Gender in Agriculture

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) produced a 2011 report on women in agriculture with a clear and urgent message: agriculture under performs because half of all farmers women lack equal access to the resources and opportunities they need to be more productive. This book builds on the reports conclusions by providing, for a non-specialist audience, a compendium of what we know now about gender gaps in agriculture. The authors explore linkages among gender, assets, and agricultural development projects. They examine the current state of land tenure; womens access to markets, financial services, and rural employment; and gender differences in social capital and in vulnerability to poor nutrition and health. The book also looks at trends in agricultural research, development, and extension systems and in womens participation in research. The opening section summarizes the main messages of the 2011 FAO report and reviews how gender has been conceptualized in agriculture and how these concepts have changed in the past three decades. Topics covered include how demographic conditions such as household structure, age, and migration have affected gender relati