Empowering women farmers for sustainable development.
Towards greater access to land and water for women farmers

2nd International Conference on Women in Agriculture

19-21 November 2003. Manilla, Philippines

1. About sixty women farmers and their representatives, mainly from Asian farmers’ organisations belonging to the IFAP family, met in Manila, Philippines, from 19 to 21 November 2003, for the 2nd IFAP International Conference on Women in Agriculture, on the theme of “Empowering Women Farmers for Sustainable Development”. The farmers’ organisation hosting this event, Pakisama, as well as the organisation of women farmers of the Philippines, Lakambini, gave us a very warm welcome.

2. The Conference was spread over three days. The first day was devoted to access to, and management of, land and water resources by women. The second day focused on international trade and learning the rules of the World Trade Organisation. And finally the third day provided an occasion for a meeting with Filipino women farmers who are members of two agricultural co-operatives.

3. Opening Session of the Conference

a. The President of Lakambini, Soledad Yetyet, opened the Conference by encouraging the participating women farmers to work hard during the next few days since opportunities to meet in this way are rare. She stressed that the fundamental changes necessary to improve the living conditions of producers would come from a collective effort on the part of the women farmers who had become members of farmers’ organisations and agricultural leaders all over the world.

b. Victoria Kakoko Sebagereka, President of the IFAP Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture, explained that “ensuring the same ownership rights for women as for men has always a fruitful impact because such political and financial commitment leads to a more rapid rate of development, as well as higher levels of food security, social well-being and health”. These national and international commitments are necessary for a equitable and sustainable allocation of water and land. Mrs. Sebagereka also insisted on the obligations of women farmers, who should study the ins-and-outs of the policies affecting them, especially those relating to international trade. In the view of the President, capacity-building continued to be a key to the sustainable development of agriculture.

c. The Under-Secretary of the National Anti-Poverty Commission of the Philippines, Veronica Villavicencio, welcomed participants in the name of the Filipino government. Mrs. Villavicencio described in detail the involvement of farmers in the decision-making structures of the government responsible for formulating national policies and positions. In addition, Mrs. Villavicencio highlighted the special attention paid to the integration of women in economic, social and political society.

d. The FAO Regional Representative in the Philippines, Sang Mu Lee, speaking on behalf of Sissel Ekaas, Director of the Gender and Population Division at FAO, explained the limits set by traditions and policies, linked to access and control of resources. Without secure and sustainable rights to land, women are less motivated to invest in the material that would improve their production. Furthermore, even if women are important users of water, they are rarely included in decisions relating to this resource, and this hampers the food security of families.

e. The President of IFAP, Jack Wilkinson, stressed that it is crucial for the WTO to take into consideration the viewpoints of women farmers in its decisions because trade is one of the instruments that can be used to stimulate sustainable development in the world. The national delegations that are behind the political programmes of FAO and WTO should include women farmers to represent them at the highest level. He also encouraged women to play a greater role in farmers’ organisations so that they could participate more actively in national and international debates and programmes. Finally, Wilkinson asked women farmers not to restrict themselves to female farmers’ organisations in order to avoid being pushed even further on the fringe.

4. Session on “Equitable and sustainable access of women farmers to land resources”

a. The first Round Table was chaired by Don Marquez, Co-Chairperson of the International Land Coalition and Executive Director of ANGOC - the Asian NGO Coalition of Agrarian Reform and Rural Development. In his general presentation on “increasing women farmers’ access to land: for an integrated land management system”, Mr. Marquez explained that although the principle of gender equity is increasingly recognised by governments, access to land has not been one of their major preoccupations in the elaboration of new policies in the past decade. However, in view of changes in family economics, especially the constantly increasing number of farms run by women, the need to improve their rights has become a priority. Mr. Marquez went on to mention the possibility of elaborating a common platform at the global level on ensuring and securing access to land for women farmers through IFAP in its capacity as a member of the Coalition. This platform should incorporate the following key points:

- The vital role of women in the rural economy and agriculture

- Land and the rights attached to it (ownership, inheritance, etc.) registered in the names of members of the beneficiary household and not exclusively in the name of the « head of the household »

- Ensuring right of access to land for women when individual ownership systems are introduced and they lose the rights granted to them by traditional customs.

