Thirty-eighth session

14 May- 1 June 2007

Item 5 of the provisional agenda *

Implementation of article 21 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

Reports provided by specialized agencies of the United Nations system on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities

Note by the Secretary-General

Addendum

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

I.Niger

The population of the Niger was estimated to be approximately 12.4 million in 2004, of which 77 per cent were living in rural areas. Eight-seven per cent of the economically active population were working in agriculture.

Women in agriculture

The total share of female participation in the labour force in 2004 was 43 per cent, of which 97 per cent were working in agriculture. Of the total number of people economically active in agriculture, 48 per cent were women.

Activities for the empowerment of rural women and gender equality

The Telefood Campaign seeks to promote an increased awareness of the need to combat hunger and gender inequality. A Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) project in the Niger supplied goats, bought vaccines and antiparasitic products and gave advice on rearing animals to 140 families, including female-headed households, who were identified as those in most need of assistance. FAO supports a total of 10 projects, focusing mainly on fisheries, goat farming and groundnut production.

Through the Dimitra project, FAO collects detailed information on organizations and projects concerning rural women, food security and sustainable development, mainly in Africa and the Near East. By making this information available, the project aims to increase the visibility of rural women’s contribution to development using traditional means of communication and new information technologies. The Dimitra project seeks to increase gender awareness among development actors and to promote information exchange and dissemination. There are 47 organizations in the Niger listed in the Dimitra database and 151 projects engaged in a wide range of activities focusing on health education, herbal farming, basic education, microfinance and seedling production. In 2006, a workshop organized by ONG-VIE Kande Ni Bayra, the partner of the Dimitra project for the Sahel region, was held in Dosso. The workshop focused on the impact of rural women’s training on girl’s schools. The project was co-financed by Dimitra, FAO, the Belgian Cooperation, the Belgian Technical Cooperation, the Swiss Cooperation, the Canadian Cooperation and the United Nations Population Fund.

The Socio-economic and Gender Analysis Programme seeks to raise awareness and build the capacity of development specialists to integrate socio-economic and gender issues in development policies, programmes and projects, in order that all development strategies take into account the different needs and priorities of men and women. In 2003, a socio-economic and gender analysis sensitization workshop was held for development specialists to create an awareness of gender issues in the context of agricultural and rural development issues.

Since 2003, the FAO Regional Office for Africa has been providing training in gender analysis to interviewers and supervisors, developing relevant tools and assisting with the analysis of sex-disaggregated data in order to ensure the integration of gender concerns in the agricultural and livestock census.

II.Mauritania

The population of Mauritania was estimated to be approximately 2.9 million in 2004,1 of which 37 per cent were living in rural areas. Fifty-two per cent of the economically active population were working in agriculture.

Women in agriculture

The total share of female participation in the labour force in 2004 was 44 per cent, of which 63 per cent were working in agriculture. Of the total number of people economically active in agriculture, 53 per cent were women.

Activities for the empowerment of rural women and gender equality

Through the Telefood Campaign, a FAO project in Mauritania supported a fishing cooperative in the capital, Nouakchott. Fifty women were taught how to process and dry fish. FAO supports a total of 19 projects that focus on poultry raising and establishing fruit and vegetable gardens.

There are 20 organizations in Mauritania listed in the Dimitra database and these organizations are engaged in 42 projects that benefit rural women. The projects vary in scope and cover a broad set of issues such as literacy training, community training in nutrition and technical support to fisherwomen.

III.Mozambique

The population of Mozambique was estimated to be approximately 19 million in 2004,1 of which 63 per cent were living in rural areas. Eighty per cent of the economically active population were working in agriculture.

Women in agriculture

The total share of female participation in the labour force in 2004 was 51 per cent, of which 95 per cent were working in agriculture. Of the total number of people economically active in agriculture, 60 per cent were women.

Activities for the empowerment of rural women and gender equality

Through the Telefood Campaign, FAO has supported seven projects in Mozambique, focusing mainly on horticulture production and fisheries.

There are 18 organizations in Mozambique listed in the Dimitra database and 56 projects engaged in a wide range of activities focusing on health care, animal husbandry, family planning, beekeeping, literacy training, sewing and cooking courses and HIV/AIDS programmes.

