Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

We would like to thank all the people working in different institutions and countries who already contributed to the discussion on the relevance of mainstreaming gender equality issues for sustainable soil management.

We were glad to see that there is an increasing interest to analyze the complex relationship between environmental and social issues, and how this affects the management of soil and other natural resources. Soil is a non-renewable natural resource that provides multiple ecosystem goods and services, and is a crucial source of food and biomass. This is why proper soil management is essential for the success of environmental and agricultural policies, for the welfare of the population and for reducing conflicts related to natural resources management.

There is a general consensus that sustainable land use and management is the responsibility of everyone, with an increasing recognition that women play a fundamental role in soil management, by participating in family farming and in the entire food production process. Nevertheless, their crucial roles are considered often as support to men and not fully recognized, and are related to the structural transformation of the family, especially in rural communities. Some people have highlighted that women are more concerned with soil conservation, while men often look more at soil exploitation.

Gender inequalities in agriculture and food security remain considerable and require urgent action to ensure women’s equal participation in the sustainable management of soils and in the reduction of soil degradation. In this discussion, several people have also suggested to look at the intersectional identities of women and men, including class, ethnicity, age and status.

A long list of gender-based constraints was identified and many interesting suggestions were made on how to better involve women and youth in soil management, soil conservation and soil health, by investing in their knowledge and skills, providing them with equal access to technologies and practices, promoting collective action, increasing their access to extension and financial services, and labour markets, among many others.

We also acknowledge the recommendations to focus on women’s empowerment, by building their agency, changing relations and transforming structures, addressing systemic gender gaps in resources and capacities to sustainably manage the soil, and providing women with incentives to adopt a sustainable soil management or conservation practice (as indicated by the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management). Some interesting information was also shared on country initiatives, such as Micronesia where the “taro patches” play an important socio-cultural role to ensure appropriate drainage and soil quality, and are owned by women as guardians of these resources, by adding compost and seaweeds to maintain soil nutrients. In the Pacific islands, to respond to serious threats of climate change to food security, schools are inserting “learning gardens” to introduce innovative agriculture techniques.

We hope to receive in the coming days some additional ideas and recommendations that can help us in developing the Guide on Gender and sustainable soil management.

Ilaria Sisto and Ronald Vargas

Dear sir/madam,

In the pre green revolution period women and men have a more or less equal role in soil and land management especially in the post-harvest and non-cropping seasons like removal of perennial weeds and stones, strengthening the bunds, application of FYM and tank silts etc along with a selection of crops and cropping system in the main sowing season. The associated traditional knowledge of soil properties was also rich and gendered. However, after the introduction of chemical fertilizers and intensive farming, the role of women in soil health management has been changing with lesser roles and decision-making power. This is the prevailing scenario irrespective of the ownership of land. Even though women have access to land, adoption of improved technologies is largely constrained by the limited access to recent technologies, institutional linkages to avail inputs and services, social norms that restricts her interaction with outside male service providers and restricted mobility. But this inequality continues now in the context of feminization of labour forces and management in farming in the context of men moving to non-farm livelihoods. This has implications on soil fertility and overall health.

Regards

Rengalakshmi

Gender Equality in Land Management

The meaning of gender mainstreaming is understood as an effort to increase the equality of the rights of each person, regardless of gender, age and ethnicity. Included in the management of land management. In the concept of the project the ideals of the realization of gender equality as a target of target utilization are arranged in such a way as something that will be seen surface when the project is implemented and of course the most important thing is seen when measured regularly. But sometimes, many people forget that something that wants to be surfaced must have a strong basic support and aim equally at all aspects and levels.

To that end, before we roll into the details of the activities of the expectations we want so that gender equality is seen on the surface, the most important thing is the agreement of the implementation and project management team about the standards to be achieved, the agreement that it is true that everyone has the right to have equal access, participation, benefits and control . This agreement must be agreed upon not just written on the agreement, proposal or project guide but really agreed as a common goal and goal in the name of justice for all.

In land management, which is generally in developing countries, the closest to the profession or business in agriculture, social, cultural, norms, beliefs, community psychology, are the basic things that support what on the surface we call gender characteristics. Another support that will affect the gap is the economic level, where those who have higher resources and socioeconomic levels are easier to control the weak.

Government policies that encourage agricultural development in groups lead to positive and negative things. The gap between land users is still very high, especially for marginal groups such as small farmers, women, youth, and others. Women and youth, yes, they are finally given a little space to have control over land management, but once faced with group decision making, their voices are dim. While land management is generally agreed upon by group decisions.

Finally, membership, management, or usefulness arrangements move in such a way because of the desire to survive, where the strong will survive the weak will be eliminated. In this situation the gap will be clearly seen where generally the ones who control land management or agricultural activities are individuals who have power over the others. Compounded by the state agency or even the government itself does not see the surface of the problem but rather what is seen based on data on paper. As a result, efforts to regulate land management will be a program that is not well targeted.

In an effort to carry out gender equality efforts at every level, it is very important to pay attention to the social, cultural characteristics and all elements that influence and the approach given will differ from one another with the same goal. In other words, targeting accuracy is also the key to the realization of the ideals of gender equality in land management.

Therefore, there are several important stages in gender mainstreaming efforts in land management.

1. Gender equality must be a definitive goal, not implicit.
2. Commitments stated in the agreement on land management that every individual has the same rights in land management. It doesn't have to referring to group decisions.
3. Regulations that land management is not intended for exploitative matters, subjectivity towards marginal groups, women and children or people with disabilities, and matters that can damage the environment.
4. There must be a special budget to equalize perceptions and build gender awareness for all levels of the organizations involved. And this must be decided at the higher level, for example donors, not by the local government.
5. Gender Awareness is given at every level / stakeholder / government / non-government. The facilitator is the main target that is built on gender awareness considering that it is the closest to the land manager. This activity must be agreed by all parties involved in the program related to land management.
6. Identification of targets clearly and accurately based on data in the field. For example, landowners, both managers and not managers of land management must be involved in the socialization.
7. Supporting activities or activities, including rewards, championships, youth capacity building and others.

