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Food policy, rural development and gender equality in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia

Summary and recommendations of the International forum (10, 12, 17 March 2021)










FAO. 2022. Food policy, rural development and gender equality in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. Summary and recommendations of the International forum (10, 12, 17 March 2021). Rome.





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    This publication is a collection of articles written by economists, sociologists, and gender specialists and practitioners from twelve post-Soviet countries in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. It is unique in its effort to review and analyze the issues that are at the intersection of gender equality, social protection and rural development in the region. Overall, there is a lack of research, documented knowledge and public discourse on this subject and a multi-disciplinary approa ch is necessary for ensuring an in-depth and rigorous understanding of these intersecting issues in the context of the region. In supporting this publication, the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia intends to draw attention to these issues as critical for the socio-economic development of the region, and raise greater awareness among all stakeholders and promote more research in this area. One of the main reasons why this subject remains on the periphery of research and discourse is the widespread public opinion that issues relating to gender have already been addressed and are, therefore, not priorities for rural development and social protection. Indeed, in the post-Soviet countries, women, including those located in rural areas, continue to enjoy relatively high levels of literacy and education and high economic activity rates. Furthermore, all countries, in an effort to sustain the achievements of the previous regime, have recognized the formal supremacy of internation al legal norms and UN standards, including in the area of gender equality and women’s rights. They have also been developing and implementing national policies towards achieving gender equality. However, if we look beyond the average numbers, and disaggregate available statistics by sex and by location wherever possible, we can see that in critical areas (for example, formal employment; access to social services such as childcare facilities and pensions; and participation in local governance, am ong others), rural women often emerge as the most disadvantaged group. There are also key issues, for example, access to productive resources (such as land, credits, agricultural equipment and extension services) that are of crucial importance to rural livelihoods but are not commonly viewed from a gender perspective. Across the region, women form a majority in the rural population, and a significant proportion of the labour force engaged in agriculture. However, the overarching trend in terms o f rural women’s employment is their engagement in informal, low-skilled and low-paid jobs. Women’s access to assets and productive resources is also significantly lower than that of rural men’s. Rural women’s participation in public life has reduced dramatically over the last decades, and generous social welfare is no longer a social norm.
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    Review of agrifood trade policies of the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia countries, 2019–2020 2022
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    This review is devoted to the analysis of the agricultural trade policy of the Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia countries. The purpose of the review is to monitor the latest developments in the trade policies of these countries that have an impact on the dynamics and structure of trade. The overview chapter summarizes the main agricultural trade trends in the twelve countries of the region from 2019–2020. The publication also includes a thematic chapter analysing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agrifood trade and trade policy in these countries.
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