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The future role of women in organic plant breeding
Alessandra Galiè
PhD candidate, Wageningen University, NL Research Fellow, ICARDA
Supported by:Participatory Research and Gender Analysis (PRGA)
and Wageningen University
This presentation
• Aim: Present the findings of my research about women and participatory plant breeding (PPB) and show the importance of women in organic plant breeding (OPB)
• Structure: – Brief introduction to PPB, OPB and gender– Why women and OPB– Research problem – My research: Methodology, methods, findings and
analysis– Conclusions
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 1
My research is
A social impact assessment (SIA) of Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) and
women farmers in Syria
The SIA is complemented by a
system analysis that interlocks issues of rights, governance, and action research
with women farmers
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 2
Introductory concepts
Participatory plant breeding (PPB)
PPB and gender
Organic plant breeding (OPB) and gender
OPB principles and women
Participation of women in OPB
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 3
Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) is
the systematic and regular involvement of farmers
as decision-makers
in all stages of a plant breeding programme.
Crop varieties are produced reflecting
the agro-ecological, geographical and socio-cultural context
farmers live in and
the traits both men and women farmers need and prefer (Ceccarelli et al 2000)
Participatory Plant Breeding
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 4
In PPB crops are the product of:
Genotypes X agro-ecological environments X people
Gender issues because men and women might have different uses of crops that entail
specific knowledge, needs and varietal traits priorities
A gender-balanced PPB is necessary to achieve equity, efficiency and effectiveness
PPB and Gender
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 5
Agricultural practices are site-specific and culturally embedded:
participatory strategies are needed
Principles of fairness, care and effectiveness entail focus on:
• most marginal and poor areas of the world• most poor and marginal households and individuals
• most disadvantaged individuals in the farming system
A gender approach is needed to properly involve all these stakeholders
Organic Plant Breeding and Gender
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 6
OPB principles and Women
• Fairness: food sovereignty and poverty reduction
• Health: high quality and nutritious food
• Ecology: adaptation to local conditions and involvement of all stakeholders
• Care: local knowledge and experience
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 7
Participation of women is particularly relevant in OPB
• Women are much more likely than men to operate small scale farms and farms in marginal environments (Farnworth and Hutchings 2009: 2)
• Women have limited access to water, land and biodiversity
• Women have a central role in weed, pest and disease management
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 8
International recommendations
• Convention for Biological Diversity (1992)
• The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (2009)
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2008)
• FAO, WB and IFAD (2009)
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 9
Reality on the ground
Women worldwide are:
• Not acknowledged as farmers and natural resource managers (FAO, WB and IFAD 2009)
• Marginalised in resource access (CEDAW 2004)
• Excluded from participation in agricultural development and natural resource management (World Bank 2007)
• Disadvantaged in sharing benefits from natural resources and genetic material (FAO, WB and IFAD 2009)
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 10
Consequences of gender-blind Plant Breeding (PB) on:
• Progress towards poverty reduction
• Safeguarding local biodiversity
• Fair access to genetic resources and benefit sharing
• Social and gender justice
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 11
My researchConceptual framework
Women in the Syrian context
Research aim
Methodology
Methods and activities
Findings
Analysis and discussion
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 12
Conceptual framework
The core of social and gender justice is self-determination
Three pillars of self-determination are:
• Recognition
• Distribution of resources
• Opportunities
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 13
Women in the Syrian context
Syrian women are not recognised as:
– Farmers and natural resource managers
– Citizens equal to men
Women have been little addressed by
conventional agricultural development
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 14
Research aim• Baseline study to:
– Appreciate actual involvement of Syrian women in agronomic management
– Explore the recognition of their role in
agronomic management – Assess their control of and access to resources– Evaluate their access to opportunities
• Social impact assessment to:– Understand the impact of PPB on the recognition,
access to resources and opportunities of women farmers
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 15
Methodology
– Social impact assessment
– Empirical study
– Small-N research
– Action research
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 16
