The meeting’s purpose was to explore women’s role in rice-based livelihood systems set in the context of globalisation and changing technologies in agriculture. Regional experts representing diverse technical backgrounds and professional expertise and experience provided a common knowledge base on gender dimensions in rice-based livelihood systems. These multidisciplinary perspectives contributed to recommendations for strategies to improve women’s situation in communities dependent on rice production.
Meeting objectives
The meeting’s objectives were
1. to assemble regional experts to explore gender issues in rice-based livelihood systems and riceintegrated livelihood systems in the milieu of accelerated economic globalisation, restructuring of national economies and emerging technologies;
2. to identify gender responsive approaches in research, training and technology extension to improve women’s access to technical knowledge and capacity building in rice-based and riceintegrated livelihood systems that will improve food security, alleviate poverty and expand economic alternatives;
3. to identify development programme priorities in rice livelihood systems and rice-integrated production systems that benefit poor women engaged in such systems of production; and
4. to recommend gender responsive strategies in rice-based and rice-integrated livelihood systems at national and regional levels that will achieve stable food security and reduction of poverty.
Meeting outcomes
The meeting’s outcomes were
1. recommendations to strengthen gender responsive strategies in rice-based and rice-integrated livelihood systems at national and regional levels that will achieve food security and reduction of poverty;
2. identification of regional initiatives to foster gender responsive technology transfer and livelihood options to complement the FAO/RAP regional priority in rice-based or riceintegrated production systems; and
3. publication of the consultation’s report as a major contribution by FAO to the International Year of Rice in the technical area of gender and development.