- Improving the visibility of women as economic players

Finally, Mr. Marquez provided details of existing programmes within the Coalition and concluded on the point that the Coalition was searching for new opportunities to work with groups of women farmers to contribute to building their capacities to achieve better control of the resources on which their livelihood depends.

b. Technical presentations by women farmers completed this general presentation.

· Badamjav Bayarmaa, Executive of the Mongolian Farmers' and Flour Producers' Association, in her presentation on “Women farmers’ rights in the existing land legislation frameworks”, described the changes in agriculture in her country, which encourages the development of more efficient agricultural methods. Numerous activities are undertaken to improve the knowledge of Mongolian women farmers. The land ownership law of 2002 offers all citizens the possibility of owning land, without gender discrimination. Every family can own a farm of a maximum 0,07 ha tax free and up to 5 ha for the cultivation of vegetables and fruit, 100 ha to grow cereals, and 50 ha as grazing land. Despite equal rights of access to the resources mentioned in the laws, the real situation of women farmers is very different from their male colleagues when examining land ownerships.

· Gabriela Quiroga, Co-ordinator of Women’s Programmes of the Cooperativas Agrarias Federadas of Uruguay, explained in her presentation on “Taking over the land: what rights for women farmers?” that Uruguayan law ensures women the same rights of access and transmission of land as men. However, the figures speak for themselves: women own only 2% of the farms and 7% of the land, usually through inheritance. In the case of transmission of property, the heirs, whoever they are, must prove their ability to continue running the farm, and this could be an obstacle to a woman (wife, daughter, etc) taking over the activity. Ms. Quiroga then mentioned a few of these obstacles:

1. The plots of land owned by women farmers are small and devoted mainly to subsistence farming.

2. The participation of women in farmers’ organisations is very restricted due to the travel and time required to attend meetings.

3. Men usually take the decisions concerning the farm.

4. The absence of legislative clauses relating to the specific needs of women does not encourage the removal of these obstacles.

· Ampai Luangpirom, Deputy Executive Director of the Co-operative League of Thailand, talked about “Funding for accessing land – Accessing land to get funding”. This presentation concentrated on the Thai co-operative movement based on an equitable sharing of agricultural land. Women farmers usually participate in local co-operatives referred to as primary, because beyond this level, the possibility of becoming a member is sanctioned by land ownership and by the law on one member per household. The granting of land to women through co-operatives is therefore restricted by these conditions. Mrs. Luangpirom also referred to a case study on the sustainable management of land in her country, entitled “new royal theory” that seeks to guarantee right of access to land for everyone.

c. These presentations generated much discussion about the day-to-day reality of women farmers.

· In general, women farmers are not very aware of the problems they encounter as women in relation to access to land.

· National legislation frequently affirms equal access to land resources but the percentage of land actually owned by women farmers is still very low. There are therefore numerous gaps between the text of the laws and their applications.

· The flagrant lack of statistics on women in the world is the cause of an unawareness of the situation of women farmers. Detailed statistics are necessary to introduce concrete measures adapted to the development needs of women farmers.

· The absence of information and participation in decision-making implies a failure to implement policies and laws promoting land ownership by women farmers.

· Farmers’ organisations should encourage the granting of land to women; awareness programmes aimed at governments are therefore necessary.

· IFAP should make every effort to heighten the awareness of agricultural leaders about the specific difficulties encountered by women farmers in their production activities.

5. Session on “Equitable and sustainable access of women farmers to water resources”

a. The second Round Table was chaired by Jennifer Francis, Social Development Specialist at the Asian Development Bank and former Executive Secretary of the Gender and Water Alliance, who made a presentation on “Women farmers’ access and affordability of fresh water”. Mrs Francis described the complexity of water supplies for the poor, as it must take into account the different aspects of geography, objectives of use, users, costs, etc. To ensure sustainable access to this resource, a comprehensive study of the utilisation of water and its users is crucial, and it has become vital to regulate its access in cases of competing demands for water supplies that have become rare.

Water access of women should be protected from more powerful users. Although water is at the centre of their daily activities, whether for productive purposes or not, they still do not have enough influence on decision-making in the sector of water (construction, rights, utilisation, management, payment, etc.). In the opinion of Mrs. Francis, the current approach to water management concentrates too much on technical improvements without paying enough attention to its sustainability and the objectives of the community. A change in the technological approaches is necessary to target real needs more accurately in terms of place, time, cost, use and dimension.