Ajaz: Population: 550
Rainfall: 320 mm
Main crops: barley, wheat (65% total)
My research: 4 households non-participating in PPB
Souran: Population: 32.000
Rainfall: 300 mm
Main crops: barley, olives, wheat
My research: 1 household participating in PPB
Lahetha: Population: 3500 Rainfall: 174 mmMain crops: barley, wheat My research: 5 households participating in PPB
Methods and activitiesFieldwork: • Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) approaches• Single-sex group interviews in 3 villages with 11 women• 4-5 months a year over 3 years (2008-2010)• Main crop: barley
PPB activities:• meetings for crop selection• meeting between women farmers from Jordan and Syria• conferences on seed legislation and farmers’ knowledge
e.g.: The Farmers’ Conference – ICARDA, May 2008
www.icarda.org/farmersconference/
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 18
Fieldwork in Ajaz, February 2008
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Visit to the fields, Farmers’ Conference, May 2008
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Seed and Food Fair, Farmers’ Conference, May 2008
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 21
Findings
Women and agronomic management
Access to resources
Sources of knowledge
Perception of decision making
Perception of ‘who is a farmer’
Achievements of PPB
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 22
Women and agronomic management (1)
Ajaz and Souran
Women work 8 hours a day in planting, weeding, hoeing, fertilising, harvesting, processing vegetables, seed storing and animal care. Older women also sell the produce
Men mainly work as daily labourers in non-agricultural jobs
In agriculture men are in charge of: mechanised work, buying and selling produce, irrigation, loading weights
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 23
Women and agronomic management (2)
Lahetha
Older women are involved in agriculture with their husbands and perform the same activities
Widows manage the farm alone
Majority of farmers have a non-agricultural part-time job
Women only, look after vegetable gardens
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 24
Access to resources
None of the women owns any property
Water is managed by the men
In Ajaz and Souran seed and all agricultural inputsare generally purchased by the men; produce is
sold by women over 60 and men
In Lahetha both men and women buy and sell
agricultural products
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 25
Women Men
Family
Experience
Experimentation over years
RelativesNeighbours
Women’s union
Women’s meetings
Extension officeAgricultural Pharmacy
Farmers’ union
Markets
Agricultural shops
Seed exchange with villages and neighbours
Farmers’ gatherings
Sources of knowledge
Gender and age influence perception of ‘who knows’
0 1 2 3
House keeping
Agricultural work, Choicesfor future, Marketing
Off-farm paid work, Courtesyvisits
widows older women unmarried women
Perception of decision making in women’s daily activities
Y=decision-making power
Y
X
Perception of ‘who is a farmer’
Men only, are usually called ‘farmers’ because of:
• gender roles in society
• decision making • land ownership
• passion about agricultural work
• knowledge
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 28
Achievements of PPB in:• Increasing the visibility of women farmers and of
their knowledge
• Enhancing women’s access to improved seed, new information and new agricultural technologies
• Producing and supplying crops that fit men’s and women’s needs
• Providing an opportunity for women to decide what to grow thereby enhancing women food-sovereignty
• Providing opportunities to participate in international events that have contributed to increasing farmers’ self-confidence and knowledge
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 29
Analysis and discussion (1)
Impact of PPB varies between communities, households, individuals
Women I work with:• Do agricultural work as much as or more than the men
• Perform gender-specific and mainly manual activities
• Acquire knowledge and information from a small and mainly domestic network
• Get more and more involved in agriculture when small-scale farming is not sufficient to sustain the household
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 30
Analysis and discussion (2)Also, the women I work with: • Are disadvantaged in terms of accessing agricultural
resources
• Have limited control over the marketing of the produce
• Have reduced decision-making power over their daily activities
• Are overlooked as farmers therefore excluded by development programmes
These findings reflect the situation of women worldwide
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 31
Potential achievements of gender-balanced OPB
• Technology development for food security and health
• Better response to climate change
• Fair development and increase in social and gender justice
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 32
Conclusions
Climate change and the increasing un-sustainability of small-scale farming:
focus on food security and agricultural development inmarginal environments and with marginal farmers
Gender-sensitive OPB is well placed to provide:
a perspective on how to deal with globalization and
an institutional mechanism and a process for equal, efficient and effective
agricultural development
The future role of women in organic plant breeding - A. Galiè - IFOAM 2009 33
Thank you