to produce basic foodstuffs. Under the guidance of trained home economists they are able to provide wholesome and nutritious meals to their families. They are also trained in family life and population issues.

In conclusion, we support the delegate of Canada and other countries in requesting FAO to systematize its approach and its activities in integrating women in development.

Jung Sup CHOI (Korea, Republic of): The Korean delegation fully appreciates FAO's leading role in efforts to promote women's participation in agriculture and rural development. I concur with other delegations in supporting activities taken by FAO in guiding at global and regional levels women's roles.

The identified priorities, both in terms of programme and administration, are addressed appropriately. The integration of women in most of the developed strategies, for example, People's Participation Programme (PPP), Environmental and Sustainable Agriculture, Technological Cooperation among Developing Countries, and other field programmes, are very important.

As a matter of fact, women in rural areas all over the world face a two­fold problem. One is the traditional roles that women are supposed to perform in the context of gender division of labour. The other is a novel one incurred as the industrialization procedure, fast or slow, has been taking place. There are plenty of examples in rural areas of developing or developed countries where the lack of male-labour power has driven rural women to take a burden of new roles - farming and other related activities - in addition to the traditional roles such as managing the family and raising their children.

Mr Chairman, the Korean delegation believes that the understanding of the above novel situation has substantial significance in tackling the problem of women's integration into the rural development programmes. In this context, I suggest that the method of approach should be double-sided: intensive and extensive. The former, intensive approach, deals with the programmes designed to enhance traditional women's roles. On the other hand, the latter, extensive approach, leads us to enlarge the capabilities of women to perform the roles that used to be men's responsibilities.

I believe, however, that the designing of programmes should take different situations in the relationship of men and women in different member countries. As Mr Dutia correctly pinpointed yesterday, FAO can only help the member countries in defining their ways to promote women's participation in agricultural and rural development.


The Korean delegation is pleased to inform you that the Korean Government has launched a special training programme for women in the operation of farm machinery. It will be helpful for our rural economy as well as making the use of machines more safe and economic.

Finally, my delegation extends our full support for the steps taken by FAO in this important issue.1

Mrs Giuseppina PELA (Observer for the International Federation of Agricultural Producers): The Committee on Women in Agriculture held during the IFAP General Conference in Norway, in June 1990, benefited from the presentation of the FAO Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Agricultural and Rural Development made by the Chief of the FAO Unit on Women in Agricultural Production.

Participants - male and female farmers' representatives - welcomed the FAO initiative in support of women in agriculture and made comments on how the Plan should assist women in their countries.

Links with national farmers' organizations should be a priority. Women take up leadership at local level, but shy away from stepping into the national arena. In these circumstances, reserved seats in farmers' organizations at all levels will often be necessary for the time being.

Training in agriculture and management should be provided to give more women the confidence to operate at the higher level of leadership, including at national and international levels. Agricultural extension services could be strengthened by activating women farm leaders as field extension workers.

IFAP was requested to continue the close collaboration with FAO, and monitor the implementation of the Plan of Action. IFAP, therefore, welcomes this second Progress Report and intends to inform its constituency of it.

The other item also discussed in the Committee on Women in Norway, was "Agrochemicals: A Woman's View". The working document prepared by the IFAP Secretariat on this subject was well received in FAO Headquarters, as well as in other development organizations.

Following support for greater attention to the situation of women farmers, expressed at the 1990 IFAP General Conference, the Secretariat has prepared and distributed a "membership questionnaire" to the 80 member organizations in all parts of the world. For the first time, this questionnaire includes questions on women farmers, e.g. number of female members, position in the organization, special programmes and services, links between farmers' and women's organizations. The questionnaire has been prepared with the technical assistance by FAO.

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1 Statement inserted in the Verbatim Records on request.

.

IFAP is also conducting a survey on the number and situation of women in agricultural organizations. Five francophone West African countries have already been surveyed by a female African consultant. This information would contribute to the FAO data base on male and female farmers in organizations.

Efforts are made to involve women farmers' representatives in general IFAP activities whenever possible, especially, but not exclusively, in development activities.

IFAP has initiated preparations for the meeting on Women in Agriculture, which will take place at the next General Conference in Quebec City, in June 1992. The main theme of this meeting will be "Financial Resources for Women Farmers".

IFAP welcomes and supports the FAO work for the enhancement of women farmers' situation, and looks forward to continued cooperation in this priority area.1

The meeting rose at 13.00 hours.
La séance est levée à 13 heures.
Se levanta la sesión a las 13.00 horas.

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1 Statement inserted in the Verbatim Records on request.

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