A Contemporary Global Agenda for Gender and Agriculture: Engendering Food and Nutrition Security

Lourdes S. Adriano
Chair, CoP Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Security 18 July 2012
The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.

Outline
Definition of food and nutrition security Context:
Food price trends: today up to 2021 Asian paradox (aplenty and hunger) Women of Asia

Message 1: Business case for increasing womens resources How Message 2: Takeaways for ADB

Food and Nutrition Security: definition

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preference for a healthy and active life.
Source: World food Economic summit, FAO, Rome, 1996

Global Food price trends, 1990-June 2012

Source: http://fao.org

Interlinked prices of food, grains, energy, agriculture

300.00

250.00

Nominal US dollars, 2005=100

200.00

Energy
150.00

Agriculture Food Grains

100.00

50.00

0.00

Source: World Bank Food Price Index

Supply and Demand drivers to food security

Supply
Demand

Lack of investments & policy constraints Resource constraints Environmental pressures Climate change
Agriculture is most vulnerable Major emitter of greenhouse gas emissions (14%)

Macro conditions Energy prices (fertilizers, ethanol, biodiesel)

Growing population Increasing incomes & shifting to protein-rich food; increased use of biofuels Urbanization: By 2026, more than 50% of Asians will live in cities; more will purchase rather than depend on homeproduced food

Prognosis for 2012-21 (OECD-FAO 2012)

Agriculture prices to remain at higher plateau, volatile, & interlinked with other commodities Agriculture production to grow but at slow pace (globally from 2.6%/year in 2002-11 down to 1.7%/year, which is > popn growth rate; per capita growth rate is 0.7%/year) Production shares of developing economies to expand (g.r. biggest for sugar, vegetable oils & protein meats; and lowest for rice & wheat) High food consumption growth especially protein foods Strong demand leads to increase in trade Asia & Pacific have highest cereal imports (49%) & only 25% of world grain exports

Asia, a region of paradox (aplenty and hunger) Rising and high growth rates; projected to be the global growth hub by 2050; yet today it is faced with: Poverty challenge Nutrition Security challenge
Home to 60% of the poor 40% of worlds poor reside in South Asia
Home to 62% of the worlds undernourished population 40% of worlds malnourished children and women are in South Asia Density of malnourished children under 5 years old ranges from 525 persons/km2 in most of South Asia, large parts of PRC, Indonesia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam

Requirements for food & nutrition security

FAO: By 2050, agriculture production will need to grow by 60% globally (~77% in developing economies) to cope with larger, more urban and wealthier population, and to raise average food consumption to 3,070 kcal/person/day
For that to happen, there is need for:
Improved and sustainable productivity with more efficient and less use of non-renewable resources Resilient production in face of natural and economic shocks Access and utilization of safe and nutritious food

Need to strengthen womens empowerment in agriculture sector and household level.

Yield gaps in Asia and Pacific

Actual yield (2005, % of economically attainable yield

Western Asia 51

Yield gap (%)

49

Central Asia
South Asia East Asia Southeast Asia Pacific
Source: OECD-FAO 2012, 62, Table 2.5

36
45 89 68 43

64
55 11 32 57

Women in agriculture are integral in reducing the yield gap.

Gender : major workforce in agriculture

Source: Bantilan, 2012, GCWA

Multiple roles of rural women

Food producers Storing, transporting, and marketing of food produce Food processors, preparers, and providers for their families as well as household care Buffer workforce and secondary earner Repositories of indigenous knowledge, & involved in the exchange & saving of seeds Custodian of household cash

Message 1: Business case for increasing womens resources

FAO (2011): if women had the same access to productive resources, they would increase yields on their farms by 30%, raise total agriculture output by 2.5%-4%, and improve food access. Sustainable use of water & land; greening agriculture growth Reduce food and waste losses (food chain impact) Innovative measures that increase womens resources (e.g., access to credit, increase girls educational attainment, & income transfers to women) have had positive effects on child nutrition, educational outcomes of children