The international community is increasingly recognising the need for an integrated management approach to water resources in order to meet the needs of women farmers. Mrs. Francis then explained in detail the programmes covering access to water of the Asian Development Bank and the Gender and Water Alliance.

b. Technical presentations by women farmers expanded on this theme.

· Flor Caya, Vice-President of Lakambini, Philippines, described the projects undertaken by the government within the framework of “Establishing secure water rights for women farmers”. Since 1998, an integrated management programme for water resources has been implemented with the German co-operation in various regions of the Philippines. A growing number of women participate in farmers’ organisations with the support of the Department of Agrarian Reform. Mrs. Caya then gave details about the legislation on water and criticised the absence of laws to meet the specific needs of women farmers for access to water. The programmes on water resources are carried out to the detriment of the rights of women to have access to water, and this adds an extra burden to their numerous tasks.

· Cristina Manzano, Head of institutional relations at the Sociedad Rural Argentina and Adviser to the IFAP Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture, then took the floor to talk about “How to finance water supply for rural development and sustainable agriculture” based on a project in the province of Mendoza. The aim of this project is to achieve a development with growth and inhabitants’ equity of the different hydrographic basins. Water is a scarce and, therefore, strategic resource for agricultural development in the region. The provinces that own natural resources ensure their management through the participation of users. This project seeks to promote the sustainable use of water and the establishment of a water culture founded on three pillars: optimisation of the utilisation of water through irrigation, use of financial and human resources, and adaptation of irrigation technologies. Mrs. Manzano then discussed the difficulties faced by organisations of users and a system to adjust these obstacles by an institutional development proposal.

· Dr. Sarala Gopalan, Representative of Women Farmers of the National Institute of Agriculture in India, gave
a very detailed presentation on “Appropriate technologies for water supply systems”. Although India has an abundance of water resources, access to drinking water continues to be a challenge for most of the population. Considering water to be a crucial problem, in 1987, the Constitution adopted a legislative framework adapted to the use of water, as well as a national water policy, based on the planning and development of water resources from a national perspective. It gave priority to certain uses of water (for drinking, irrigating, etc). Mrs. Gopalan highlighted the various traditional technologies still in existence and the development programmes of the hydrologic basins aimed at managing water in an integrated way, restoring ecological balance and strengthening the community through a participatory approach. The presentation then focused on the different systems available for collecting water and the role of women in their upkeep. Women continue to suffer from discrimination in terms of access to water, and financial investments are still inadequate for solving their difficulties. The gender problem should be at the centre of strategies relating to the supply and management of water.

c. Numerous debates followed these interventions on equitable and sustainable access to water for women farmers. To summarise :

· Water is a daily problem for most women farmers, whether it is for farming or family use, but as in the case of land, they are rarely fully aware of the reasons why it is difficult to have access to water resources.

· Awareness programmes for communities involved in gender-related problems is a preliminary condition for the introduction of new water supply technologies for the purpose of achieving a more effective integration of these technologies in community, family and productive activities.

· The controversy over payment for water was raised, i.e., whether water is a public good supplied by the government and, therefore, free, or whether it is a private good and therefore subject to payment. The majority of the participants supported water supplies by the government.

6. Session on “Women farmers’ involvement in fresh water management”

a. The last Round Table was chaired by Jack Wilkinson, President of IFAP, who focused his presentation on the necessity for farmers’ organisations to lobby governments with the aim of ensuring that agriculture and water supplies are considered as priorities by government authorities and international bodies. Mr. Wilkinson felt that farmers’ organisations should meet representatives of their governments to explain their water-related problems in order to make sure that the policies defended by farmers are adopted by the governments. It is also essential to identify policies, institutions and good practices based on equity in the management and supply of water, in keeping with the social, economic and environmental conditions of each country.

b. Two women farmers then made technical presentations.

