Forests and trees on farms are a direct source of food, cash income and a range of subsistence benefits for millions of people worldwide, but there are major differences in the benefits that accrue to men and women. Compared with men, women are frequently disadvantaged in their access to forest resources and economic opportunities in the forest sector due to the many interrelated factors. The differences between men and women in access to and use of forest products and services result in ggender disparities in, for example, access to and use of forest foods, fuelwood, and fodder for livestock; forest management; the marketing of forest and tree products; and participation in forest user groups. Some of these dimensions are expanded on in this paper. The information available to analyze gender differences in the forest sector is largely anecdotal (often from case studies), although several initiatives – including the FAO‐Finland Forestry Programme and FAO’s National Forest Monitoring and Assessment Programme - are under way to develop rigorous gender‐specific indicators to support forest policies and programmes. This document is background paper prepared  for the  International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition held at FAO HQ, Rome, 13–15 May, 2013.

Type of Case
Printed publication (book, sourcebook, journal article…)

Publisher
FAO

Region
Global

Biome
All

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
All