Rural Women and Science: Enabling and Excluding Factors Marcela Villarreal, Ph.D. Director Gender, Equity and Rural Development Division FAO Women in Science Bibliotheca Alexandrina, October 23-24, 2007

Focus on rural areas essential for effective science Societies advance at the speed of the slowest Source of knowledge (gendered) 75 percent of the world poor live in rural areas Women: Over-represented among the poor

Making Science benefit People EducationHealthPolicy Mechanisms of exclusion Mechanisms of exclusion

Top Five Causes of Death: U.S.A 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Heart Disease CancerStrokeRespiratory infections Accidents

Top Five Causes of Death: South & East Asia 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% Heart diseaseRespiratory infections StrokePerinatal conditions Tuberculosis

Top Five Causes of Death: Africa 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% HIV/AIDSMalariaRespiratory infections Diarrheal diseases Perinatal conditions

Days of work lost to disease, 2005 Source: calculated from WHO 2005

HIV and AIDS

Total: 39.4 (35.9 – 44.3) million Western & Central Europe [ – ] North Africa & Middle East [ – 1.5 million] Sub-Saharan Africa 25.4 million [23.4 – 28.4 million] Eastern Europe & Central Asia 1.4 million [ – 2.1 million] South & South-East Asia 7.1 million [4.4 – 10.6 million] Oceania [ – ] North America 1.0 million [ – 1.6 million] Caribbean [ – ] Latin America 1.7 million [1.3 – 2.2 million] East Asia 1.1 million [ – 1.8 million] Source: UNAIDS Adults and children estimated to be living with HIV as of end 2004

HIV prevalence in adults in sub-Saharan Africa, – 39% 10 – 20% 5 – 10% 1 – 5% 0 – 1% trend data unavailable outside region Source: UNAIDS/WHO 2002

HIV/AIDS affects Food Security Loss of agricultural labour Impoverishment of household Loss of knowledge and skills Children taken out of school Children taken out of school Institutions Institutions Plant diversity, genetic resources Plant diversity, genetic resources Social safety nets undermined

Impacts of HIV/AIDS Decline in land cultivated and range of crops Increase in cost of hired labour Deflated land prices Shift to less labour-intensive crops Decreased agricultural productivity Increased malnutrition Increased food insecurity Rural development undermined

Gender and land in sub-Saharan Africa Land rights governed by social institutions such as marriage Levirat: protects male rights to land Levirat: protects male rights to land Type of marriage Type of marriage Male privileges on land Customary prevails over formal

HIV/AIDS impacts on land loss of land rights including inheritance rights shifts in tenure distress sales and shifts in ownership changes in land use: significant decreases in amounts of land cultivated significant decreases in amounts of land cultivated shifts in the types of crops cultivated shifts in the types of crops cultivated

Zambia: Household Membership in Cooperatives Source: FAO, 2003

Zambia: Average Land Size by Household Type Hectares Source: FAO, 2003

Uganda: % change in land cultivated, selected cash and food crops ( ) % (Source: FAO, 2003) Food Cash

What to do? Understand mechanisms of exclusion Address them in policy making Link agricultural research with adoption taking into account the specificities of the population: rural, gender, indigenous Safeguard local and indigenous knowledge Formulate specific policy to ensure that rural women will benefit (need data)

Thank you

Agriculture Sector strategy Agriculture Sector strategy REDUCTION OF VULNERABILITY, UNDERLYING CAUSES Labour saving technologies and practices Low input agriculture; new varieties Knowledge systems (orphans)  Gender issues in particular access to land  Nutrition and food interventions Innovative micro-finance activities in the rural sector Capacity building of relevant local and national institutions (including CSOs and MoA)

What to do? Research gender, land and HIV/AIDS in different contexts Promote the formulation, adoption and enforcement of statutory law that ensures gender equality in the access to, ownership of and right to inherit land Ensure equal rights regardless of the type of marriage Improve public policy to reach more effectively the most vulnerable Promote the legal empowerment of rural women and orphans Promote community based approaches that create or reinforce self-esteem and other life skills