Globalization:Gender Mainstreaming in

Agriculture and Rural Development

Zafarullah Khan

1. Introducing 1. Introducing GlobalizationGlobalizationIt is not a new concept but now buzz

word"Globalization" is a contested concept

that refers to sometimes contradictory social processes.

Bin Laden example: he denounced forces of modernity but he was entirely dependent on advanced forms of technology.

chain of global interdependencies and interconnections made possible instant broadcast of OBL speech to a global audience.

o It is globality: a social condition characterized by the existence of global economic, political, cultural, and environmental interconnections and flows that make many of the currently existing borders and boundaries irrelevant.

o Globalization should be used to refer to a set of social processes that are thought to transform our present social condition into one of globality.

intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa.

processes which embody transformation in spatial organization of social relations and transactions - assessed in terms of their extensity, intensity, velocity and impact-generating transcontinental or interregional flows etc.

Refers both to compression of world and intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole.

Globalization compresses the time and space aspects of social relations.

Four distinct characteristics Four distinct characteristics

I. creation of new and multiplication of existing social networks and activities that increasingly overcome traditional political, economic, cultural, and geographical boundaries.

II. expansion and the stretching of social relations, activities, and interdependencies. Today's financial markets stretch around the globe, and electronic trading around t clock.

I. intensification and acceleration of social exchanges and activities. Internet relays distant information in mere seconds: rise of global network society

II.creation, expansion, and intensification of social interconnections and interdependencies are also at subjective plane of human consciousness.

2. Major Characteristics of G2. Major Characteristics of G

1.International institutions :Internationalism,

2.Global financial architecture3.Regionalism: EU4. Rise of neo-liberalism: Thatcherism,

Reagonomics 5.ICT6.MNC7.FDI8.End of history syndrome

Neo-liberalism advocated:Neo-liberalism advocated:

1.Privatization of public enterprises2.Deregulation of economy3.Liberalization of trade and

industry4.Massive tax cuts5.Low inflation at risk of

unemployment

6. Strict control on organized labour7. Reduction of social expenditure8. Down sizing of government9. Expansion of international markets10.Removal of controls on global

financial flows

3. Globalization3. Globalization’’s negative effects s negative effects on genderon gender

globalization have deeply impacted lives of men and women of all ages, nationalities, social classes and ethnicities.

Economic liberalization are criticized as being, anti-poor, anti-gender.

Globalization and its discontents: “global justice”

Macroeconomic policies, in general, and fiscal policies, in particular, contain many gender biases.

“gender-budget initiatives”, have uncovered many gender biases in public spending and methods of raising revenue.

Reductions in social programs have been disproportionately harmful for women and girls,

Excess of female over male mortality rate ….estimate of 100 million “missing women” worldwide, linked to gender biases

Women and girls are more adversely affected by a lack of access to clean water.

Reduction in the mere size of the public sector reduces employment for women

increased informalization of labour use, and a trend towards the more flexible use of labour, with profound implications for gendered patterns of paid work.

More employment for women have occurred in EPZs, ..characterized by long hours, job insecurity and unhealthy working conditions

trade liberalization may in fact have jeopardized women’s livelihoods and well-being in agriculture-based economies

in many sub-Saharan African countries, trade liberalization led to more production of cash crops. Women in food crops

import competition leads to unemployment in informal work, among small farmers, and among low-skilled workers, poor women suffer.

world trading regime, which remains biased against the economies of South in general

In agriculture, textiles Multifibre Agreement (MFA), has limited expansion of manufacturing exports,

so is biased against expansion of women’s employment and livelihoods in South.

4. New development paradigm4. New development paradigm

Since 1990s: emergence of human development paradigm and concept of human poverty have led to a profound transformation in way development is conceptualized

Gender equality is recognized as an integral aspect of development:

Beijing Platform for Action and MDGs people-centred approaches to development

have made considerable headway.

There has been a shift from emphasis on

growth and efficiency as the goals and measures of “economic development”,

to well-being, equity, dignity and fundamental human freedoms to develop and realize human potential,

5. Role of Women in Agriculture5. Role of Women in Agriculture

Women have always played an important role in agriculture, undertaking a wide range of activities relating to food production, processing and marketing.

Women provide 50–60 per cent of the labour input, increasing to 80 per cent in paddy and rice production.

Key role played by women in agriculture was largely unacknowledged .

Situation has changed over last two or three decades.

Empowerment of women engaged in farming is gathering pace in developing world.

These advances may be under threat from such factors SAP, drive to commercialise agriculture and retreat of government from rural development

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979)Discrimination Against Women (1979)

equality between women and men, Article 14 focuses on rights of rural women. Governments agree to:

take into account particular problems faced by rural women

to eliminate discrimination against women in rural areas

to ensure that they participate in and benefit from rural development.

Beijing Platform for Action, 1995Beijing Platform for Action, 1995

Beijing Platform for Action, 1995, has moved the debate forward and identified priority areas where action should be focused to achieve measurable gains.

