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Ensuring that rural advisory services are responsive to women: good practices from FAO experiences in Europe and Central Asia









FAO. 2024. Ensuring that rural advisory services are responsive to women: good practices from FAO experiences in Europeand Central Asia. Budapest.




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    Towards gender-responsive agricultural extension services in Albania
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    2024
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    This publication assesses the extent, progress and challenges of providing gender-responsive agricultural extension services in Albania based on the FAO Gender and Rural Advisory Services Assessment Tool (GRAST) methodology. Even though agriculture is an important sector of the economy that accounts for 36 percent of overall employment in the country, informality is high and the engagement of low-skilled rural women in labour intensive activities is significant. Women in the context of family farms, are often considered to be unpaid “farm helpers”. This assessment identifies the key gaps at national, organizational and field levels that hinder the achievement of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the country’s progress towards inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems. In particular, the absence of evidence-based and sex-disaggregated data does not allow developing gender responsive services driven by a sound understanding of the gender-specific barriers that prevent farmers from accessing and benefiting from such services. Moreover, the lack of well-articulated and mainstreamed gender and social inclusion policies for targeting and reaching diverse women and men clients reduces progress towards national goals and commitments. Addressing rural women’s access to information, knowledge and services is essential for ensuring gender equality, reaching farm efficiency, sustainability and productivity, and contributing to the enhancement of livelihoods.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Making extension and advisory services work for women 2021
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    Women play a key role in agriculture and food security, making up around 48 percent of the agricultural labour force in low-income countries. Despite this, their important contribution is hardly visible and largely unrecognized. Gender equality regards human rights but gender-based constraints in the sector cause also major inefficiencies in value chains, and are a key impediment for rural development, food security, and social and environmental sustainability. Moreover, the severe and multidimensional constraints faced by women hamper their productive potential and livelihoods. Women’s needs for knowledge and support often differ from the services offered, which are typically tailored to a male clientele. Extension and advisory services (EAS) should play a key role in helping women improve their livelihoods by providing services to harness their potential, thus empowering them to escape poverty and participate in decision-making. However, EAS providers often fall short of this goal: services are usually geared towards male heads of household, and only seldom do EAS actors have the skills to effectively support women.
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    Policy brief
    Strengthening gender-responsive climate policies and actions in climate-smart agriculture 2022
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    Championing women as critical agents of change within their communities and in policy and decision-making processes at national and international levels is a fundamental step towards ensuring gender equality and climate-related issues are adequately addressed in agricultural policies and dialogue and considered by international climate finance mechanisms, government ministries and research institutions. Gender-responsive climate-smart agriculture refers to approaches that consider women’s and men’s specific priorities and their different access to resources, services, education and information to build climate resilience, through a focus on equality and agency. This brief showcases promising research and innovation, particularly from countries engaged through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Flexible Multi-Partner Mechanism (FMM) 149 project. Senegal, Uganda and Belize are highlighted as examples to inform policymakers, guide gender-responsive investments, policies, and strategies in countries’ work in response to climate change. This brief is part of a series. Other briefs on agrifood value chains, aquaculture and fisheries and the livestock sector are available.

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