Posted October 2000
Madam Chair,
Distinguished members of the IFHE Executive Committee and Council,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be here today on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). First of all, I should like to convey, on behalf of the Director General of FAO, best wishes for a successful Congress 2000, as well as greetings from my colleagues in the Women and Population Division in Rome.
This is the first time I have an opportunity to attend an event organized by the International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE) and I am impressed by the variety of topics covered by the Programme for this Congress. Since I am not a home economist by profession, I expect to learn a great deal about your work during this week.
Your invitation to speak at this Congress gives me the opportunity to address the important topic of the expanding role of Home Economics in support of families and households. In today's increasingly integrated global economy, rural households are more than ever facing the challenge of how to manage their resources effectively.
As you may gather from the title of my presentation, my talk today will focus on how home economists can better advocate for and serve rural families in the new context of globalization. Here, FAO and IFHE share a common purpose and complementary interests.
FAO's mission is to improve rural people's livelihoods and achieve sustainable development. Home Economics links these two imperatives. The role of the International Federation for Home Economics is of great importance in this context. In its mission statement, the IFHE declares its ultimate goal to be the improvement of the quality of everyday life for individuals, families and households through the appropriate management of their resources.
IFHE and FAO have a longstanding collaboration. I am particularly pleased to note that IFHE is becoming more macro-oriented. Such an orientation is very timely and certainly a promising sign for our common support for rural households as they join the "new global village".
FAO's view on Home Economics has evolved over the past years as a result of social and economic developments and lessons learned through field programmes. The changes in perspective are reflected in the new terminology chosen to describe the discipline. At FAO, we now speak of Household Resource Management. As you know, the key difference between Household Resource Management and traditional Home Economics is that the former not only covers the reproductive activities typically associated with Home Economics but also expands to include productive activities necessary to achieve livelihoods and sustainability. Rural women around the world balance reproductive and productive activities every day. Accordingly, FAO has increasingly given greater recognition to the extensive role of women in rural economies, particularly in all aspects of food security and environmental management and protection.
Thus, it can be said that Household Resource Management is a decision-making system for optimizing the organization and use of all household resources. These include physical and human resources, as well as time. In Household Resource Management, the household is seen as an enterprise where women and men are regarded as equal partners.
Households are affected by several factors such as access to and control over productive resources, employment opportunities, and composition and status of household members. These factors, in turn, are affected to a large extent by external changes at the meso- and macro levels. As a result, the household must be studied in a global context.
In order to meet current and emerging needs of rural households, home economists must consider the potential and actual effects of globalization on the household's goals, activities and use of resources.
Globalization in itself is not a new phenomenon. On the contrary, it has been part of human history for centuries. What is new, is the increased speed at which trade, information and capital flow take place, creating increased interdependency among developed and developing countries. Also, the expanding role of the private sector in all spheres of society and the changing role of government in the provision of certain services is important to note. On the positive side, interdependency can expand resource alternatives; on the negative side, it can cause conflict over resources among and within households and nations.
The 1999 UNDP Human Development Report states that:
" Global markets, global technology, global ideas and global solidarity can enrich the lives of people every where. The challenge is to ensure that the benefits are shared equitably and that this increasing interdependence works for people - not just for profit." (I should like to add here - ...and works for rural people, not just urban residents).
The report calls for Globalization with A Human Face. The challenge for Home Economics professionals centres on accepting leadership roles to increase co-operation for shared prosperity and to reduce the conflict and erosion of family welfare. Globalization poses unique leadership opportunities, which will demand the very best from the family centred professionals who are represented at this Congress.
Globalization is a complex process extensively discussed in international fora. Today, the question of how to manage global influences is on the agenda of most governments and all major international organizations. Conferences such as the World Food Summit in 1996 and this year's Copenhagen +5, and Beijing +5 all examined globalization and its various effects on the global community.
The UN Secretary-general's 1999 report on the work of the United Nations defines globalization
"... as a summary term for the increasingly complex interactions between individuals, enterprises, institutions and markets across national borders."
Indeed, major manifestations of globalization are the liberalization of trade and increasing privatization. There is also an increasing spread of information and communication technologies, which offer opportunities for expanding the knowledge base in rural societies. Further, rapid urbanization increases the interdependency between rural and urban areas and creates a more diverse rural population, as well as more urban and peri-urban part time farmers, many of whom are women.
It is not easy to disentangle the social impact from the closely intertwined economic, political, cultural and institutional dimensions. Different people are affected in different ways. Some benefit from changes while others loose. The final verdict on the impacts of globalization is not yet in. The 2000 UN Secretary-general's report entitled "Impacts of globalization on social development" states that the experience of globalization appears to vary in accordance with the level of a country's development.
In the final outcome document of Beijing +5, it is stated that:
Globalization's "...... benefits and risks are distributed unequally, and the growth and prosperity it provides for many, are offset by the increasing vulnerability and marginalization of others."
Most importantly, as far as this Congress is concerned, "A time squeeze is reducing the supply and quality of caring labour (UN 1999)."