CARE’s experience has shown that women act as catalysts for change, galvanizing positive effects for those around them. Inequitable social and gender norm barriers impact power structures in households and communities, and women are denied access to resources and knowledge that are instrumental to increase food security. Simultaneously, women are 43% of the farming work force in developing countries, and specifically addressing gender and social barriers improves their chances to sustainably address food insecurity (FAO).

CARE uses a gender-sensitive Farmer Field Business School that addresses harmful inequities head on. The FFBS is a participatory, women-focused extension approach that helps farmers build skills necessary to increase production, access markets, collaborate with each other,  and engage in beneficial and efficient decision making. It also transforms the status and recognition of women by providing the support they require to be successful farmers, business-people, leaders, and agents of change. Evidence shows that participation in the FFBS builds women’s self-confidence and expands their autonomy; reduces gender-based violence; and engenders respect from their families and communities towards them.

Women all-too-often have limited access to knowledge and capacity building Sustainable soil management creates favorable conditions for good crop growth, seed germination, emergent root growth, plant development, crop maturity and formation, and harvest. Sustainable soil management, increased food production and gender equity are inextricably linked together, and the Farmer Field Business School model specifically trains women and men farmers on soil structure, soil moisture, water infiltration, mulching, erosion, weeds, soil organisms, and cover crops, among other topics.

To promote gender equality and women's empowerment, there is need for information gathering, sharing and capacity building in terms of trainings and consultuations at community level. This will translate to behavioural change and improved farming practices, and better soil management and conservation. Capacy building and strenghtening should be focused at community level, since there is a huge disconnect between policy and implementation and policy translation into the lives of women.

Gender is a major connect between sustainable soil use and conservation, since most of the post cultivation are often carried out by women and girls, i.e. planting, weeding, and harvesting. There is the need to critically examine weeding and post harvesting practices, to improve on the soil fertility. What happens to the weeds removed, are they gathered and burnt? or are they kept in the farm to be converted to manure, and replenish the soil. After harvesting the crops, what happens to the plant residue? Are they usually left in the farms to manure or gathered and burnt? There is need to teach women to improve on knowledge about soil health through traditional practices that have helped to keep the soil healthy for production despite years of use. Most families still use the inherited lands for Agricultural practices for decades, just by adopting mixed farming techniques, mixed croping, and other traditional practices.

Women and girls are usually not allowed in the community decision making process, and this is a major hinderance to not just women participation, but limits their voices. Women and girls at community level have peer groups, and inviting leaders of women groups to the discusions, conversations, consultations, and decision making at community level, will ensure that women's contributions count, and that women's impact can help improve food production leading to zero hunger.        

People-centered programming, there is the need to ask questions especially at community, farm, field level, to help inform decision and policy making. It has been the practice where decisions are made for women, not by women, and until we reverse this trend, we will keep eclising around the same old food shortages, hunger, malnutrition, and the likes.  

Sustainable soil management includes use of more organic fertilisers, like, vermi compost, which is becoming popular in Bangladesh now. Women can be involved in the production of vermi compost or simple organic compost type fertilisers, which will maintain the health of the soil.

More training can be organised for women for production of vermi compost and other compost type organic fertilisers. On the other hand vermi compost is more suitable for household vegetable cultivation, which is again handled by women.

Thanks.

Sustainable soil use and management are very much important for improving soil health and quality. To maintain, soil health we need to involve all stakeholders such as producers, consumers and the processing industries. I think everyone can contribute to sustaining soil management as well as soil quality. As we all know the slogan 'Fresh soil, Fresh food'. Therefore we can consider these options: 1) create awareness among the rural people (especially men) for sustainable soil use, management, and conservation (including soil fertility and health) and gender equality; 2) increase wage for women labour (specially in developing countries); 3) motivate the family leader (men) to encourage women to spend money independently in the resilient farming; 4) recycling organic wastes as fertilizer; 5) utilization of marginal biomass to produce biochar (at low temperature) as novel C-based fertilizer;  6) promote reforestation & aforestation in the degraded land; 7) application of women-friendly rules and regulations by the state/country.

English translation below

La prise en compte du genre suppose une convergence d'actions entre hommes et femmes dans la gestion des sols. L'action collective qui implique les deux permet une gestion plus rationnelle des ressources dont les sols. Le genre ne concerne pas seulement les femmes et c'est pourquoi les hommes doivent accepter de travailler avec les idées et propositions des femmes pour le bien être commun. Les sols sont à protéger et à gérer selon des décisions collectives qui prennent en compte les points de vue et opinions des hommes aussi bien que des femmes.

Gender mainstreaming implies that there must be a convergence of actions between men and women in soil management. Collective action involving both of them allows for more rational management of resources, including soil. Gender is not only a women's issue and therefore men must be willing to work with women's ideas and proposals for a common good. Soils must be protected and managed according to collective decisions which take into account the views and opinions of both men and women.

In our opinion sustainable soil management first needs to address the global algae bloom and HAB problems affecting rivers, lakes and oceans.  Decades of algae bloom research, testing and monitoring have not fixed any of these devastating problems.

Taking a holistic approach from point or non-point sources, immediate commercial algae bloom remediation and on-going maintenance should be a starting point. Unless there is real commercial remediation of rivers and lakes first along with on-going maintence we will only be throwing good money after bad.