Unsung guardians & their constraints

Gender asymmetries in land and water security Lack of access and control over resources, notably land but also income, agriculture inputs, technology, finances, extension services education and social capital Diverse gender gaps: long hours of work (3,485 hours/year/acre vs. 1,212 of man, 1,084 of a pair of bullocks; work in low-productivity & low-paying agriculture work Socio-cultural barriers (e.g., in South Asia, women have lowest status & less decisionmanking powers (Smith, et. al., 2003)

How (1):Land access & control for women

when the land is in the husbands name, I am only a worker. When it is in my name I have some position in society and my children and my husband respect me. So my responsibility is much greater to my own land and I take care of my fields like my children.
Excerpts from a woman in Nandkeda village, Maharashta

Impact of land control

Building land rights for women

Land rights for women must be Legitimate Unaffected by changes in social status Granted for an extended period of time Enforceable Exercisable without an additional layer of approval Country/Policy cases that worked
India: (i) land allocation & regulation, (ii) joint titling or titling of women only, (iii) land rights legal aid in communities; Odisha- within land department, training of officials PRC: (i) Including womens names on ownership documents (contracts & certificates) for 30 year use rights; (ii) womens names in land registry Others: Inheritance rights for women; land rights in both & private water schemes; usufruct rights legal literacy campaigns; technologies that increase demand for womens labor improve their bargaining power & strengthen their claim over land

N.B. Land use rights are not sufficient. Need to be complemented with support addressing constraints to access to productive resources & inputs, as well mindset change of both men & women
Source: LANDESA, 2012, GCWA

HOW (2): Women & water access

Multiple uses of water for women Household needs: drinking, hygiene & sanitation, cooking, laundry, general cleaning

Income generation: agriculture, livestock rearing, food, fisheries, processing & cleaning food
Source: IWMI, 2012, GCWA

Rethinking water infra using a womens lens

Agenda for action: women & water access Include women in infrastructure development & management Include women in discussion of water payment schemes Regular capacity building & training on water technologies, develop water-friendly equipment Land rights both in public & private water schemes joint titling

How (3):Technologies for women

Gender-sensitive technologies
Take into account the ergonomical features of agri women workers Characteristics of farm tools & equipment: reduce drudgery, increased use of inputs & natural resources, conserve energy, improve the quality of work & produce, increase incomes, nutritional security, and & enhance quality of life Training, prototype development, demonstrations, exhibitions, access to finance, e-e-extension, capacity building

Constraints
Need for private sector for commercialization & up- and outscaling (PPP schemes) Better extension schemes with women agri extension workers Social customs & taboos Incentives for innovators, market intelligence, policies on innovations Gender disaggregated data at local levels on ergonomical features Organizing women for technology generation, verification, adaption, adoption

Source: Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering Bhopal (CIAE)

Gender-based technologies that worked

How (4): Increase investments in agri R&D & women scientists

Total agri R&D staff, BANG & Nepal
Share of femal FTE researchers (%)

AWARD Program
Began in in 2008, AWARD is a highly competitive professional development program that offers 2-year scholarships on science skills, & leadership program for African women working in agriculture R&D. Funded by Bill & Melinda gates & USAID. Problem: sustainability of funding; getting private sector involved

100

80

60

40

20 2003 2009 2003 2009

Bangladesh

Nepal

Male

Female

In 2009, only 10% of R&D researchers were Nepalese women scientists, & 16% for BANG. There is also need for more women extension workers.; need for certification of women skills

How (5): Reduce climate change impact

Towards holistic but local- and context-specific, gender-based approach

Source: Agarwala, 2012, GCWA

Adapting agriculture w/ focus on women: examples

Capacity strengthening of rural women leaders; awareness raising on climate change Demonstration & use of climate adaptive technologies:
Weather forecasts through mobile phones Seed banks to respond to crop failures Vertical farming for managing stress

