November 2002
World Food Summit: five years later
10-13 June 2002
Rome, Italy, 24 September 2002
The information and communication technology revolution has greatly increased the possibilities for disseminating and sharing knowledge. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has the mandate to "collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information relating to nutrition, food and agriculture", as well as fisheries and forestry. Knowledge and information are essential for achieving global food security, which is a major goal for FAO.
In its Gender and Development Plan of Action, FAO has recognised that globalisation and new information technologies are transforming the way that production is organised and information shared around the world. These changes could accelerate progress toward gender equality but unless policy makers, practitioners and communities themselves give attention to gender when considering the opportunities and risks, and unless women have a voice in how these new technologies are developed and deployed, these new technologies could very well exacerbate existing inequalities.
ICTs are no longer considered a luxury but an essential instrument for achieving sustainable development. The digital-divide becomes all the more alarming in the context of rural communities who face further marginalization and widening information gaps than those closer to urban centres. The challenges faced in rural areas include access to infrastructure, training and relevant content in local languages as well as ensuring that the needs of rural communities are reflected in national ICT policy.
Rural women and girls usually have less access than men to information and to new technologies. Without equal access to information, they are at a disadvantage in making informed choices about what to produce and when to sell their products. Lack of information also limits their influence in their communities and their ability to participate in decision-making. On the other hand, if women gain access to information technologies, they will benefit from increased educational opportunities and channels for better networking.
Also, FAO is committed to building country capacity to integrate analysis of environmental, social and economic dimensions of development and sustainability issues at global, regional and national levels. FAO's Strategic Framework (2000-2015), World Food Summit Plan of Action and successive FAO Gender Plans of Action have recognised the importance of gender-disaggregated data (GDD) in food security policy and planning.
However, FAO recently observed that nearly all member countries face various difficulties in producing and using gender-disaggregated data and statistics. Building on its experience working with data producers and users, especially in the context of the World Census of Agriculture (ESS/SDW), FAO has increased its support to Member Nations to assist in this area. From 2000 to 2002, the Gender and Development Service (SDWW) developed and field-tested a GDD training methodology and materials to help improve the skills of agricultural data producers such as statisticians, planners, and policy analysts.
As one follow-up to these workshops, FAO has worked with Member Nations to re-examine existing data sets in order to produce sex-disaggregated databases that can be used with decision-support tools in agricultural and rural development policy formulation and planning. Reworked data can also provide a basis for conducting a gender analysis for a more in-depth understanding of agriculture and to introduce a gender dimension into national systems of statistical data production and use.
The first part of the side event will share SDWW / SDRE collaborative work in Gender and ICTs and in particular:
The second part will show SDW / ESS collaborative work
Expected outcomes
Iran room (located at Building "B", first floor - B 016)
24 September, 2002 (11:00 - 13:00)
This meeting is open to all interested participants attending the Second Consultation on Agricultural Information Management.
*** For further information, please contact Mrs. Sophie Treinen (+3906 - 57054297)
1. Gender and ICTs: How FAO Fights Hunger and Poverty with Information
2. Discussion
3. Gender disaggregated data / statistics
4. Discussion
5. Closure of the meeting
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