Annex VII: Review and appraisal of international support
Cyprus:
· Rural women in Cyprus have not benefited from any international assistance specifically targeted to them.
Egypt:
· In cooperation with FAO, in 1992 the Policy and Coordination Unit for Women in Agriculture (PCUWA) at the Ministry of Agriculture began to examine and coordinate technical cooperation programmes in Egypt. The Unit works at the "upstream" level and promotes gender sensitization at various levels.
· Several projects were implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Social Affairs, with financial and technical support from international organizations such as FAO, ILO, Dutch Aid Programme, UNFPA and UNICEF. The projects' objectives have included: training in health, education, nutrition, family planning and literacy, and the establishment of day-care centres as well as women's development centres for income generating activities. One project aimed at providing loans to women farmers and another provided training to women in food industry and breeding of poultry, ducks and sheep.
While all projects contributed to the increase of women's income, the projects' contributions to family planning, education, child health care services and participation in collective work was generally low.
Iran:
· Appointment of a female national coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture to coordinate FAO activities in advancing rural women in Iran.
· Collaborative activities between UNICEF and the Ministry of Health, Medical Care and Education have been carried out to encourage family planning and breastfeeding, and provide education and healthcare training to newly literate rural women. UNICEF was also involved in a Women and Development Programme that focused on the role of women in society and development. Finally, UNICEF collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture in organizing a workshop on "Gender Analysis" for extension officers, and carried out a study in the northern provinces to assess the degree of coordination among the various institutions providing services to rural women.
· UNFPA is currently collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture to expand and strengthen rural women's cooperatives.
Iraq:
A very low level of international aid and cooperation was devoted to address issues relevant to rural women prior to the Gulf War. Since then, international assistance has ceased due to the United Nations boycott of Iraq. In the 1982-86 period, only the following two internationally supported projects have targeted rural women:
· In cooperation with FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture in 1985 embarked on an integrated rural development project in the marshland areas.
· In cooperation with GFIW, UNICEF worked on a Rural Mother and Child Health project. The objectives of the project included reducing infant mortality, training mothers to recognize diseases, providing vaccination to children on time, post-natal care, breastfeeding, nutrition and hygiene.
Jordan:
· An income diversification project was sponsored by IFAD and the Arab Fund and implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1993. The project aimed at distributing sheep, goats and seeds, and at providing a mechanism for the distribution of dairy and plant products. Special emphasis was placed on assisting female-headed households.
Lebanon:
The following projects are currently underway in the Beqaa region, where women play a significant role in agriculture:
· An integrated rural development project, implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and funded by several UN agencies. Beginning in 1994, this project sought to involve women in socio-economic development and eliminate illicit crop cultivation by improving women's access to credit for household projects. The project has also trained women in cottage industries, and appointed a woman development specialist to facilitate the implementation of projects for women.
· A Small Holder Livestock Rehabilitation Project, funded by IFAD, OPEC Fund for International Development and the Lebanese Government, is scheduled to commence in 1994. The project aims to improve livestock production, rehabilitate extension services, and increase income for poor farmers, especially women. Women will be provided with credit and training by female extension officers.
Mauritania: A project in Gender Methodology at the Ministry of Rural Development, in collaboration with FAO, aimed at establishing a plan of action to integrate women in the development process. Since 1985, several projects have been sponsored by UNDP to promote extension for women, and establish women's cooperatives. Although UNFPA stresses a women's component in each development project, this effort has usually been limited to family planning and child health care. UNFPA is currently involved in a media campaign project with the Ministry of Women's Affairs, which focuses primarily on women's legal rights.
Morocco:
· UNDP supported the establishment of a WID unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, as well as a study on the status of women in Morocco in 1994. In Cooperation with FAO, several projects were implemented in rural Morocco in nutrition and the establishment and support of a women's NGO and rural women's cooperatives. Several projects were also sponsored by UNICEF, which targeted girls and women in deprived regions in the areas of hygiene and child-mother health. In addition, UNICEF sponsored a study in six provinces on the capacities, attitudes and practices of women facing problems of development.
Pakistan:
· Most UN funded and/or bilateral WID projects, or agricultural projects with WID components, revolved around the training of women in storage, preservation and potato seed preparation skills. Income generation projects included training women in setting up poultry farms, goat husbandry and vegetable gardening.
· FAO was involved in the training of rural women in income generating activities in agriculture, and increased women's access to improved seeds, fruit-drying techniques and information and skills related to plant disease control. Multinational donors, under the leadership of UNIFEM, have supported systematic efforts to conduct gender sensitization by developing a national team of trainers with knowledge in gender awareness/sensitization and gender analysis. The Embassy of the Netherlands supported a project to train female extension officers in livestock, as well as fruit and vegetable growing and preservation.
Sudan:
· Several projects benefiting rural women have been implemented through UNDP funding, Technical Cooperation Programmes, Trust Funds and Government Cooperation programmes. Some efforts have included: training women to crop twice in a flood irrigation system; developing a demonstration farm to highlight the importance of extension in training women farmers and in upgrading their skills; providing women with fuel wood to reduce their drudgery as well as safeguard the environment; and, providing training to professional women in rural development.
Although the number of projects targeting rural women in the Sudan have increased since 1985, much more assistance is needed to improve women's roles in agricultural production, strengthen women's machineries by institution-building, and improve women's access to productive resources. Special technical assistance is needed in extension and training to target women farmers.
Syria:
· The Syrian Government, in cooperation with The Arab Fund, is implementing an eight-year agricultural development project in southern Syria, financed by IFAD, The Arab Fund, UNDP and the Syrian Government (total budget is US$41.2 million). Target beneficiaries include 17,600 families in 150 poor villages and 60,000 rural women. Specific objectives include: development of rocky land; strengthen extension activities in crop, livestock production and women's activities; provide education and develop skills for women; and develop livestock activities, create income-generating activities for women and improve their nutritional status.
Tunisia:
· Credit, training and extension services will be extended to women within the scope of two large scale projects to be implemented in Tunisia with FAO. The first project is aimed at 10,000 rural households, while the second at 400,000 hectares of rural land.
Turkey:
· In cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, WFP supported a project to provide vocational training to rural women in the poor mountain villages in the 1992-1994 period. Women were trained in carpet weaving and home economics. The "Giresun Beekeeping Project", supported by FAO for the NFTW Foundation, aimed at encouraging women's involvement in bee-keeping, which is predominantly a male task in Turkey. Poor village women were provided with credit, training, and other support mechanisms for this activity. The second phase seeks to establish a women's cooperative. The Women Farmers Extension Project (1991-1995) aims to improve the existing home economics extension services in order to increase rural women's efficiency and contribution to food production. Two FAO projects in forestry and geese-raising are currently being implemented to increase women's participation in their management, and to contribute to women's income.
Yemen:
Although all international agricultural technical support programmes usually incorporate a rural women's component, very little benefit has accrued for the following reasons:
· Lack of funding
· Funding for women's component is used for other purposes
· Credit from Agricultural Cooperative Bank is not available for women
· Women agricultural graduates are not encouraged to work in rural areas
· Research results are rarely applied
· Lack of modern infrastructure services such as clean water and gas for cooking
· Lack of a cooperative society to market rural handicrafts and other products