Source: Agarwala, 2012, GCWA

Inefficiencies: Postharvest losses

Ranges in PH operations in Southeast Asia
Physical losses in traditional postharvest chain

Cutting, handling

Manual threshing

Sun drying

Open storage

Village milling

1-5%

1-5%

3-5%

5-10%

20-30%

Small retailers

Crop

Quality losses resulting in 10-30% loss in value

Combine harvesting Mechanical drying Sealed storage Commercial milling

Consumption

Machine threshing

1-5%

1-5%

1-2%

1-2%

5-10%

Large retailers

Physical losses in mechanized postharvest chain

How (6): Equal access to resources from farm to fork

Self-Employed Womens Association (SEWA): established in 1972; now with over 1 million self-employed, poor women as members, 2/3s are rural based
Farm Level Access to finance (seasonal & long term for seeds, fertilizers, & other inputs) Capacity building: technical trainings, agriculture insurance, organic farming, etc. Bulk purchase of agri inputs (franchise arrangements) grain & seed banks at community levels (with technical expertise) Tools & equipment library; ICT Operation of mobile ration vans

Post-harvest & market links Development of agri allied activities (production of vermicompost fertilizers, value addition infrastructure (warehouses, cold storages) RUDI (rural distribution network): a multi-trading company (local procurement & sale; use of women for processing & packaging of goods)

Market linkages of women: BRAC

ADB project (National Crop Diversification Project): (i) Marketing for women of their high value crops & vegetables (ii) Processing & marketing of quality seed for rice, potato, & vegetable (iii) Developed Seed villages (thru Rural Devt Academy & funds from Ukaid, NORAD Helen Keller Project: group marketing for women farmers Use of mobile phones for marketing
Women contribution to agriculture ~ 59% Female participation in agriculture overtime (68%) versus males at 32%

Market linkages of women: Lus Fruit Mama Scheme

It is a scheme in PNG enabling the mamas to earn income & share in the benefits of the Oil Palm Industry Corporation.

It collects loose fruits & use special mama harvest card. From 35 at start, it now has 14,847 mamas registered., of whom 3/5s are paid thru banks.

Papa card

Mama card

C card & mobile card

Mama cards gains: income empowerment

How (7): metrics , assessment, & gender-based data

USAID, IFPRI, & OPHIs Womens Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEIA): measures womens roles & engagement in the agriculture sector; composite of 5 domains of empowerment for women & gender parity in empowerment within household (GPI)

GPI- measures the degree of inequality between women & men within the household

Indicators continued
Gender asset and wealth gap (H. Swaminathan) : provides incidence of asset ownership and distribution of gross asset worth by gender using 3 countries (India, Ghana, and Ecuador) OECDs Social Institutional and Gender Index (SIGI): measures social institutions that mirror societal practices and legal norms that produce inequalities between women and men. 5 subindices related to gender inequality: family code, civil liberties, physical integrity, son preference, and ownership rights

Message 2: Takeaways for ADB

Gender-aware policies:
Policy and regulatory reforms that enable land and water tenure rights to women & access to vital inputs & markets Incentive policies that signal real value of scarce resources Reforms that reduce the time & costs of getting new technologies in the market, IPRs without compromising the sharing of knowledge

Investments in storage, transport, electrification, information/communication systems

Takeaways for ADB

Investments in women capital development Strengthen agriculture innovation systems for women: rejuvenated agricultural, training, & extension programs for women rural scientists & farmer-entrepreneurs Increased knowledge intensity to take into account holistically food productivity, nutrition security, sustainability and gender sensitivity complements Investments in indices for gender effective M&E (gender disaggregated data at sector & household levels) Women engagement in project design, processing, & implementation of projects; multidisciplinary approach

Toward a more gender-empowered ADB Operational Plan for Sustainable Food Security (2013-2020)

Thank you.