The present work takes guidance from the FAO flagship publication, "The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2010-2011: Women in agriculture – Closing the gender gap for development" (FAO, 2011a). The SOFA report argues that, "despite the diversity in the roles and status of women in agriculture, the evidence and analysis...confirm that women face a surprisingly consistent gender gap in access to productive assets, inputs and services" and that closing this gender gap could result in significant gains "in terms of agricultural yields, agricultural production, food security and broader aspects of economic and social welfare" (FAO, 2011a: 4). The report presents empirical evidence from many countries to support these two arguments, while noting that the potential gains that should occur by closing the gender gap on input use "would vary by region depending on how many women are currently engaged in agriculture, how much production or land they control, and how wide a gender gap they face" (ibid: 5).

Proceedings of a Joint FAO/OECD WorkshopGlobally, climactic conditions are increasingly variable, and the intensity of their effects stronger. As climate change brings new uncertainties, risks and changes to already existing risks, one of the most efficient ways for agriculture to adapt is increasing its resilience. In April 2012, the joint FAO/OECD Workshop on "Building Resilience for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Agriculture Sector" was held to address these issues in different agro-ecological and socio-economic contexts, and to illustrate how building resilience is critical to adapting to climate change.