The impact of globalization also varies according to sex. Positive trends such as the increase in the female share of employment are reported in the 1999 World Survey on the role of women in development. Today, more and more women are participating in the paid economy. Yet, it is important to remember that these women still shoulder most of the responsibility for household labour and childcare. What we also see, is an increasingly flexible labour market, which also means greater insecurity, lower wages and poorer labour protection in many instances.
Globalization has important implications for the achievement of universal sustainable development. It is evident that the changes it brings create both new opportunities and new challenges for the livelihood of many people - especially those in developing countries. Mr. Jacques Diouf, Director General of FAO, has said that:
"It is the moral responsibility of the international community to ensure that globalization does not lead to an ever widening gap between the poor majority and the wealthy few."
The impact of globalization on the lives of the world's poor were discussed when representatives from the United Nations, the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Monetary Fund gathered in Geneva in June for the Copenhagen +5 meetings. They concurred that the overall impact of the globalization process on the poor is still not clear. Both positive and negative effects have been identified. While globalization has been blamed for causing widespread suffering, there is no evidence that it has truly increased the sum of human misery. Indeed, a recent World Bank study entitled "Growth is Good for the Poor" concludes that free trade benefits the poor to the same extent that it benefits other participants in the economy.
Today, the most remote rural village has become part of the "new global village" whether the people like it or not and few will be aware of what this may mean for their livelihoods. Therefor, at this time, I would like to go over just a few of the effects of globalization on rural households with you. These are some of the points that FAO highlighted in its contribution to the preparation of the 1999 World Survey on the role of women in development, earlier referred to.
Thanks to the spread of new information and communication technologies, rural people in many places are more connected with the rest of the world. Globalization contributes to the modernization of agriculture, increasing productivity and raising living standards in rural areas. Unfortunately, global trends are also the cause of an increase in inequalities regarding access to resources, a decrease in public services, and insecurity of income earning opportunities. Other effects include new migration patterns and a more critical situation regarding food insecurity and malnutrition.
As a result, the livelihoods of rural households are challenged and in some cases even jeopardized. Small farmers and entrepreneurs are less able to compete. The impact also appears to be gender-biased in rural areas. For instance, female-headed households, which are growing in number, have more and more difficulty meeting the nutritional demands of all their members. Rural women also tend to become marginalized when land is concentrated in larger holdings for commercial agriculture.
To face the changes brought about in their daily lives by globalization, households need to reorient their livelihood strategies. In our efforts to promote sustainable development, we need to find new mechanisms to ensure that all people's, women's and men's, needs are met. The question is how can home economists be more responsive given the current global trends to help rural people attain more sustainable livelihoods.
To keep pace with today's world, home economists have to rethink and redefine their strategy for how to support better rural people's quest for a sustainable livelihood. FAO believes that to do this, Home Economics as a discipline has to be redefined more along the lines of Household Resource Management and to be more action- and macro-oriented.
A starting point is for home economists to redefine their roles and retool themselves for an activist agenda. While maintaining the time-honoured focus on families and individuals, home economists should try to broaden their mission by assuming a wider range of functions. These include those of opinion leaders, advocates, mediators, educators and analysts and interpreters of global changes and trends. Home economists should be even more pro-active, creative and dynamic in their work in support of rural people. Here is my wish list for items on your agenda:
One -
Rural issues have to be on the political agenda to ensure that they are not neglected in policy-making and legislation processes. Home economists, who have knowledge and insight of the livelihood strategies of rural households, are in the best position to promote the interests of rural households. By acting as opinion-leaders you can influence national policy processes in favour of rural people. Important groups to focus on are politicians who control legislation, hence access to resources by the population.
Two-
Rural men and women should be and feel empowered when it comes to taking an active role in participatory policy and planning processes, which affect their livelihoods. Home economists can advise rural people on lobbying for policy formulation and implementation of programmes that integrate the gender perspective in the national policies.
By collaborating with national agencies, home economists can influence national planning commissions on the social agenda for development so as to ensure equity for rural populations.
Three-
The image of rural men and women given in the media is often stereotyped. It does not always manage to provide the mostly urban readers and the public at large with a balanced picture of the diversity in rural lives and in particular rural women's multiple contributions to society in a changing world. There is a need to counter-balance the image given today and transmit news, which reflects more realistically life in rural areas.
It is particularly important to highlight links between the global economy and rural households. To raise awareness about rural areas and the interdependency of rural and urban activities, the connection between household level issues and those at the national and international level has to be explicitly expressed.
Home economists can help educate local journalists in how political, economic and social issues at the national and international levels relate to rural households.
To deepen the public understanding of rural people's livelihood, home economists can identify issues, which should be reported on and collaborate with journalists on developing perspectives and stories. In this awareness raising about rural areas, information technology such as TV, radio, videos and Internet should be used in a proactive and creative way. Home economists can work directly or indirectly with the media to put together fact sheets, videos, and programmes reflecting the everyday life of rural people.
Four-
Global changes and their effects must be analysed and discussed in local communities. Policy decisions and relevant national laws and regulations should be communicated and explained to rural populations. International laws, conventions, and agreements must be brought to their knowledge. Home economists can play an important role in political and legal literacy training of rural people.
