1. Empowering Women at the First Km Gender-Based Constraints and Opportunities for Agricultural Information

2. Current Situation

3. T he Work of Women

5. Constraints of Women Farmers Impacts of environmental degradation

6. Few Assets Land ownership Cash and marketing opportunities

7. Social constraints Low education levels Limited mobility

8. Gender relations Unequal power Patriarchy

9. Marginalization from extension services

10. Why does the current system fail women farmers? 1. Supply driven R and D systems

11. 2. Predominance of male extension agents

12. 3. Lack of organizational capacity for social and gender analysis Director Plant breeder AgronomistForester

13. 4. Few female professionals with skills and power to influence organizational policies, plans and budgets.

14. An alternative approach: Putting women farmers at the center

15. by p artnering professional and rural women to achieve gender equality in agricultural systems

16. Strategy : Build Women Champions For organizational change for advocacy

17. and for decision making at all levels.

18. HOW : Leadership for Women Provide training for professional and rural women on: Communication skills Negotiation skills Advocacy skills Confidence building Skills for agro-enterprise

19. HOW: Build Men’s Support Leadership training on how to support women leaders Encouraging heads of organizations to support organizational change

20. HOW: Build Enabling Environments through Organizational Change Build technical capacity in gender mainstreaming and social/gender analysis

21. Develop professionals to act as ‘brokers’ between the organizations and rural women’s groups

22. Develop organizational accountability through gender policies and structures

23. and develop supportive organizational cultures: changing norms, values and attitudes.