Agroforestry & Sustainable Vegetable Production in Southeast Asian Watersheds Vietnam, Indonesia & Philippines GENDER COMPONENT

Gender Pointpersons Vietnam - Le Thanh Loan Indonesia – Herien Puspawati Philippines – Ma. Elena Chiong-Javier and Jean Saludadez

Research Objective Provide mechanisms to ensure women’s involvement in decisions and practices concerning sustainable production and marketing to improve their socioeconomic wellbeing within the vegetable-agroforestry system.

Research Methodology Quantitative & Qualitative  Gender Baseline Surveys (VIP)  Focus Group Discussions (IP)  Document review (P)

Gender Role Analysis Land preparation V-generally both women and men; for veggies, mainly women (53%) IP- mainly men (94-97%) Planting VIP-mainly men (50-77%) V – veggies mainly women (93%) Crop management/maintenance/weeding V – both men and women (50%); except veggies, mainly women (93%) IP –mainly men (68-79%)

Gender roles… Fertilizer application V-mainly men/both men and women (47/40%); except veggies mainly women (93%) IP-mainly men (87-92%) Pest control/pesticide application V-mainly men (65%); for veggies, mainly women (43%) I-no data P-mainly men (95%)

Gender roles… Harvesting V-both men and women (56%); except veggies mainly women (80%) IP-mainly men (73-84%) Marketing V-both men and women (55%) I-mainly men P-mainly women (53%)

Gender roles… Farm-level decisions VP-mainly men (64/58%) Decision to purchase farm inputs VIP-mainly men (58%/82%/66%) Organizational participation VIP-mainly men (excepting women’s groups; 78%/ 91%/69-100% for farmers’ assn, Landcare, forest guards) Participation in training, extension VIP-mainly men (85%/86%/54-58%)

Synthesis and some implications Men dominate the farm production sphere, women control the reproductive domain. Women who help in the farm are already double- burdened. Care should be taken that their project involvement will not add to their burden.

Synthesis/implications… Women’s situation in the three countries vary and strategies developed to involve women for their benefit should take this into account. Most Indonesian women do not think it is their concern; they are more interested in home financial management trainings. Few Vietnamese women are involved since vegetable production is more for home consumption. This concern may be channeled to producing indigenous vegetables in home gardens for the family’s health and nutritional enhancement. Most Filipino women are interested in marketing vegetables, especially their own produce. Linking them to market information and standards that affect market pricing may be a strategy. Those actively farming will have different needs.

What next? Bringing the information back to women through validation and participatory planning workshops. Provision for gender awareness-raising sessions for both men and women will be made if deemed necessary and for helping address gender needs through leveraging and linkaging.

What next… Analysis of data on women organizations and identifying how these can be tapped for women’s benefit Determining the effects of technological (VIDIN) inputs on women Gender publications Institutional publication/country In ISI/peer-reviewed journals (for cross-country analysis)

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