Five-
Empowerment also means diversifying the skills of rural people. Training in the areas of market place behaviour, management of household resources, and enhancement of household welfare and productivity including food security and nutritional well being are all important. Basic literacy is also a prerequisite for rural men and women to gain access to these skills.
Another way to empower rural people is to encourage their participation in income generating village projects such as the marketing of local products and the conservation of natural resources for community use.
These five wishes on my list are for you to consider and reflect upon. In your efforts on how to define a new strategy for home economists, FAO suggests three principal changes: re-orientation of training and curriculum, strengthening and diversifying research activities, and expanding networks and networking.
There is a need for a re-alignment of Home Economics / Household Resource Management training to make it more pertinent to current socio-economic living conditions.
Household Resource Management skills on topics such as gender and development, income-generating opportunities, food security, and sustainable livelihood approaches should be added to the Home Economics curricula. Instruction in the use of information and communication technologies, including for long distance learning programmes, is also desirable. A new career path for home economists could be that of advisers to state and provincial governments, or as legislative aids in areas relevant to rural household livelihood security. Policy formulation and program development content should also be included in Home Economics curricula.
In accordance with shifting gender roles, it is important that Home Economics Programmes be open to men, as more and more women enter the labour force.
Research on issues relevant to rural livelihoods should be conducted and used in support of advocacy initiatives. The focus should continue to include traditional issues such as division of labour, income access, and control within the household. But emerging issues such as migration and the feminization of farm households in certain sub-regions, the impact of the HIV / AIDS pandemic, rural ageing, and the impact of globalization on the family's social and economic roles and resource use strategies should also be included. Other research topics might be new family patterns and intra-household dynamics and alternative income generating activities in rural areas. The latter could be done through market surveys on, and direct marketing of, rural products.
When carrying out research, it is crucial to collect data disaggregated by sex and age on women's and men's contribution to the economy and socio-cultural life. It is important to highlight the connection between availability of such data and influence on policy making.
Networks with NGOs, media and government institutions need to be developed and strengthened. The initiatives of training institutions, professional associations, governmental organizations and NGOs should be co-ordinated. Home economists professional associations around the world can cooperate to establish links with various national and international agencies working on related issues.
The IFHE may also wish to consider developing a public relations and communication strategy to project a new image for Home Economics. This will be necessary if the role of home economists in advocacy is to remain relevant to today's realities and to build a promising future.
In relation to these three areas in which we propose the changes, there is a potential for collaboration between IFHE and FAO. In this context, I would like to take the opportunity to mention some of FAO's current activities in the area of Household Resource Management.
FAO is presently sponsoring several programmes, which encourage an interdisciplinary dimension. The Women and Population Division, that I am heading, is finalizing a Socio-economic and Gender Analysis Guide on Household Resource Management. Socio-economic and Gender Analysis, or SEAGA, is based on the development context and participatory identification of women's and men's priorities and needs. This approach will be further introduced later today by my colleague, Ms. Diana Tempelman, FAO Regional WID / gender officer based here in Accra.
We are also working on a project entitled "Farm and Household Resource Management for Rural Family Development". This project has been implemented on a pilot basis in Cameroon and Poland. Its aim is to contribute to the process of re-orientation of home economists and agriculture extensionists. Representatives from these two countries will be presenting their projects in a session on Friday.
FAO has also several research activities in the area of Household Resource Management. Recently, an agreement was signed with the University of Zululand, South Africa for a project on food security and rural development. The aim of the project is to provide baseline data for policy and project planning on the availability and distribution of household resources and the gender dynamics that are involved. The study will also examine technical transfer and issues related to agriculture and rural development.
I would also like to mention a FAO supported research project in Thailand on women's role in the flow of food to Asian cities. This activity supports the UN system's recent interest in urban agriculture and the increasing demand for food in the cities.
In these areas of training and capacity building on socio-economic and gender analysis (SEAGA), in research activities, and in networking, there are several possibilities for our two organisations to collaborate in support for rural households.
Home economists should be encouraged to participate in the SEAGA training of trainers at the national level and in the testing of the aforementioned SEAGA sector guide on Household Resource Management. Home Economics curricula might also be reviewed to ensure that gender and development and food security issues are included. The ongoing work of FAO in Home Economics curriculum reorientation could be shared through the IFHE network. FAO and IFHE should also join forces to advocate gender equitable access to information and communication technologies to improve the living conditions of rural households.
In conclusion, I would like to stress the compelling need to eradicate food insecurity and rural poverty. Achievement of sustainable rural livelihoods and more equitable access to resources is one of the five strategic objectives in FAO's Strategic Framework 2000-2015. As new entrants to the global village, rural people face many challenges in terms of household resource management. They need our support. We have to be proactive and creative in our response. The re-orientation and expanding role of Home Economics in advocacy presents exceptional opportunities to promote the socio-economic advancement of rural households and optimal household resource management in a global context. By doing so, home economists will continue to be important partners for FAO.
Thank you all for your attention.
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