FAO’s gender work in Asia and the Pacific
Women make essential contributions to agriculture across Asia and the Pacific, comprising between 40 and 50 percent of the agricultural labour force in East and Southeast Asia and around 30 percent in South Asia. Agriculture is also the primary provider of employment for women in the region. In South Asia, agriculture engages close to 70 percent of all working women.
The agricultural context in Asia and the Pacific is diverse and undergoing rapid transformation, with increasing competition over land use and decreasing natural resource availability. Climate change and associated phenomena threaten rural populations throughout the region with changing temperatures and precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, and increased vulnerability to natural disasters. These in turn affect food availability, livelihoods, assets, and health with far reaching social impacts. The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific works with and in support of Member Countries to address the challenges above and work towards the achievement of the SDGs. FAO recognizes rural women as agents of change whose engagement is necessary to meet the other SDGs. The Regional Gender Strategy and Action Plan 2022–25 for the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific builds on and support these efforts and advance gender equality and empowerment of rural women and men.
- Regional gender strategy and action plan 2022-25 for Asia and the Pacific
Country Gender Assessments
National Gender Profile of Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods in Bhutan
2023, 84 p.
The Country Gender Assessment was undertaken to analyse the agricultural and rural sector of Bhutan from a gender mainstreaming perspective in areas where FAO assists in realizing rural women’s rights and potential.
Country Gender Assessment of Agriculture and the Rural Sector in Vanuatu
2020, 80 p.
Published jointly with SPC, this report examines how gender issues interact with social, economic and environmental development in Vanuatu.
Country gender assessment of agriculture and the rural sector in Tonga
2019, 80 p.
The assessment seeks to identify gender inequalities in access to critical productive resources, assets, services and opportunities.
Country gender assessment of agriculture and the rural sector in Samoa
2019, 68 p.
The Assessment seeks to identify gender inequalities in access to critical productive resources, assets, services and opportunities.
Country Gender Assessment of Agriculture and the Rural Sector in Solomon Islands
2019, 60 p.
The assessment looks at the priorities, needs and constraints of both women and men in agricultural and rural communities, and the gaps that exist in responding to these issues.
The country gender assessment of agriculture and the rural sector in Viet Nam
2019, 68 p.
Gender inequalities in agriculture, food and nutrition security are assessed and recommendations are made.
Country Gender Assessment of Agriculture and the Rural Sector in Fiji
This FAO-SPC Country Gender Assessment of ARD in Fiji has identified gaps between women and men in access to information, quality of livelihoods and opportunities to benefit from development outcomes.
2019, 74 p.
Country Gender Assessment of Agriculture and the Rural Sector in Papa New Guinea
Papua New Guinea faces persisting institutional and governance challenges in creating an enabling environment for promoting and enhancing women’s participation in food value chains. This report makes recommendations for policy, institutional and household-level changes.
2019, 76 p.
Country Gender Assessment of agriculture and the rural sector in Indonesia
Despite serving as the backbone of one of the nation’s most economically important sectors, women in agriculture are marginalized and often have little access to financial resources, knowledge and technology to improve their crop yields and improve their livelihoods.
2019, 80 p.
Country gender assessment of agriculture and the rural sector in Maldives
The report provides information on how rural development and investment initiatives may affect gender roles and relations, positively and/or negatively. It also provides data on facilitating women’s empowerment and their access to resources and opportunities.
2019, 68 p.
Nepal: Country gender assessment of agriculture and the rural sector in Nepal
Findings of the Assessment indicate that government policy is limited to meeting targets of women’s participation in programmes and projects rather than addressing the root causes of gender inequalities in agriculture and the wider rural economy.
2019, 80 p.
Lao People's Democratic Republic: Country gender Assessment of agriculture and the rural sector
2018, 88 p.
Women's involvement in agriculture is undervalued. The report calls for greater access to information and for the creation of women's group for capacity development. This CGA was commissioned by FAO in October 2017 as a way to gauge Lao People’s Democratic Republic’s progress in achieving gender equality in the agricultural and rural sectors, and as a mechanism to guide FAO’s strategic mission in Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
The Philippines: country gender assessment of agriculture and the rural sector
2018, 72 p.
This assessment identifies gender inequalities in access to critical productive resources, services and opportunities. At the same time, it highlights opportunities for promoting gender equality.
Sri Lanka: Country gender assessment of agriculture and the rural sector
2018, 88p.
This assessment involved a comprehensive des review and a gap analysis and field work with focus groups, stakeholder discussions, interviews and observations.
Pakistan: Women in agriculture in Pakistan
2015, 156p.
This report highlights overall status, challenges and contribution of women in sub sectors of agriculture and gives a road map for further improving these across the four provinces and three regions of Pakistan.