Through the Socio-economic and Gender Analysis Programme, since 2003, there have been four workshops on the training of trainers and the collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated data. Over 80 development specialists were trained.

An ongoing study is carried out in collaboration with the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, focusing on market chain analysis of Trichilia emetica (mafurra) from the production phase to consumption. The study sought to understand whether the development of market chains could improve income generation for women and the sustainable management of agrobiodiversity.

The LinKS project on gender, biodiversity and local knowledge systems for food security sought to raise awareness on how rural men and women used and managed biological diversity and promoted the importance of local knowledge for food security and sustainable agrobiodiversity. The project explored the links between local knowledge systems, gender roles and relationships, food provision and the conservation and management of agrobiodiversity. From 2000 to 2005, it has carried out numerous research and training activities, including a training of trainers workshop on agrobiodiversity, gender and local knowledge, which trained development specialists in Mozambique.

In collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, some participatory assessments were undertaken in three countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, including Mozambique, to produce and field test a sourcebook, toolkit for practitioners, collection of market environment case studies and, in 2002, a synthesis report on gender and poverty-targeting in market linkage operations.

In 2005, under the project “Ensuring protection for women’s and girls’ property and inheritance rights”, specific studies were carried out, focusing on the impact of HIV/AIDS and providing recommendations to strengthen the policy environment. The main objectives of this project were to assess the gender and HIV/AIDS situation in Mozambique; to support the development, implementation and monitoring of a comprehensive multisectoral plan of action; and to support the development of a national advocacy campaign on women, girls and HIV/AIDS.

In 2003, international policy review workshops were held in Mozambique to address the linkages between agricultural policy and HIV/AIDS. The workshop brought together policymakers and planners from nine African countries (including several least developed countries), Europe and the United States of America. The scope of these workshops were to identify how agricultural and food security policy could play a catalytic role in preventing the spread of HIV and mitigate the impact of the epidemic and to explore the adjustments needed to ensure the continued relevance and sustainability of agricultural and food security policies.

FAO, in collaboration with World Food Programme and other partners, launched several Junior and Adult Farmer Field and Life Schools. These schools are designed specifically for orphans and other vulnerable children, especially those resulting from the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools aim at imparting agricultural knowledge, entrepreneurial skills and life skills to orphans and vulnerable children between 12 and 18 years of age to enable them to grow up as independent, conscientious and enterprising citizens. Such knowledge and skills are intended to bring economic empowerment to the youth, and to help them become responsible citizens with positive values in respect to gender and human rights. In addition the Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools address issues such as HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, gender sensitivity, child protection, psychosocial support, nutritional education and business skills. Every effort is made to ensure that the different needs of boys and girls are identified and met. There are currently 28 Junior Farmer Field and Life schools in Mozambique. The Adult Farmer Field and Life Schools target poor households affected by HIV/AIDS, with a special emphasis on women-headed households. These Schools aim at imparting knowledge and skills to groups of male and female farmers that will enhance their agricultural production, household food security and income. In addition, the Schools are intended to strengthen rural men’s and women’s understanding of how their socio-economic vulnerability leads to risk-taking behaviour, to prevent adverse social and economic effects from HIV/AIDS and other threats in the communities and to establish a farmer network that addresses local issues in the interest of sustainable livelihoods. The Adult Farmer Field and Life Schools also address issues related to the property and inheritance rights of women and girls, cultural norms about masculinity and femininity and power relationships between men and women.

From 2003 to 2004, the FAO Regional Office for Africa supported the preparation of a case study on the integration of gender concerns, which was incorporated in the previous agricultural census and subsequently included in the lessons learned in Africa on agricultural censuses and gender.

IV.Pakistan

The population of Pakistan was estimated to be approximately 157.3 million in 2004,1 of which 66 per cent were living in rural areas. Forty-five per cent of the economically active population were working in agriculture.

Women in agriculture

The total share of female participation in the labour force in 2004 was 31 per cent, of which 62 per cent were working in agriculture. Of the total number of people economically active in agriculture, 43 per cent were women.

