The 2010-11 World Food and Nutrition Situation. Women in agriculture. Closing the gender gap for development

The 2010-11 State of Food and Agriculture, FAO's major annual flagship publication, addresses gender issues. Women make significant contributions to the rural economy in all developing country regions. Yet they consistently have less access than men to the resources and opportunities they need to be more productive. The first chapter provides a survey of the roles and status of women in agriculture and rural areas in different parts of the world. Chapter 3 documents the constraints facing women in agriculture across a range of assets. Chapter 4 surveys the economic evidence on the productivity of male and female farmers and estimates the gains that could be achieved by closing the gender gap in agricultural input use. Closing the gender gap in agricultural inputs alone could lift 100-150 million people out of hunger. Chapter 5 advances specific policies and programmes that can help close the gender gap in agriculture and rural employment. The focus is on interventions that alleviate constraints on agricultural productivity and rural development. Chapter 6 provides broader recommendations for closing the gender gap for development. No blueprint exists for closing the gender gap, but some principles should be respected and policy responses should be implemented in order to:

• eliminate discrimination against women in access to agricultural resources, education, extension and financial services, and labour markets.
• ensure that agricultural policies and programmes are gender-aware.
• make women's voices heard as equal partners for sustainable development.
• invest in labour-saving and productivity-enhancing technologies and infrastructure to free women's time for more productive activities.
• facilitate the participation of women in flexible, efficient and fair rural labour markets.