· Mary Njoki Kavoreria, from the Gender Desk of the Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers explained the case of Kenya in her presentation on “Participative management of water resources: stimulating women farmers’ decision making”. Kenyan women account for 80% of the agricultural labour force. Water is considered to be a basic need for human survival and an important catalyst for economic and social development. In this country, the shortage of water is the most important environmental factor restricting agricultural output. The quality, quantity and availability of water affect the development of many sectors of activity, especially agriculture. There is a real need for an appropriate management of water to complete production systems that depend on the uncertainties of the weather. A more efficient management of water, for example through a drop-by-drop irrigation system, can improve family nutrition and provide a regular source of supplementary income for households. Mrs. Kavoreria then made a few recommendations on water management. These included drawing up policies and plans for water management that take into account present and future demands of the agricultural sector as a whole, and women farmers needs in particular; strengthening the managing institutional structures; making irrigation systems more widespread at both national and local levels; pursuing a policy of integrated management of natural resources; and including the majority of agricultural producers in these procedures.

· Jung-Hee Park, Special Adviser to the National Agricultural Co-operative Federation of Korea, detailled the situation of her country within the framework of “Developing sustainable, demand-driven water management systems”. The interest of women in an environment-friendly water management system is constantly growing in Korea due to the pollution problems generated by the rapid industrial and economic development that the country is experiencing. Given the fact that women account for 50% of the agricultural labour force, not enough emphasis is placed on the role of women farmers in sustainable agricultural development and their participation in the relevant decision-making. Mrs. Park stressed the need to develop the potential of women within the framework of water conservation, protection of the environment, as well as educational programmes for children on ecological issues.

c. Many comments ensued from these presentations.

· Water is a genuine problem in the present – and future – world, and women do not receive enough information about this issue.

· The government must be the supplier of water, but users, both men and women farmers, are responsible for managing available water resources in an efficient and sustainable way.

· Women farmers need capacity-building programmes if they are to have the possibility of obtaining positions in farmers’ organisations with the aim of representing women in the decision-making process.

· An equitable distribution should be made between large-scale agricultural companies and small producers so that they can both have access to the water supplies required for their respective activities.

· Women farmers have a significant capacity to organise themselves and form networks. This should be the starting point for our activities.

7. The floor was then given to Fabienne Derrien, Secretary of the IFAP Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture, to present the declaration on international trade discussed during the second day of the conference. The objective of this issue was to prepare women farmers for the workshop on international trade, to help them reflect on the various themes mentioned in this declaration and to encourage them to comment on this document.

8. Workshop on international trade negotiations and their consequences for the livelihoods of women farmers

a. The second day was devoted to tackling the issue of international trade in agricultural products with an unusual approach. Jointly conducted by the International Development Section of the Union of Agricultural Producers of Quebec (UPA-DI), this workshop provided an opportunity to learn about the rules and stakes of international trade in an entertaining way through the use of the Globalisation Game, designed to disseminate information on this topic.

b. The workshop was introduced in detail by Hélène Jolette, Program Officer of the UPA-DI, who explained how the day would be organised, the functioning of the workshop and the rules of the game.

c. A presentation on “Impact of international trade rules on women farmers’ livelihoods” was made by Hilda Stewart, President of the Associated Country Women of the World. Men and women are influenced in different ways by trade policies just as they in turn exert different influences on national and international trade policies. One of the reasons is that they have more or less high levels of access to, and control of, productive resources and participation in decision-making. Mrs. Stewart reminded participants that governments at the Beijing Conference in 1995 had made commitments to ensure that national policies related to national and international trade agreements would not have a negative impact on the economic activities of women farmers. It is important for WTO and governments to take better account of gender problems in order to target the needs and preoccupations of women farmers concerning trade rules.

Mrs. Stewart concluded with three major recommendations to governments :

1. To respect their commitments to ensure gender equity and incorporate specific measures for women farmers in their policies and programmes.

2. To establish a network of qualified women involved in decision-making at all levels so as to promote national, regional and international trade policies, taking gender problems into consideration.

3. To measure the impact of international trade rules on agriculture and women farmers.

d. The issue “How can women farmers be included more fully in the formulation of trade policy” was treated by Sisko Mäkelä, Representative of MTK, Finland, and Vice-Chairperson of the IFAP Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture. In view of the fact that women farmers are predominantly present on the local market, it should be borne in mind that the agreements concluded in the course of WTO negotiations have an impact on local communities and agriculture, and consequently on women farmers. Our politicians, who are the principal negotiators, do not necessarily place the emphasis on agriculture but may make use of it in compensation for obtaining other non-agricultural advantages. In Europe, women farmers represent 40% of the agricultural labour force. The measures taken by the European Union to reduce the prices of agricultural and agricultural subsidies have led to the disappearance of many small farms in Finland, and it so happens that women farmers have smaller farms than men. Globalisation can have either positive or negative effects, depending on how the process is handled. Agriculture does not have production as its sole objective; it also plays a vital role in the social, environmental and educational environment. Furthermore, for consumers, agriculture entails the preservation and development of rural areas, a high standard of good production practices, preservation of traditional cultivation, etc. It is therefore necessary to consider all these factors when discussing the formulation of policies on international trade. Mrs. Mäkelä concluded with a few comments for consideration when initiating measures to reinforce the role of women farmers in the elaboration of policies :