Activities for the empowerment of rural women and gender equality

Through the Telefood Campaign, FAO has supported 12 projects in Pakistan, focusing mainly on freshwater fishing, goat farming, establishing school gardens and promoting small-scale poultry keeping.

There is one organization in Pakistan listed in the Dimitra database and 11 projects engaged in a wide range of activities focusing on health education, rehabilitation and development and microentrepreneurship programmes.

Under the Integrated Pest Management programme, FAO is carrying out an activity that addresses the health concerns of women farmers who work in cotton production.

In partnership with the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme, a project on “Project preparation and capacity-building in support of the water sector improvement programme in Sindh Province” is being carried out. The project seeks to improve the efficiency, reliability and equity of irrigation water distribution in the three Area Water Boards, Ghotki, Nara and Left Bank. More specifically, the project seeks to broaden the institutional reforms that are already under way in Sindh; improve the irrigation system in a systematic way covering key hydraulic infrastructure, main and branch canals, and distributaries and minors; and enhance the long-term sustainability of the irrigation system through participatory irrigation management and developing institutions for improving the operation and maintenance of the system. The improved water management will increase agricultural production, employment and incomes. The specific objectives are to ensure that the different needs and priorities of men and women are adequately addressed so that they can equally benefit; design actions to involve both men and women in the consultation processes and in the management and implementation of water-related services; and identify special activities for the empowerment of women, girls and the most marginalized socio-economic groups in the rural areas of Sindh Province.

V.Serbia

The population of Serbia and Montenegro was estimated to be approximately 10.5 million in 2004,1 of which 50 per cent were living in rural areas. Seventeen per cent of the economically active population were working in agriculture.

Women in agriculture

The total share of female participation in the labour force in 2004 was 43 per cent, of which 16 per cent were working in agriculture. Of the total number of people economically active in agriculture, 40 per cent were women.

Activities for the empowerment of rural women and gender equality

Through the Socio-economic and Gender Analysis programme, in 2004, a training of trainers workshop was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and Natura Balkanika. The scope of the workshop was to create a pool of trainers who would train other specialists in their respective institutions.

VI.Sierra Leone

Activities for the empowerment of rural women and gender equality

Through the Telefood Campaign, FAO has supported six projects in Sierra Leone, focusing mainly on livestock development and vegetable and fruit production.

There are 3,288 projects in Sierra Leone listed in the Dimitra database. The projects vary in scope, covering a broad range of issues such as literacy programmes, handicraft training, livestock development and other income-generating activities.

VII.Syrian Arab Republic

The population of the Syrian Arab Republic was estimated to be approximately 18.2 million in 2004,1 of which 50 per cent were living in rural areas. Twenty-six per cent of the economically active population were working in agriculture.

Women in agriculture

The total share of female participation in the labour force in 2004 was 28 per cent, of which 60 per cent were working in agriculture. Of the total number of people economically active in agriculture, 65 per cent were women.

Activities for the empowerment of rural women and gender equality

Through the Telefood Campaign, FAO has supported 13 projects in the Syrian Arab Republic, focusing mainly on poultry and beekeeping, home gardening and the development of small scale family enterprises of edible mushrooms.

There are 10 organizations in the Syrian Arab Republic listed in the Dimitra database and these organizations are engaged in 16 projects that benefit rural women. The projects vary in scope and cover a broad set of issues ranging from literacy and vocational training to microcredit programmes.

VIII.Vanuatu

The population of Vanuatu was estimated to be approximately 217,000 in 2004,1 of which 77 per cent were living in rural areas. Thirty-four per cent of the economically active population were working in agriculture.

Women in agriculture

The total share of female participation in the labour force in 2004 was 45 per cent, of which 34 per cent were working in agriculture. Of the total number of people economically active in agriculture, 45 per cent were women.

Activities for the empowerment of rural women and gender equality

Through the Telefood Campaign, FAO has supported six projects in Vanuatu, focusing mainly on poultry raising, banana production and fruit and vegetable gardening.

In collaboration with the National Statistics Office, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management and the Ministry of Agriculture, Quarantine, Forestry and Fisheries, FAO provided technical support to the agricultural census and statistics systems in order to generate data disaggregated by sex.