Reduce Rural Poverty

Enhancing the potential of family farming for poverty reduction and food security through gender-sensitive rural advisory services

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This paper is based on an examination of a broad selection of existing literature on the subject of gender-sensitive RAS and has four objectives. The first is to document gender-differentiated barriers in access to RAS and the challenges of effectively targeting women family farmers when delivering these services. Second, the paper provides examples of good practice strategies from RAS that have been successful in responding to women farmers’ specific requirements in supporting their economic empowerment. Third, based on the good practices, the paper provides recommendations on what can be done to improve the gender-sensitivity of RAS. Finally, it offers a reflection on actions needed to ensure that good practices and lessons learnt translate into the design and provision of demand-driven and gender-sensitive RAS for improved food security and poverty reduction.