1. The rules on international trade should protect the activities of local markets and boost local production.

2. Fair trade should be looked upon as a positive initiative, especially for organised women farmers.

3. Farmers’ organisations must become more involved in national and international trade negotiations and should support the demands of women farmers in this matter.

4. A study on the impact of trade policies on women farmers would be relevant.

e. International trade was an issue of interest to everyone and the discussions were therefore very rich.

1. WTO is only an administrative body; the negotiators are the governmental delegations who decide to promote one trade policy or another. Farmers’ organisations should therefore be aware of the positions taken by their government so that they can exert their influence. The more farm leaders understand the rules and measures of international trade, the better they will be able to guide the positions and decisions taken by their government by having discussions with the negotiators of their country

2. The national position on international trade, defended in the negotiating rounds, should be the object of a public document, widely distributed in advance so that farmers’ organisations can discuss them with the relevant authorities.

3. Producers should be sufficiently united at national and international levels to enable them to adopt common positions on trade.

f. Two sessions lasting two hours were then devoted to the Globalisation Game. The workshop was a great success among the women farmers present, whatever the level of knowledge they had of the issue because it gave them an initial approach to such a complex theme. The booklet provided contained technical information about WTO and was an effective tool for reflecting on the theme, and the women farmers carefully studied it before each sequence of the game.

g. A lottery was organised at the end of the meeting and eleven farmers’ organisations returned to their respective countries with the game to help them disseminate this newly acquired knowledge among their members and convey this information at local level.

h. The game ended with a discussion on the declaration concerning women farmers and international trade (the final version available as an index), summarising the main demands of the women farmers who attended this conference. This declaration was therefore the object of comments and the amended final version will be circulated by electronic mail for adoption by mid-December. This so-called “Manila Declaration” will be distributed within IFAP and submitted to the IFAP Working group on trade policy. Participants were encouraged to promote it within their organisations and governments.

i. Ananias Loza, President of Pakisama, closed the conference by thanking all the participants, organisers and sponsors.

j. This conference was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Canadian Agency for International Development, the International Land Coalition, and Agricord, the network of agri- agencies working with the IFAP Development Co-operation Committee.

A few concrete steps to take in the forthcoming months
Meeting of the Bureau of the Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture

- To promote the conclusions and the Manila Declaration among members of IFAP and international bodies.

- To examine the results of the use of these documents by women farmers belonging to IFAP during the next Committee meeting.

- To strengthen the presence of women farmers belonging to farmers’ organisations in industrialised countries on the IFAP Committee of Women in Agriculture, and its activities.

- To encourage the farmers’ organisations that are members of IFAP to ensure they are represented regularly by a woman farmer at international events and Committee meetings, a follow-up by the same representative being advisable to ensure the continuity and efficiency of activities

- To draw up a list of representatives of women farmers in member organisations and existing committees of women farmers so as to encourage the creation of structures within these organisations.

- To improve the dissemination of information within the Committee of Women Farmers by reinforcing the network.

- To make efforts to set up a network of “resource persons” from the Committee of Women Farmers. These resource persons would become involved in each topic that IFAP deals with in order to represent the interests of women farmers at the various IFAP committees and working groups, as well as to inform the women farmers of IFAP of the actions and programmes of these working groups, the objective being to disseminate as widely as possible the mountain of information available at the Federation

- To associate the 3rd IFAP International Conference of Women Farmers with the autumn 2005 session of the Executive Committee with the aim of optimising the presence of women farmers at this meeting.

The next meeting of the IFAP Standing Committee on Women in Agriculture will be held in Washington DC during the IFAP World Farmers Congress from 29th of May to 4th of June 2004. The elections of the Committee of Women in Agriculture will be held on that occasion