Gender, value chains and sustainable tourism in Small Island Developing States
Due to their local knowledge of sustainable natural resource management and practices at the household and community levels, women, in particular, play essential roles in responding to climate-related challenges and shocks.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) include some of the world’s most remote countries that share a similar set of challenges, including susceptibility to natural disasters, limited resources and dependence on international trade, in addition to a common aspiration for sustainable development, improved living standards and the remediation of gender inequalities. Women represent 52 percent of the agricultural labour force in SIDS and are essential agents of change to ensure a shift to more efficient and climate-resilient food systems.
To contribute to the knowledge and evidence base on gender, agri-food value chain development and climate-resilient agriculture in SIDS, the Gender Team from FAO’s Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division recently organized a webinar within the framework of the Flexible Multi Partner Mechanism (FMM) Subprogramme, Empowering women in food systems and strengthening the local capacities and resilience of SIDS in the agri-food sector. This Subprogramme forms part of the FMM Programme, Resilience and Sustainable Food Systems.
This webinar, titled “Gender, value chains and sustainable tourism in SIDS”, showcased innovative practices that link gender equality, value chains, climate change and sustainable tourism in SIDS, and explored how multistakeholder partnerships can enable successful initiatives for empowering women in agribusiness.