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What is Feminization?
The term feminization of agriculture was first used by Boserup in 1970. Since then the trend has been increasing rapidly. In broad terms the feminization of agriculture refers to women’s increasing participation in the agricultural labor force whether as independent producers, as unremunerated family workers, or as agricultural wage workers. Women work not only in the fields and pastures, but also in agricultural processing and packing plants. An FAO document (1999:12-13) shows that while the proportion of the labour force working in agricultural increased, particularly in developing countries. In some regions such as Africa and Asia half of the labour force is women. This trend has been called the feminization of agriculture.
- An increase in women’s participation rates in the agricultural sector, either as self employed or as agricultural wage workers; in other words, an increase in the percentage of women who are economically active in rural areas.
- An increase in the percentage of women in the agricultural labor force relative to men, either because more women are working and/or because fewer men are working in agriculture.
Both women and men play critical roles in agriculture through the producing, processing and providing the food we eat. Rural women in particular are responsible of half of the world’s food production and produce between 60 and 80 percent of the food in developing counties. Yet despite their contribution to global food security. Women farmers are frequently underestimated and overlooked in development strategies.
Rural women are the main producers of the world’s staple crops:
Rice, wheat, maize, which provide up to 90 percent of the rural poor’s food intake, women sow weed, apply fertilizer and pesticide, harvest and thresh these crops. Their contribution to secondary crop production, such as legumes and vegetables is even greater. Grown mainly in home gardens, these crop provide essential nutrients and are often the only food available during the lean season or if the harvest fails. Women’s specialized knowledge about genetic resources for food and agriculture makes them essential custodians of agro-bioversity. In the livestock sector women feed and milk the larger animals while raising poultry and small animals such as sheep, goats, rabbits and guinea pigs. Rural women provide most of the labour for post-harvest activities taking responsibility for storage, stocking, processing and marketing.
Although rural women are performing an increasingly prominent role in agriculture they remain among the most disadvantaged lot of populations. War, the rural –to-urban migration of men in search of paid employment and rising mortalities attributed to HIV/AIDS has led to a rise in the numbers of female- headed households in the developed world. This ‘feminization of agriculture’ has placed a considerable burden on women’s capacity to produce, provide and prepare food in the face of already considerable obstacles.
FAO studies demonstrate that while women in most development countries are the mainstay of agriculture sectors, the farm labour force and systems (and day –to-day family subsistence) they have been the last to benefit from – or in some cases have been negatively affected by – prevailing economic growth and development processes.
Gender Bias and Gender Blindness Persist:
Farmers are still generally perceived as ‘male’ by policy- makers, development planners and agriculture service delivers. For this reason women find it more difficult than men to gain access to valuable resources such as land, credit and agriculture inputs, technology, extension, training and services that would enhance their production capacity. Despite the fact that women are the world’s principal food producers and providers, they remain ‘invisible’ partners in development. A lack of available gender disaggregated data means that women’s contribution to agriculture in particular is poorly understand and their specific needs ignored in development planning.
FAO recognizes that the empowerment of women is key to raising levels of nutrition, improving the production and distribution of food and agricultural products and enhancing the living condition of rural populations. FAO’s plan of action for women in development (1996-2001) ensures that gender concerns and women participants are integrated in all relevant FAO projects and activities. It aims to give women equal access to and control of land and other productive resources, increase their participation in decision – and policy –making, reduce their workloads and enhance their opportunities for paid employment and income.
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