Five main gender issues in agriculture and rural Five main gender issues in agriculture and rural development sectordevelopment sector::

1. Equal access to land and water resources, and to credit and other support services

2. Gender differences in roles and activities

3. Gender and agricultural extension and research;

4. Gender, agricultural biodiversity and commercialization; and

5. Women’s empowerment and equal access to decision-making.

6. Gender MainstreamingGM is current international approach to

advancing gender equality and equity in society. it involves incorporating a gender perspective into

all policies, plans, programmes and projects to ensure that these impact on women and men in an equitable way.

Gender mainstreaming has developed out of a major shift in focus of efforts to promote gender equality and equity in recent years.

advancement of gender equality and equity regardless of whether it is women or men who are disadvantaged and whose position needs to be addressed.

Shift from women in development (WID) towards gender and development (GAD) approach.

GAD framework:GAD framework:

recognition that women and men have different and special needs;

recognition that women cannot be effectively treated as a homogeneous group because race/ethnicity, class, age, disability

differences among women and between women and men;

recognition that women tend to be disadvantaged but also that some women are more privileged than some men;

recognition of the systemic and structural nature of inequality;

process whereby development interventions work towards women’s and men’s increased empowerment and equality;

Gender mainstreaming strategy focuses on fact that women and men have different life courses and that development policies affect them differently.

It addresses these differences by taking gender into account in development planning at all levels

Its focus is less on providing equal treatment for men and women and more on taking whatever steps are necessary to ensure that men and women benefit equally.

7. Recommendations

1. Increasing rural women1. Increasing rural women’’s s access to land and water access to land and water resources, credit services and resources, credit services and entrepreneurshipentrepreneurship trainingtraining

1.

We shall:We shall:

Reform land tenure legislation to fully considers needs of women farmers, female-headed households.

Preserve women’s traditional or communal land rights through non-discriminatory registration and titling.

Amend or adopt legislation to ensure that women can own and inherit land.

Give women farmer fair treatment in the allocation of land following any resettlement.

Prevent women being disadvantaged in land and water allocations in irrigation schemes.

Simplify lending processes so that illiterate and semi-literate rural women can effectively make use of credit facilities.

Enact legislation to ensure that there are no restrictive procedures for borrowing, e.g. regarding collateral, with which women cannot comply.

Build on women’s indigenous savings and credit associations.

Provide non-formal skills development training for women in agro-business entrepreneurship and extension support services, including market outlets, backed where necessary by functional literacy programmes.

Promote agricultural credit programmes, which lead to new areas of productive activity for women, e.g. agro-based processing and marketing of produce

2. Ensuring agricultural policies & programs are sensitive to gender differences in roles and activities

We shall:We shall:ln policy statements shall explicitly

mention strategies for enhancing women’s participation, productivity and access to resources and market.

Ensure that all statistical data is sex-disaggregated, reflecting women’s and men’s participation in agricultural production.

Ensure that budget allocations to agriculture sector specify unambiguously percentage of funding that should be used to address specific needs of women farmers

Undertake studies on gender impact of existing agricultural policies on women farmers

Set targets for women’s participation in planning, implementing and evaluation stages of all programmes

Design new interventions aimed at improving nutritional status of women and children

Use a holistic approach, developing and disseminating women-friendly technologies to increase farm productivity, family income and employment opportunities

3. Ensuring that agricultural research and extension programs are gender-sensitive

We shall:We shall:

Encourage governments and commercial organizations to recruit talented female field workers.

Redesign the training curricula of extension workers so as to include awareness- building concerning the role of women in agriculture and community-based farming systems.

Set targets for participation of women farmers in extension activities and hold meetings at convenient locations and times with provision of child-care facilities.

Provide training in gender issues to agricultural researchers so that they can prepare gender-sensitive technical innovations appropriate and acceptable to women.

Set research agenda taking account of different research interests and needs of women and men.

 Encourage emergence of self-help groups, which can actively promote issues, including women’s concerns, and influence government.

4. Increasing gender awareness in the commercialization of agriculture

We shall:We shall:

Undertake special measures to improve women’s access to dealers’ development and agri-business programs.

Undertake location-specific and needs-based research on food processing and preservation technologies.

 Focus on the growth potential of such areas as intensified vegetable production, home-based livestock and poultry raising, pond fish farming

Provide production inputs at conveniently accessible points for increased production and productivity.

5. Increase women’s empowerment and access to decision-making

We shall:We shall:Undertake research projects on ways in

which community groups can effectively build capacity in decision-making among women in rural areas.

Promote the equal participation of women in highly skilled jobs and senior management positions in agricultural research and technological innovation.

Advocate and lobby for use of sex-disaggregated data in all statistical information relating to agricultural and rural development

Establish a Task Force led by the Ministry of Agriculture to facilitate role of women in agriculture

Establish Gender Focal Points in Ministry of Agriculture for the effective co-ordination and monitoring of all agricultural programs.

Organize training to enhance gender awareness

mobilize support for agricultural policies and programs aiming to establish gender equity and bring women into mainstream of agricultural development.

Incorporate appropriate curricula in various levels of educational programmes

in order to orient girls and young women towards adoption of agriculture as a profession or business.

THANKS